Beetroot and Lentil Soup with Semolina Dumplings in the Thermomix® uses the Varoma tier alongside the soup in the mixing bowl. While 500 g of cooked beetroot and 35 g of yellow lentils simmer below for 20 minutes, 18 semolina dumplings steam above. One pot, two dishes, 40 minutes total.
We adapted this recipe from a baby and toddler cookbook. The soup is suitable from 10 months if you leave out the salt, horseradish and vegetable stock paste. With those three ingredients it is more suitable from one year onwards, but adults will enjoy it just as much. The consistency is thick enough for a baby spoon, but can be thinned with milk or water.
Beetroot and Lentil Soup with Semolina Dumplings (Thermomix®)
Ingredients 0 / 15 ✓
- 1 bunch parsley
- 130 g milk
- 50 g butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 60 g horseradish
- 80 g wholegrain semolina (wheat or spelt)
- 1 egg
- fat for greasing
- 500 g cooked beetroot
- 35 g yellow lentils
- 600 g water
- 2 tsp vegetable stock paste
- 150 g milk
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions 0 / 7
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1
Chop the parsley.
Wash the parsley, shake dry, place in the mixing bowl and chop for 4 sec / speed 5, then set aside.
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2
Add the milk.
Add milk, butter, salt and horseradish to the mixing bowl and heat for 2 min / 90°C / speed 1.
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3
Make the semolina dough.
Add semolina, egg and parsley, stir for 15 sec / speed 4 and cook for 2 min 30 sec / 100°C / speed 3.
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4
Shape the dumplings.
Grease the Varoma tray and Varoma insert tray. Using two teaspoons, shape 18 dumplings from the semolina mixture and distribute them between the Varoma tray and insert tray.
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5
Chop the beetroot.
Cut the beetroot into pieces. Rinse the lentils in a sieve and drain. Add the beetroot and lentils to the mixing bowl and chop for 3 sec / speed 6.
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6
Cook the ingredients.
Add water and vegetable stock paste, place the Varoma with the dumplings on top and cook for 20 min / Varoma / speed 2.
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7
Serve the soup.
Set the Varoma tray aside. Add milk, vinegar and lemon juice to the mixing bowl and blend for 30 sec / speed 10. Serve the soup with 3 dumplings per portion.
Nutrition per serving
Why the dumplings must be cooked in the Varoma
The semolina dough is pre-cooked in the mixing bowl at 100°C on speed 3 for 2 minutes 30 seconds. This binds the semolina and makes the mixture shapeable. Then 18 dumplings are scooped out with two teaspoons and distributed between the greased Varoma tray and insert tray. Important: the Varoma insert tray doubles the surface area, otherwise all 18 dumplings will not fit.
While the soup cooks below at Varoma temperature for 20 minutes on speed 2, the dumplings are steamed by the rising steam. This only works because the soup itself contains enough liquid (600 g water) and speed 2 produces sufficient steam. Without the Varoma, the dumplings would fall apart in boiling water or become too firm.
Use cooked beetroot, not raw
This recipe calls for 500 g of cooked beetroot. Raw beetroot needs at least 40 minutes cooking time in the Thermomix® before it is soft enough to blend. Cooked beetroot from a vacuum pack, or pre-cooked at home, saves that time. The 20 minutes at Varoma speed 2 are then enough, because only the 35 g of yellow lentils still need to soften and the flavours need to come together.
Yellow lentils break down faster than red or brown ones. After 20 minutes they are completely dissolved and thicken the soup further. Using other varieties risks firm pieces or requires a longer cooking time, which would make the dumplings above too firm.
Add the milk and acid after cooking
After the 20 minutes, the Varoma tray with the finished dumplings is set aside. Only then are 150 g of milk, 1 tbsp of vinegar and 1 tbsp of lemon juice added to the mixing bowl and blended for 30 seconds on speed 10. This sequence prevents the milk from curdling or scorching during the long cooking time. The acid from the vinegar and lemon juice lifts the earthy note of the beetroot and makes the soup taste fresher.
The horseradish (60 g) is already heated with the milk at 90°C for 2 minutes when making the dumpling dough. This mellows its sharpness and blends it in smoothly. Raw horseradish would taste too overpowering and is unsuitable for babies. For children under one year, leave out the horseradish, salt and vegetable stock paste entirely. The soup remains velvety and has enough flavour from the beetroot and lentils on their own.
Wholegrain semolina makes the dumplings firmer
The dumplings are made from 80 g of wholegrain semolina (wheat or spelt), 1 egg, 130 g of milk, 50 g of butter and the chopped parsley. Wholegrain semolina absorbs liquid more slowly than white semolina and gives the dumplings more bite. They hold their shape after steaming and do not fall apart when serving. White semolina would produce softer, mushier dumplings.
The parsley is chopped before the dough for 4 seconds on speed 5 and set aside. This prevents it from becoming too fine later when the dough is mixed on speed 4, losing its green flecks. The 15 seconds on speed 4 are enough to combine the semolina, egg and parsley evenly without over-mixing the dough.
Shape the dumplings with two teaspoons
After pre-cooking, the semolina dough is still warm and soft. Using two teaspoons, scoop out 18 evenly sized dumplings and distribute them between the greased Varoma tray and insert tray. Greasing prevents the dumplings from sticking to the base. Without fat they will tear when removed and lose their shape.
The 18 dumplings give 3 per bowl across 6 portions of soup. That is the right amount for babies from 10 months or as an accompaniment for adults. If you shape larger dumplings you will get fewer pieces, but you do not need to adjust the steaming time in the Varoma because the steam cooks them evenly from all sides.
Thin the soup for babies or serve as is
The finished soup is thick due to the dissolved lentils and blended beetroot. For babies you can bring it to spoon consistency by adding extra milk or water. For toddlers and adults it is more filling served as is. The 3 dumplings per portion provide additional carbohydrates and protein.
Without salt, horseradish and vegetable stock paste, the soup tastes milder and sweeter from the beetroot. That is ideal for babies from 10 months. From one year onwards you can gradually introduce those three ingredients. The horseradish gives the soup a gentle heat that works well with the earthy beetroot for adults, but may still be too intense for young children.
Freeze leftovers or keep chilled for three days
The soup keeps in the fridge for up to three days in a sealed container. The dumplings soften again when reheated in the microwave or in a saucepan. Freezing works well too: portion the soup and dumplings separately, freeze, and thaw as needed. The dumplings lose a little bite after thawing but hold their shape.
Goes well with: Wholegrain bread.
When reheating, thin the soup with a little milk or water because the lentils swell further and the consistency becomes thicker. Reheat the dumplings separately and add them to the hot soup just before serving, otherwise they will soak up the liquid and fall apart.
More Thermomix® soup recipes: Pumpkin Soup, Goulash Soup, Potato Soup, Gyros Soup, Pancake Soup, Tomato Soup, Leek Soup and Beetroot Soup.
