Whether you call it Beet Soup or Borscht, this dish is a nourishing, comforting, and substantial soup; perfect for Winter and Early Spring.
What is Borscht
Borscht is a hearty, beet-based soup originating from Ukraine, or Russia, or Poland...depending on who you ask. Whichever nation created this beautiful dish, I thank them. This is a versatile dish. If you search for recipes, you will find lots of variations, using many different vegetables. Typically made with beef or bone broth, I use vegetable broth and it tastes so good. Use what you like.
Most recipes I found when I was originally looking to make borscht several years ago had a few things in common. They contained beets, potatoes, carrots, onions and celery; and were served with dill and sour cream, so that is what I used.
Ingredients
· Olive Oil
· 3-4 beets
· 2 baking potatoes
· 2 carrots
· 1 cup shredded cabbage (optional)
· Salt & Pepper
· 8 cups vegetable broth
· 2 cups water
· 2 bay leaves
· I onion
· 2 ribs celery
· 1 clove garlic
· 4 TBSP ketchup
· 2 TBSP white vinegar
· 1 can cannellini beans
· 1-2 TBSP Fresh dill
· Sour cream, for garnish (omit to keep the dish vegan)
Preparation
-Prepare veggies. Peel, dice, and chop beets, potatoes, carrots and cabbage. Add to soup pot with some olive oil. Begin to sauté. Add salt & pepper.
-Add liquid. Add vegetable broth, water, and bay leaves.
-Prep onions. In a large sauté pan, cook onion and celery until soft and slightly caramelized. Add garlic and ketchup, salt & pepper as needed.
-Combine. Add the onion mixture to the soup pot and allow to simmer until all the veggies are soft.
-Finishing touches. Add vinegar, cannellini beans and dill. Heat through.
-Serve with a dollop of sour cream and fresh chopped dill.
Watch Me Make It
Printable Recipe
Seasonal Eating - Winter/Early Spring
While I am far from perfect, I do try to eat with the seasons as much as possible. This means focusing my meals around foods that are in season. This is a perfect Winter/Early Spring meal, as it is filled with vegetables that would have been harvested in the Fall and stored and used over the dormant months of winter.
E.g. - Potatoes, Carrots, Beets, Cabbage, Garlic, Onions, Dried Beans
Beet Soup for Weight Loss
This soup feels hearty, but in the end, it's a bowl of vegetables in broth. Therefore, it is actually pretty low-calorie. And, since it's a bowl of vegetables, it is filled with all the vegetable anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory goodness. How can you afford not to put this into your upcoming meal plan?
Beets Are Not Just For Old People
When I was growing up I refused to eat beets because the only people I ever knew to eat beets were my grandparents...and they ate canned beets. While canned beets aren't horrible, they did nothing for my childhood palette. Eventually, as an adult, I was lucky enough to become friends with someone that grew beets in their garden and roasted some beets for me. OMG! They were so yummy!
Now I love beets. I roast them, I pickle them, I eat them as a side dish, and I put them on salads. And then there are the beet greens...but that's another post.
Did you know beets are a superfood? (meaning they contain an above-average amount of vitamins and minerals per gram) Read more about beets HERE.
Not ready to make it today? Pin it and come back to it another day. You won't be disappointed!
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