1. Wash beets and then cut off both ends, removing the leaves as well as the end root tip.

2. Put beets in a steamer basket and place it on top of a pot filled halfway with water. Cover steamer. Bring stove to high heat and once water begins to boil, let beets steam for 10-12 minutes. *Note: This step speeds up your overall cooking time as it pre-boils and softens your beets before they’re added to the soup. You are not fully cooking your beets here.  You can choose to skip this step and instead boil beets in soup for longer, but it may result in your other veggies being mushy.

3. While beets steam, finely dice your onions and garlic. Add to a large soup pot with vegetable oil and sauté for 5-8 minutes or until translucent.Reduce heat to medium-low to gently simmer.

4. Return to the beets, remove from steamer and set aside to cool. While beets cool, dice potatoes and grate carrots to add to the onions and garlic mixture. Stir to combine. Add in 1/2 cup of water to keep vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

5. Beets should now be cool enough to peel and dice. If they are still hot to touch, use a pair of tongs to hold the beets in place while you peel. Otherwise, you can use an old dishtowel to hold in place, but keep in mind it will easily stain with red beet juice. Once diced, add beets to soup pot.

6. Stir in 5 cups of water, saving the last 1/2 cup to whisk in the Better Than Bouillon Seasoned Vegetable Base. Whisk until completely combined and no chunks remain, then stir into soup along with the tomato paste.

7. Increase stove heat to high and bring to a boil. Keep an eye on your soup, stirring often and being careful it doesn’t boil over. Let boil for 5 minutes, then reduce to a low heat. Cover and let simmer for another 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

8. Once beets are tender and can easily be pierced with a fork, turn off heat. Keep soup on element to stay warm.

9. Stir in apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.

10. *Optional* To thicken soup and intensify red colour, remove 1 cup of soup (liquid and vegetables) and blend in a high powered blender (a Vitamix is what I use and suggest) for 10-15 seconds or until puréed. Then add back into soup pot and stir to combine.

11. Ladle soup into serving bowls and garnish with fresh dill and additional sat and pepper to taste. Serve with fresh bread. And enjoy!