This delicious chunky borscht soup is made with fresh beets, beef shank, onions, carrots, potatoes, cabbage and dill, then topped with a dollop of sour cream. It’s a great recipe for a chilly day!
My first memorable encounter with borscht was at a pot luck party I had in San Francisco, where my friend Elisabeth brought a huge, probably 3 or 4 gallon pot of a devastatingly delicious deep purple beet soup.
Elisabeth’s grandparents were Ukrainians and I think borscht was one of their favorite soups.
Every time I make or eat borscht, I think of my boyfriend and the discovery of how good a soup made mostly of beets can be.
The wind is howling outside, if leaves are still hanging on the trees, they are sure to fall down today. Here’s a wonderfully filling beet borscht, perfect for a cold-weather day.
What is borscht?
Borscht is a soup usually made from beets and is native to central and eastern Europe and northern Asia. It is especially popular in the cuisines of Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Romania, Latvia and Ukraine.
Although the beetroot version is the most well-known, it doesn’t necessarily have to be made with beets. Borscht was a winter soup, often flavored with sour flavors and topped with a dollop of sour cream.
It was usually made by combining meat or bone broth with sautéed or boiled vegetables. Popular ingredients can include cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes, and/or tomatoes. Sometimes it’s mashed; sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes there is meat; sometimes not.
The name of the ancient cake soup is now associated more with the beet red soup. If you want to recreate that traditional acidity, you can serve with lemon wedges on the side or add more vinegar to taste.
How to peel and cut beets
Dealing with turnips can be a messy affair. Put on food-safe gloves before handling your root if you don’t want to stain your hands, but the color will wash out in a few hours. Using a sharp, sturdy knife, cut off the blunt stems and discard. Using a vegetable peeler or paring knife, remove the skin like you would a potato or other root vegetable.
Then place your beets on a cutting board and cut them in half. Place flat sides down and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
Were your turnips with vegetables there? You can cook them! Wash and hull them and add them to the soup in the last 5 minutes of cooking. Or try them in your own recipe.
Roast the vegetables for a deeper flavor
This recipe calls for roasting the root vegetables before simmering them in the soup. Why? Because roasting turns some of the starches in your root vegetables into sugars, allowing more of the sweetness to come through. Also, a little char on top of the veggies can add a bit of smokiness and an extra depth of flavor to your soup.
How to store and freeze borscht
Borscht can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days. If you plan to freeze it, portion into freezer-safe containers, leaving about 1 inch of air space for expansion. Borscht will keep in the freezer for about 2 months. Just make sure you thaw it in the fridge at least a day before next serving.
Bread recipes for serving with borscht
- Homemade rye bread
- Bread without kneading
- whole wheat bread
- Homemade potato bread
More soup recipes for a cold day!
- Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup
- French onion soup
- minestrone soup
- One pot chicken and rice soup
- Baked Potato Soup
From the editors of Simply Recipes
borscht
The soup is best prepared a day in advance to allow the flavors to blend.
ingredients
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3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil, shared
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1 (1 1/4 pound) section of beef shank with bone in and lots of meat, or 1 lb beef boiled meatexcess fat trimmed
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1 big Onionchopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
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8th cups beef broth or beef broth, divided
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4 large beets (Above 1 1/2 lb), peeled and chopped
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4 carrots (1 lb), peeled and chopped
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1 large russet potato (6 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
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2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
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3/4 Cup chopped fresh dilldivided
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3 tablespoon red wine vinegar
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1 Cup sour cream
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Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
method
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Brown the beef, then cook the onions:
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the thigh slice or braise the beef. Lightly brown the beef on one side, then turn.
Put the chopped onions in the pot. Let the onions cook and soften for about 5 minutes.
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Add 4 cups of broth and simmer until beef is tender:
Pour 4 cups of the beef broth over the beef and onions in the saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until meat falls tenderly off the bone, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
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Meanwhile, prepare and roast the root vegetables:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Peel and cut the beets, carrots, and potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces. Toss beets and carrots with a teaspoon or two of olive oil and spread in a single layer on a foil-lined skillet. Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Toss the potatoes with olive oil, making room for them in the skillet and fry for a further 15 minutes.
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Take the meat out of the pot:
Once the beef is tender, remove from the pot and remove the pot from the heat. If using a beef shank, remove and discard the bone, connective tissue, and excess fat. Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.
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Skim soup:
Skim off any excess fat from the liquid in the saucepan.
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Finish cooking the soup:
Place the pot back on the stove and add the remaining broth, carrots, beets, and potatoes. Add the chopped meat, chopped cabbage, and 1/2 cup of fresh dill to the saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook another 15 minutes until cabbage is tender.
Add the vinegar and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (I use about 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper, but the amount you use will depend on how salty your beef broth is to start with.)
The soup is best prepared a day in advance. (The longer the soup sits, the more it takes on the deep red color of the beets.)
Serve in bowls with a dollop of sour cream and a pinch of fresh dill.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 341 | calories |
| 12g | Fat |
| 26g | carbohydrates |
| 32g | protein |
