Bay Leaf Beet Soup Recipe

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Wrap beets in foil.

Bake the beets until tender about 1 hour; allow to cool then peel the beets. Cut them into bite-size chunks.

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat and cook the red onion leek and garlic until the onion is translucent about 5 minutes. Pour in the vegetable broth and mix in the beets bay leaves cinnamon salt black pepper oregano basil cinnamon cumin and tarragon. Bring the soup to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the flavors of the bay leaves and spices are blended 20 to 25 minutes. Pick out bay leaves.

Ladle about 1/4 of the beets into a blender and add soup liquid as needed to fill the blender about 1/4 full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel and carefully start the blender using a few quick pulses to get the beets and broth moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree the beets until smooth and pour back into the soup.