Creamy beetroot soup

The winter favourite beetroot is the basis of this lively coloured soup

The advantage of a cream soup is that you do not have to worry about the dicing and slicing. They do not have to be the same size or the same thickness. Chop your veg roughly and you are done with the preparation. The blender will do it's job at the end.

You will need:
1 small onion
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 leek
3 cloves of garlic
3 beetroots
1 carrot
1 parsnip
1 stick celery
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

1. Cook the beetroot in it's skin until the fork goes through easily.
2. Meanwhile, soften the sliced onion and leek. Add the garlic, bay leaf, diced carrot, parsnip, and celery. Add enough water to cover the vegetables two inches. Cover and gently simmer for 20-25 mins.
3. Peel the cooked beetroot, slice it up and add it to the soup. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to boil and simmer for further 5 mins.
4. Discard the bay leaf and cream the soup with a hand blender. Serve hot with cool yoghurt (optional) and crusty bread. Omit the yoghurt and the soup is fully vegan. Enjoy!

You might also enjoy these:
Creamy apple and parsnip soup
Roasted pepper and tomato soup
Creamy sweet potato and red lentil soup
Cream of mushroom soup