By Celia Barbour
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- 5(591)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This is a sweet and buttery tomato-onion soup that evolved, many years ago, toward a kind of borscht, but stopped short. Borscht tastes too earthy for my palate. Tomatoes and orange keep the flavor a bit brighter and more acidic. The name comes from the colors: orange carrots, carnelian tomatoes, magenta beets. I serve it at home, at least twice each winter, with snow-white dollops of sour cream floating on top. It looks wonderful, tastes good, and is very healthful. And without my needing to say a word about mincing or dicing, it teaches my children about the satisfaction of a job well done.
Featured in: BRINGING IT HOME; To Cook for Children, First Master the Knife
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 6tablespoons butter or 3 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3medium onions, chopped into ½-inch pieces
- 4cloves garlic, minced
- 2small beets, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
- 4 to 5medium carrots, cut into ½- inch dice
- 4stalks celery, cut into ½-inch pieces
- ½medium celery root, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
- ¾cup chopped dill
- 2quarts beef or chicken stock
- 128-ounce can diced tomatoes with their juice
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Sour cream, for garnish
- Dark whole wheat sour bread or other hearty bread, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
375 calories; 23 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 17 grams sugars; 12 grams protein; 1537 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Place flameproof casserole or other deep, wide pan over low heat and add butter or butter-oil mixture. When butter has melted, add onion and garlic; sauté until soft but not browned.
Step
2
Increase heat to medium-high and add beets, carrots, celery, celery root and half the dill. Sauté, adjusting heat as needed, until vegetables have released their liquid, dried and start to turn golden but not brown, about 20 minutes.
Step
3
Add stock and tomatoes with their juice, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until vegetables are soft, about 45 minutes. Add orange zest and juice, and remaining dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste. To serve, ladle into bowls and top each with a dollop of sour cream. Serve with hunks of bread.
Ratings
5
out of 5
591
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Cooking Notes
Danielle Ivory
I wanted to make this recipe vegetarian. So, instead of beef or chicken stock, I subbed in about two cups of water, a half cup of dry riesling, a half cup of grated parmesan, juice and zest from a lemon, a handful of fennel seeds and about a tablespoon each of soy sauce and tomato paste. The consistency was stewy, rather than soupy, but delicious.
LB King
Too much celery root for me. Substitute potatoes or beans. Also use just half of orange. Good soup for a winter day.
Jennifer
If I owned a soup cafe I would serve this on my menu and I believe it would be the most popular soup on the menu.
Alice Kaiser
Very borschty, in a good way. I only added 1 quart of broth, seemed like plenty w/o making it too thin. I love the dill.
Laurel
Juice of one orange made it seem like orange soup to me-- overpowered it. I might suggest using less, but overall I was a bit underwhelmed and probably won't make again. As leftovers on top of quinoa it was a little more interesting.
Corey
This was really delicious and unique. Next time I would start with just orange zest and add the juice a bit at a time, as the juice of a whole orange sweetens the soup a bit too much for me.
Caroline M
Wow. Subbed parsnip for celery root (not available), only did half the orange juiced, and found it needed a big squeeze of lemon at the end for a little extra acidity. Incredible 10/10, healing and beautiful. Would make a fantastic vegetarian holiday dish
Jennie
Easy, delicious and beautiful! I used vegetable broth and didn't have fresh beets, so used canned instead (added them later). Am guessing fresh beets would be even better. We have celery root in the garden, so appreciate this great use for it.
Diane B.
Absolutely delicious AND beautiful! I took the advice of others and cut down the amount of the broth so it wasn't so soupy. I only added the orange zest, which provided the perfect amount of flavor.
mohavi
This soup is outstanding. One of the best, if not the best soup I’ve ever made. Super easy. I added parsnips in lieu of celery bc I don’t like celery. And it is beautiful. I’m trying it again tonight with golden beets.
Sandy
I have never made a comment before, but this recipe is worth the effort of typing one. It's so good. I wish I had made a double batch!!! I'll know for next time. Honestly no notes except if you want some protein you could probably put half a can of white beans, or you can do what I did and serve it with a hardboiled egg a la borscht.
Babe
Made once many years ago & soup was VERY beautiful!Made again last night & not only did it take me hours to peel & dice, the root vegetables didn’t soften after at least an hour on medium heat; the 3/4 cup dried dill made a muddy sludge on the top of the soup that was un-beautiful; and the broth dried away with the long cook time to soften the veggies. I’ll leave future pursuits to those who can appreciate the magenta contributed by the humble beet during the cold of winter.
IMJme
I love soup. This is one of the best soups I have ever made. It is different in a very good way - the dill, orange juice and zest are beautiful. Frequently use parsnips in place of celery root and we like golden beets at times. Enjoy!
clared
Has anyone tried freezing this?
madeline
This was amazing. I was hesitant about the orange but it really does brighten up the earthiness of the root vegetables. I think parmesan would make a great topping if you don’t have sour cream, but the sour cream does make it more borscht-y which I love. 10/10!
Jennifer
I made this last night and ate for lunch today, flavours came together nicely overnight. Partially pre-roasted the carrots and beets; no stock so used water; tomatoes were the kind that are «packed in purée» so saucier than some. Used small bit of dried dill in place of fresh. No celery root so tossed in a potato. I loved the combination : the beets sweetened up the tomatoes, while the other vegs lightened the flavour of beets. Might toss in a few red kidney beans for tomorrow’s lunch.
Lila
Great soup! Added just 1/2 the orange juice and used white beans instead of celery root and it turned out delicious. Will be making again for sure.
Maggie
I couldn't get enough of it, absolutely delicious.
Addie
1 orange is indeed too much. I used half an orange and it was really good though the flavor was still quite noticeable. If you want a more classic vegetable soup flavor emit the orange all together. Great recipe though. (bonus: it healed my hangover)
smudj
Brilliant! If you like borscht, this is your perfect low cal choice. I love the balance of root veg as long as it is not over cooked and is consumed just as it’s done. When overcooked or stored (fridge or freezer) and reheated, it loses its brilliance and tastes a bit too “stewed” and celery root dominates. I think the key to making sure it’s not over cooked was pan roasting the veg. Invite a lot of people over to help you enjoy it straight off the stovetop!
Caroline M
Wow. Subbed parsnip for celery root (not available), only did half the orange juiced, and found it needed a big squeeze of lemon at the end for a little extra acidity. Incredible 10/10, healing and beautiful. Would make a fantastic vegetarian holiday dish
JDR
I have been making this every fall for years now, I don’t deviate from the recipe and am never disappointed. Don’t leave out the dill, orange or sour cream.
Jennifer
Forget all the fancy prep: use only 2 cups broth, dump all the vegetables in raw and cook on high pressure in the Instant Pot for 11 minutes, then manual release. Perfection!
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