Beet Borscht is a Ukrainian soup made with beets, vegetables, and dill. It's a healthy soup that's gluten-free and can easily be made vegan.
I've been eating borscht pretty much as long as I can remember. My Grandma used to make it when I was a kid, though at that time, I didn't actually like it.
Fast forward 20 years, and I started making it for myself, because, you know, tastes change. I've been making it now for 15 years, but the recipe was never consistent. Until now. I've FINALLY been able to replicate the flavor of my Grandma's borscht.
What is Borscht?
Borscht is a Ukrainian soup that's commonly served across much of Eastern Europe. It's often made with beets, and a variety of other vegetables. It might be made with cabbage, celery, tomatoes, carrots, peppers, and/or potatoes, and it's usually seasoned with dill.
Borscht is typically made with whatever vegetables happen to be on hand, with the recipe changing each time it's made.
Sometimes proteins such as small amounts of meats, or legumes are added. The broth might be made with meat, or bone stock.
Borscht can be served either hot, or cold, and is often served with sour cream.
How to make Beet Borscht?
Developing and testing this recipe was difficult. I'm so used to just throwing in whatever vegetables I happen to have in the fridge, and I don't usually follow a written recipe.
But this time, the recipe came out so much like my Grandma's borscht, I figured I must have gotten it right, and decided to share it.
Making borscht is not difficult, but it does require a lot of vegetable chopping, so you'll want to make sure you have a good knife.
Alternatively, you can use a box grater to shred the beets, which will give the soup a different texture.
Beet Borscht Ingredients:
- Olive oil
- Beets
- Carrots
- Celery
- Red Bell Pepper
- Onion
- Salt
- Ketchup
- Garlic
- Chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
- Potatoes
- Black pepper
- Dill
- Apple cider vinegar
- Sour cream (optional)
Want more soup recipes?
Beet Borscht Nutrition Notes:
I calculated the nutrition facts in the recipe using regular (not low sodium) chicken broth. It does not include sour cream.
To make a complete meal, serve with a meat entree or a salad that contains meat or legumes.
Beet Borscht Soup
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or stock pot
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 4 medium beets peeled and shredded or diced
- 2 medium carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 medium celery stalks sliced
- 1 medium red bell pepper stemmed, seeded, and chopped
- 1 medium onion minced
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste if needed
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 6 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
- 3 medium yellow potatoes peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons minced dill
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Sour cream to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a stock pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add prepared beets, chopped carrots, sliced celery, chopped red bell pepper, minced onion, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 6-8 minutes.
- Stir in minced garlic and ¼ cup ketchup and cook until ketchup begins to brown, about 1-2 minutes. Slowly stir in 6 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the diced potatoes, 2 bay leaves, and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are soft, 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and remove bay leaves. Stir in 2 Tablespoons minced dill and 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Garnish with additional dill and sour cream if desired. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Nutrition
Kit B says
Gorgeous! I froze some beets from my garden (blanched) last summer. I will try and use those and see how it comes out!