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Beetroot, Lentil and Horseradish Soup

Name: Beetroot, Lentil and Horseradish Soup
Prep time: 14 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2 coarse beetroot-lentil soup bowls, each with half the horseradish-yogurt topping, including 30 g/about 2 tbsp yogurt per person
Ingredients: 200 g (7 oz) plain ready-to-eat cooked beetroot, drained and finely grated, not pickled beetroot; 160 g (5⅔ oz) canned ready-to-eat green or brown lentils, drained and rinsed; 40 g (1½ oz) peeled onion, finely chopped; 5 ml olive oil (1 tsp); 350 ml (about 1½ US cups) ready-to-use lower-sodium vegetable stock, divided; 0.5 g dried dill (about ½ tsp); 0.3 g ground black pepper (about ⅛ tsp); 60 g (2 oz; about ¼ cup) plain pasteurized-milk yogurt; 10 g prepared horseradish (about 2 tsp), from a commercial refrigerated jar, not fresh root or horseradish sauce; 5 ml lemon juice (1 tsp), seeds removed

2 coarse beetroot-lentil soup bowls, each with half the horseradish-yogurt topping, including 30 g/about 2 tbsp yogurt per person · Active 14 min · Cook 12 min · Total 30 min

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Prepared beetroot is useful when the cooking time has already been done for you. Grating it finely lets it mingle with mashed lentils without a blender. The soup is deliberately coarse, with a cool horseradish-yogurt spoonful on top. Horseradish strength varies, so its measured amount goes into the yogurt rather than disappearing into a long hot cook.

Jump to ingredients

Beetroot and lentil soup with horseradish yogurt.

Buy cooked beetroot without the pickle

Use a ready-to-eat cooked packet or jar with plain beetroot, not an acidic sweet pickle. Drain and weigh the prepared flesh, then grate over a board you can clean easily. Grated cooked beetroot warms quickly and gives the soup a finer texture than thick slices would.

Keep the sharp finish separate

The yogurt balances prepared horseradish and stays cool until serving. Spoon it over each hot portion instead of heating the whole dairy mixture. A few fork-mashed lentils thicken the base; the visible beetroot strands belong in the finished bowl. Smooth purée is not promised by a hand-mashed recipe.

Ingredients

200 g (7 oz) plain ready-to-eat cooked beetroot, drained and finely grated, not pickled beetroot
160 g (5⅔ oz) canned ready-to-eat green or brown lentils, drained and rinsed
40 g (1½ oz) peeled onion, finely chopped
5 ml olive oil (1 tsp)
350 ml (about 1½ US cups) ready-to-use lower-sodium vegetable stock, divided
0.5 g dried dill (about ½ tsp)
0.3 g ground black pepper (about ⅛ tsp)
60 g (2 oz; about ¼ cup) plain pasteurized-milk yogurt
10 g prepared horseradish (about 2 tsp), from a commercial refrigerated jar, not fresh root or horseradish sauce
5 ml lemon juice (1 tsp), seeds removed

Set out

1000 W microwave with turntable, Kitchen scale and measuring jug, Knife and board, Spoon, Oven mitts, Two serving bowls, Microwave-safe bowl, at least 2 L/about 2⅛ US qt measured capacity, about 20 cm/8 in inside diameter and 9 cm/3½ in deep, Microwave-safe vented cover, Box grater, Small bowl and fork, Can opener and sieve, Food thermometer for leftover reheating checks

Allergens

Milk. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

Mix the yogurt, prepared horseradish and lemon juice in the small bowl. Divide into two equal 37.5 g topping portions if convenient, or keep together and divide equally at serving; each contains 30 g yogurt, 5 g horseradish and 2.5 ml lemon juice. Refrigerate while the soup cooks.
Put the onion, oil and 15 ml/1 tbsp of the measured stock in the 2 L bowl. Cover with a vent and microwave at 1000 W full power for 3 minutes, stirring halfway, until softened.
Add the grated cooked beetroot, drained lentils, remaining 335 ml stock, dill and pepper. Stir, cover with a vent and heat at full power for 6–9 minutes, stopping every 3 minutes to stir from the bottom. When the soup is steaming throughout, mash some of the lentils with the fork to give the broth body. Leave the beetroot finely textured.
Stand covered for 2 minutes. Stir and divide all the soup equally between two bowls. Spoon half of the cold horseradish yogurt over each and eat promptly. Keep topping separate from any soup reserved for later.

Cooked really means cooked

A vacuum packet labeled ready to eat is different from a bag of raw whole beetroot. Do not substitute raw grated beetroot and expect the same time.

Keep the colors useful

Grate over the board, then scrape all the beetroot into the bowl. Its small released juices belong in the soup; avoid staining a porous serving surface.

Ingredient labels

Prepared horseradish products can contain mustard, egg, milk or sulfites; select plain prepared horseradish and read its actual label. Stock may contain celery. The soy-yogurt version adds soy.

A useful detail

The 30-minute plan allows 10 minutes of preparation, up to 12 minutes of sequential heating, the 2-minute stand and 6 minutes for mashing and serving. The cooked beetroot is ready to eat before it enters the 1000 W microwave; this is not a timing guide for raw beetroot.

Another way

For a milder topping, use 5 g/about 1 tsp prepared horseradish in the complete yogurt batch instead of 10 g. Divide the smaller total equally.
Use 60 g/2 oz plain unsweetened soy yogurt in the topping instead of dairy yogurt. Soy becomes an allergen; check that the prepared horseradish is also suitable for the intended diet.

Keep it well

Refrigerate reserved soup and untouched topping separately within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 90°F/32°C, at 40°F/4°C or below. Use within 2 days or an earlier cooked-beetroot, opened-lentil, yogurt or horseradish deadline. Reheat only plain soup under a vented cover, stirring in short bursts; stand 2 minutes and verify 165°F/74°C throughout. Add the refrigerated topping only to the portion being eaten.