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Beet and Wheat Berry Soup with Dill Cream

By Anne Wolf

Published on October 16, 2019

Time

1¼ to 1¾ hours

Yield

Serves 6

Beet and Wheat Berry Soup with Dill Cream

Ingredients

Soup

⅔ cup wheat berries, rinsed3 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 onions, chopped fine4 garlic cloves, minced1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried2 tablespoons tomato paste ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 8 cups vegetable broth 3 cups water 1 ½ cups shredded red cabbage 1 pounds beets, trimmed, peeled, and shredded1 small carrot, peeled and shredded1 bay leaf Salt and pepper 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Dill Cream

½ cup sour cream ¼ cup minced fresh dill ½ teaspoon salt

Before You Begin

Do not use presteamed or quick-cooking wheat berries here, as they have a much shorter cooking time; be prepared to read the package carefully to determine what kind of wheat berries you are using. You can use the shredding disk of the food processor to grate the beets and carrot and to shred the cabbage. 

Instructions

    for the soup

  1. Toast wheat berries in Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant and beginning to darken, about 5 minutes; transfer to bowl.
  2. Heat oil in now-empty pot over medium heat until shimmering. Stir in onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste and cayenne and cook until darkened slightly, about 2 minutes.
  3. Stir in broth and water, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in toasted wheat berries, cabbage, beets, carrot, bay leaf, and ¾ teaspoon pepper, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until wheat berries are tender but still chewy and vegetables are tender, 45 minutes to 1¼ hours.
  4. for the dill cream

  5. Meanwhile, combine all ingredients in bowl.
  6. Off heat, discard bay leaf, and stir in vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Top individual portions with dill cream and serve.
Beet and Wheat Berry Soup with Dill Cream
Photography by Daniel J. van Ackere. Styling by Marie Piraino.

Beet and Wheat Berry Soup with Dill Cream

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Time

1¼ to 1¾ hours

Yield

Serves 6

Ingredients

Soup

⅔ cup wheat berries, rinsed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 cups vegetable broth
3 cups water
1 ½ cups shredded red cabbage
1 pounds beets, trimmed, peeled, and shredded
1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Dill Cream

½ cup sour cream
¼ cup minced fresh dill
½ teaspoon salt

Ingredients

Soup

⅔ cup wheat berries, rinsed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 cups vegetable broth
3 cups water
1 ½ cups shredded red cabbage
1 pounds beets, trimmed, peeled, and shredded
1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Dill Cream

½ cup sour cream
¼ cup minced fresh dill
½ teaspoon salt

Ingredients

Soup

⅔ cup wheat berries, rinsed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 cups vegetable broth
3 cups water
1 ½ cups shredded red cabbage
1 pounds beets, trimmed, peeled, and shredded
1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Dill Cream

½ cup sour cream
¼ cup minced fresh dill
½ teaspoon salt

Why This Recipe Works

To complement the earthy shredded beets, we swapped the waxy, starchy potatoes for fiber-loaded wheat berries. Toasting the wheat berries gave them a rich, nutty flavor and a pleasant chewy consistency in the soup. To build a flavorful backbone, we sautéed onion, garlic, thyme, and tomato paste before stirring in the broth. Red wine vinegar, red cabbage, and a dash of cayenne helped to round out the flavor of the beets as well. A dollop of dill cream added tang to this satisfying and vitamin-packed soup. 

Before You Begin

Do not use presteamed or quick-cooking wheat berries here, as they have a much shorter cooking time; be prepared to read the package carefully to determine what kind of wheat berries you are using. You can use the shredding disk of the food processor to grate the beets and carrot and to shred the cabbage. 

Instructions

    for the soup

  1. Toast wheat berries in Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant and beginning to darken, about 5 minutes; transfer to bowl.
  2. Heat oil in now-empty pot over medium heat until shimmering. Stir in onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste and cayenne and cook until darkened slightly, about 2 minutes.
  3. Stir in broth and water, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in toasted wheat berries, cabbage, beets, carrot, bay leaf, and ¾ teaspoon pepper, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until wheat berries are tender but still chewy and vegetables are tender, 45 minutes to 1¼ hours.
  4. for the dill cream

  5. Meanwhile, combine all ingredients in bowl.
  6. Off heat, discard bay leaf, and stir in vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Top individual portions with dill cream and serve.

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