Servings

Prep Time

Ingredients

• 4 medium-size fresh beets, scrubbed
• 1 tbsp olive oil (15 mL)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 can (28 oz/796 mL) diced tomatoes
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock (500 mL)
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill (75 mL)
• 1 tbsp maple syrup (15 mL)
• 1/4 tsp each salt and black pepper (1 mL)
• 1/3 cup sour cream ( 75 mL)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Trim off all but 1 inch (2.5 cm) of stems from beets. Put beets in a shallow baking dish; add water to a depth of 1/2 inch (1 cm).

2. Cover dish tightly with a lid or foil; bake for about 1-1/2 hours, until beets are tender.  Remove from oven; uncover and let stand until beets are cool enough to handle.(Beets can be cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

3. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until onion is softened but not brown. Remove saucepan from the heat.

4. Peel skins from beets (it’s easiest to use your fingers for this); cut beets into chunks. Stir beets into onion mixture,
   along with tomatoes. In a blender, not a food processor, blend beet mixture in batches, until smooth, returning each
   batch to saucepan.

5. Stir chicken stock, 1/4 cup (50 mL) dill, the maple syrup, salt and pepper into soup. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to
   medium; simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. (Soup can be cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days; reheat gently until piping hot before serving.)

6. Ladle into warm soup bowls. Dollop a little sour cream into each portion. Sprinkle each bowl with remaining dill, dividing evenly; serve at once.

Nutrients Per Serving

per serving: 129 calories, 5 g fat, 68 mg calcium, 603 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, 3 g fibre; excellent source of folate