Creamy Beet Soup Without All the Cream

This is a vibrant color of soup, deep crimson-red as only beets can be. And the taste is pure beet. The creaminess of this soup comes from the potato that is cooked with the beets -- there is no cream at all in the soup so the calorie count is light. I've eaten this hot, but it would be equally good cold, which would make it a wonderful soup for summer. Recipe from Cooking Light which calls this a "rich velvety soup which is a mild version of borscht -- without the cabbage."

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1  teaspoon olive oil
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 4  cups  fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
• 2  cups water
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄8 teaspoon pepper
• 3  beets, peeled and halved (I quartered mine)
• 1  medium baking potato, peeled and halved crosswise (I quartered mine)
• 1  bay leaf
• 1  teaspoon lemon juice
• 8  teaspoons reduced-fat sour cream (I used 3 tablespoons)

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté 3 minutes or until tender.
2. Add broth and next 6 ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered 20 minutes or until the beets and potato are tender. Be sure to discard bay leaf at this point.
3. Puree mixture using an immersion blender. You may also use a blender or food processor, being sure to process in 3 batches. The blender will probably give the smoothest results, but I thought the immersion blender gave satisfactory results (plus was easy to use). Return pureed mixture to the pot if necessary. Warm soup over low heat 5 minutes. Remove and stir in lemon juice.
4. Remove 1/2 cup of the soup and transfer this into a small bowl. Combine it with the sour cream, stirring with a whisk.
5. Ladle the soup into individual bowls and top each serving with one tablespoon of the sour cream mixture. Using the tip of a knife, swirl the sour cream, making a pretty design.
6. This recipe makes 8 servings (3/4 cup each) at 74 calories.