Beetroot Tomato Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter (I used salted butter)
• 1 tablespoon oil (I used avocado oil)
• 1/4 inch cinnamon stick
• 2 whole black peppercorn
• 1 whole clove
• 2 green cardamom
• 1 medium yellow or white onion (chopped)
• 1/2 inch ginger (chopped)
• 2-3 garlic cloves (chopped)
• 2 medium carrots (peeled & chopped, 70 grams, or use 1 large carrot)
• 2 medium beetroot (225 grams, peeled and diced)
• 3 medium tomatoes (360 grams, chopped)
• 2 cups water (480 ml/16 oz)
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)
• black pepper (optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Start by pressing the sauté button on the Instant Pot. Once you see "hot" displayed on the pot, add the butter and oil. Once the butter melts, add all the whole spice and cook 15 seconds. Then add the chopped onion, ginger and garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the onions soften.

2. 2

   Add the chopped carrots, beets and tomatoes along with 2 cups of water and salt. Stir everything and close the lid. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.

3. 3

   Once pressure releases, open the lid. You can puree the ingredients using an immersion blender or use transfer everything to a regular blender and blend. If using a regular blender, wait for the mixture to cool down a bit and then blend. I used a regular blender. Then strain the soup using a strainer. Do not skip this step.

4. 4

   Let the soup come to a boil again. Add cream if needed and serve hot topped with croutons or a side of grilled cheese sandwich. You can also add some crushed black pepper before serving.

5. 5

   --- Stove-top Instructions ---

6. 6

   Follow the same steps. Sauté the spices, onion, garlic and ginger. Then add around 3 cups water along with the veggies. Cover and cook on medium heat until the veggies soften around 20 to 25 minutes. Then puree the mixture, strain and serve.