Roasted Beet Soup with Red Lentils and Dill

Instructions

1. 1

   Roast the beetroot

   Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Peel the beetroot and cut it into approximately 2 cm cubes. Toss with 10 ml of the olive oil and 1 g of the salt, spread on a baking sheet, and roast for 35–40 minutes, until easily pierced with a fork.

   
2. 2

   Briefly sauté the soup base

   Finely chop the onion, cut the carrot into small cubes, and mince the garlic. Heat the remaining 15 ml of oil in a pot. Sauté the onion and carrot over medium heat for 6–7 minutes, until the onion softens and starts to turn lightly golden. Add the cumin and coriander and stir for 30 seconds, then stir in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.

   
3. 3

   Cook the lentils

   Rinse the lentils under cold water and add them to the pot along with the broth, 3.5 g of the salt, and the black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 18–20 minutes, until the lentils are tender.

   
4. 4

   Combine and finish the soup

   Once the beetroot is roasted, add it to the pot. Briefly blend about one-third of the soup with an immersion blender so the broth thickens while visible pieces of beetroot and lentils remain. Stir in the apple cider vinegar, the remaining 0.5 g of salt, and the finely chopped dill. Heat through for 2 minutes; the soup should be hot but not boiling vigorously.

   
5. 5

   Toast the seeds and serve

   Toast the pumpkin seeds in a small dry pan over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally; remove from the heat once they become fragrant and start to pop lightly in places. Divide the soup among four bowls and sprinkle with the toasted seeds.