Traditional Borscht Recipe (EASY Beet soup) - Alyona’s Cooking (2024)

What does Borscht Mean? You might be wondering how does Borscht taste-like? Borscht is a really good soup from beets! Beets are naturally a sweet vegetable and the tartness of tomato sauce balances out the flavors perfectly! The soup is robust in flavor but incredibly pleasant. Traditionally it is served hot with sour cream, although it’s good enough to enjoy cold too.

Cold Borscht may vary in preparation. Borscht is the soup you can eat without meat, add cabbage too, or leave plain with beets, it will all equally be delicious!

Many borscht recipes include different versions–beets with beans, beef shank, beet greens, cabbage, chicken broth, and sweet bell peppers. All of which, are good add-ins, however, completely achievable with basic ingredients.

The main ingredients to make borscht soup are potatoes, carrots, onion, tomato sauce, water, and beets.

Borscht is one of the signature soups of Russia and Eastern Europe. Its vibrant red color comes from beets, which happens to be the main ingredient in a bowl of this Ukrainian soup! As a result, I used to make it with cabbage but within the years but, I’ve taken shortcuts to make it plain vegetarian borscht. It still keeps all the classic flavors a pot of borscht would have only much quicker!

Borscht is a little sour (from tomatoes), sweet (from beets), and perfectly delicious! Ingredients are so broad as you can add beans, cabbage, and beef, however, this version of beet soup will be as basic as it gets to achieve our family’s version of classic borsch (that happens to be on regular rotation!)

The main ingredients to make borscht soup are potatoes, carrots, onion, tomato sauce, and beets (iron.) Add in some meat bones and make it heartier or leave it vegetarian the call is yours!

• Beets- I grated 5 roasted beets for this borscht recipe.
• Water-simmer it with bones to make a homemade broth.
• Oil-for frying the carrots and onion.
• Meat- use beef bones (beef shanks), pork ribs (or any cut), or even store-bought chicken or vegetable broth if going vegetarian.
• Spices-bay leaves, Vegeta (an all-purpose seasoning), salt, fresh dill, and garlic cloves.
• Vegetables- carrots and onions are sauteed before adding to the soup.
• Tomato Sauce-I add one 15-ounce of tomato sauce and 1/3 cup of ketchup.
• Sour Cream- is a must for authentic borscht. I usually dollop a heaping spoon of sour cream to my hot bowl of soup.

To start the process of borscht, make sure your beets are fully cooked. I typically buy a bulk bag of raw beets and roast them in batches. Here is how to roast beets. Once the beets are taken care of, you can make the recipe!

If you are short on time you can boil the beets until tender then, peel them, grate, or chop. For a chunkier soup slice and dice the vegetables into chunks.

Note: to make cooking a breeze prep most of your ingredients together and keep your potatoes submerged in cold water to prevent discoloration. This will give you a break while your soup is simmering.

1. To begin, bring the water to a boil. If adding meat, add it in, otherwise, just add the potatoes instead. Simmer beef or pork bones for 1 hour.
2. Add the potatoes, Vegeta seasoning, salt, 1 tsp back pepper, 3 bay leaves and simmer for 25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet saute the onion and carrots in 4 Tbsp of sunflower oil (about ten minutes.) Stir in the tomato sauce and ketchup. Add to the soup.
4. When the potatoes are done, crush 4 cloves of garlic into the pot. Stir in the grated beets and turn off the stove. Garnish with fresh dill (about 1/2 cup.)
5. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Beets can come roasted, pickled, or grated fresh when making borscht. Keep in mind raw beets take longer to simmer as pickled beets and roasted beets are already cooked. You want to add any form of beets towards the end of the cooking time. The longer they cook the more they lose their vibrant deep red color. Beets are always grated or julienned in Russian or Ukrainian beet soups!

To use beets for borscht you’ll want to fully cook them. I typically roast the beets with their skins on and peel the skins off before storing them in the freezer. You will want to peel the skins off completely.

Since the skins slip off the beets easily after they have roasted in the oven, I use a knife to easily slide the skins off–you won’t even need a potato peeler!

You can use gloves to prevent red stains from your hands when handling beets, but that doesn’t bother me because after a few washes it sort of disappears. And if you really want to avoid beet juice messes just use a food processor to chop the beets into little chunks.

The best meat to use for a full nutrient-filled soup is beef on bones. Beef neck bones, prime ribs, or beef shanks are great choices. We used a wild game with a leg bone from a wild hog. Bones add a nutrient-dense broth that is healthy and flavorful.

To substitute for bones or meat use store-bought organic beef or chicken broth. To make it vegetarian omit the meat and use a veggie broth instead.

Borscht freezes very well. I have ladled cold borscht into freezer bags and when served, you probably would’ve never known it was frozen!

To Freezecool soup completely. Ladle into gallon-sized freezer bags and keep frozen for up to 3 months.

To reheatthaw overnight in the refrigerator or tear off the freezer bag and place the frozen soup into a large pot. Heat over medium heat until defrosted and simmering. Stir occasionally.

Borscht Variations:

• Meat- Add 1 lb of beef or pork one hour prior to adding the potatoes for tender meat.
• Beans-Stir in 1 can of red kidney beans or cannellini beans (great Northern beans) when you add the beets.
• Cabbage-Add 2 handfuls of shredded cabbage with the beets (about 1/4-1/2 head of cabbage, shredded.)
• Tomatoes- use diced tomatoes, fresh, tomato juice, or tomato paste diluted with water to equal 15 oz of tomato sauce.
• Beets:If using grated raw beets boil for an additional 5 minutes. Roasted beets are already cooked. Overcooking beets will fade the red color.

Our family-favorite way of eating this soup is with a side of sourdough wheat bread, more garlic cloves, and sour cream. I typically add fresh dill into the pot of soup. This is one hearty meal on its own!

• horseradish spread
• Sourdough Bread
• Wheat bread
• cured pork
• sliced onions
• Hearty bread
• Garlic cloves

Servings: 22 servings

Author: Alyona Demyanchuk

Borscht:

Stir Fry:

How to Make Borscht:

• 

  In a large pot, bring the water and meat to a boil. Skim off any dark foam and simmer for 1 1/2 hours over medium-low heat. (See notes for vegetarian borscht below.)

• 

  Meanwhile, sauté the onion and carrots until tender. Add the tomato sauce and ketchup and add this to the soup.

• 

  Add the potatoes, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and Vegeta seasoning to the soup. Simmer for 25 minutes. Stir in the beets* and garlic, then turn off the stove. (For raw beets see notes below.)

• 

  Serve borscht with sour cream and fresh dill.

Borscht Variations:

• Meat-use any cuts available (preferably in-the-bone meat.)
• Vegetarian Borscht:omit step 1 and simmer potatoes in 5-quarts of water for 25 minutes. Add 1 can of red kidney beans or 2 cups of shredded cabbage at the last 10 minutes of cooking.
• Chicken Borscht-omit step 1 and add 1 1/2 lbs of chicken pieces with the potatoes to 5-quarts of boiling water (chicken cooks fast.) Proceed with the recipe.

Tomato Sauce:substitute with diced tomatoes, tomato juice, or tomato paste diluted with water to equal 15 oz.

Beets:If using raw beets peel and grate on a box grater (or coarsely chop.) Add to the simmering soup the last 5-10 minutes of cooking. Roasted Beets are already cooked, which is why I add them at the very end. Overcooking the beets will fade the red color so don't simmer for too long.