If there's a nation that knows a lot about comfort food that would be Russia, right? I mean, they have Siberia, they have valenki (really cool boots made of felt), they practically have polar bears walking all over the place. So it's only logical if they have a talent not only in making vodka out of everything but also in coming up with delicious meals for the cold days. And yes, winter is coming, so we need to prepare and stock up on some great soup recipes.

The borscht is really popular there and everyone love it. It essentially is a beetroot soup – quite simple and delicious. Today I'll share with you this soup recipe but with a twist. We will change the ingredients a bit to make it even more light, autumn-appropriate, and budget friendly.

Step 1: Prepare Your Ingredients

I only mention this, because we often make the mistake to do not double-check if we have all that a recipe needs. The beetroot soup recipe is not an exception. It really sucks to find out that you miss something in the middle of cooking, or you didn't think about certain aspects of the process beforehand. For example, you can avoid cleaning the kitchen later if you're careful.

You'll need:

1 medium (apple sized) beetroot
1 cup of chickpeas ( 200-250g)
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot
cooking oil
vegetable broth
salt
black pepper, freshly grounded
bay leaf
sour cream (optional)

Step 2: Soak the Chickpeas

Soak the chickpeas in a cup of warm water and discard all floating beans. In about 20 minutes, they will be perfectly ready to go into the pot.

Step 3: Put the Beetroot to Boil

This is optional. I've seen many people using the beet raw, but I prefer to boil it beforehand. I noticed that the colour preserves better if it's boiled separately and added to the soup just before it's done. Have a separate pot to boil it but don't peel it beforehand. It needs about 20-30 minutes. Cool it off, peel it and grate it. Be careful as beets tends to leave a red mess everywhere so watch out for your clothes and oven. When you're grating it make sure you've put an apron on.

Step 4: Saute the Chopped Onions and Carrots

Turn on the burner of the hob and heat the oil. Cook the carrots and onions for about two minutes and don't forget to add a pinch of salt. Fill the pot with water and add the broth.

Step 5: Add the Chickpeas

Depending on the brand you have, they may still need quite some time to cook. When the soup starts to boil, it's time to taste it and see if it needs more salt. Proceed to next step only when the chickpeas are ready.

Step 6: It's Time for the Beet

Add it carefully, you don't want it all around the oven. I'm doing this when the soup is almost ready because high temperature causes it to lose its colour quickly. You want the beetroot soup to be red, not orange, right? The final steps are to add the pepper and the bay leaf. Then let it simmer for about 7-10 minutes when it should be ready.

Step 7: Let's Eat!

Enjoy your delicious beetroot soup with a spoon of sour cream to enrich the flavour and texture. Plus, it adds a lot to the looks.

That's all to this delicious beetroot soup. The only downside to it is that you may have to do some cleaning in the kitchen after you're ready. If you want to minimize your cleaning efforts make sure to check out these helpful cleaning tips.