Gold Beet Soup with Grains and Greens

Say that title five times fast.

You may remember my little ode to beets from a few weeks back. Now, I’ve discovered gold beets. The photo above does not do them justice (I never claimed to be a photographer). Simply lovely are these delicate relatives of the more familiar red beet.

There is nothing terribly impressive about this Haphazard Recipe. I’ve been trying to buy fruits and veggies that are new to me, and work them into my cooking and eating habits. As the weather gets cooler and the evenings darker, no answer was easier for the gold beets than soup. Happily, I found a basic recipe that included the greens, and took it a little further with the addition of grains and carrots.

Ingredients:

• 5 or 6 cups veggie broth
• Bay leaf/leaves to taste
• 1 tblsp minced garlic
• Ground black pepper to taste
• 4 gold beets with greens
• 1 medium red onion, sliced however you like it
• Handful of baby carrots, chopped however you like them
• 1/2 cup dry spelt
• 1/2 cup dry quinoa

Directions:

1. Set broth, bay leaves, garlic and ground pepper to boil, then reduce to a simmer.
2. Cut the greens off the beats and set aside.
3. Peel the beets and trim ends.
4. Cut beets in half and slice so that you have little golden semi-circles.
5. Add onions and carrots and beets to the broth.
6. Add the uncooked spelt and quinoa.
7. Let simmer for 1-2 hours, or however long it takes to soften the spelt.
8. Shortly before serving, wash and chop beet greens, then add them to the soup.
9. Simmer everything together for a few more minutes and serve, remembering to remove the bay leaf if you used one whole!

There’s really nothing easier than root vegetables. Save time and eat hearty!