This easy one-pot vegetarian Russian Borscht recipe only takes 30 minutes to make! Delicious and wholesome winter beet soup full of nutrients!
What is Borscht?
Borscht is one of the most popular classic dishes of Slavic cuisine. It is a luscious vegetable soup, with red beet as the main ingredient, wholesome, flavorful, healthy and perfect for the cold season as it warms you up and comforts you when it’s rainy and windy outside.
There is nothing like a warming bowl of this purple-red hearty soup with a spoonful of sour cream on top. It makes you feel cozy and warm and makes your home smell awesome.
Borscht is nutrient-dense and yet very comforting, so I normally take more than one serving at a time (to be completely honest with you, I might have had two and a half bowls of it today).
When to Serve Russian Beet Soup?
It looks so pretty and festive enough to serve it for holidays but it’s also a great everyday soup since it takes no longer than 30 minutes to make! It’s a go-to winter meal in my household and I hope it’ll become yours too once you give it a try.
Why not make this delicious soup for Christmas? I guarantee it’ll be a major highlight of your holiday menu!
Borscht is eaten all year round in Slavic households. There are many variations of it depending on what is in season. You can make a delicious chilled borscht in the summertime that uses buttermilk instead of broth as a base and is served with hard-boiled eggs.
Traditionally, this soup is eaten for lunch as any other soup. I think Soviet canteens contributed to this a lot, as lunch consisted of the first course – soup, the second course – usually meat with a side dish, most commonly potatoes (except Thursday – it was a fish day) and the third course – compote. This system is still commonly used. You can ask a Russian: “What would you like for the first (course)?” They would know you mean soup and not salad.
How Does Borscht Taste Like?
The combination of sweet and sour flavors makes it taste delicious. The sweetness of beets is balanced with a little acidic note of either tomatoes or lemon juice (I use both). If you haven’t tried this iconic Russian soup yet, your time is now! I believe this soup is truly one of a kind.
Is It Borsch or Borscht?
Borscht (pronounced bawr-sch) is also spelled borch, borsch, borshch, borsht, bortsch, and борщ which are all different spellings of the same word. Wikipedia says that the English spelling of the word “borscht” derives from Yiddish.
Borscht is also known as barszcz (Polish), barščiai (Lithuanian) and borş (Romanian and Moldovan).
Is Borscht Russian or Ukrainian?
Borsch originates from Ukraine but it became popular in Russia, having acquired new flavors and ways to cook it. Only Russian dumplings compete with in being the most important national dish. It is loved not only in Russia and Ukraine, but also in Poland, Lithuania, Romania and Moldova, as well as other post-USSR countries.
It is both Russian and Ukrainian, since to this point in time it is deeply rooted in cultures of both countries becoming a beloved staple throughout Eastern Europe. Borscht is iconic for both Russia and Ukraine and surely has a high emotional value for both countries.
Nowadays, Russian borscht is not much different from the Ukrainian one. I would say the main difference is that in Ukraine you serve it with pampushki (Ukrainian garlic bread) and garlic-infused lard (salo). In Russia it is more common to eat it with rye bread.
How Do You Make Borscht?
Each family has its own borscht recipe. If you ask 1000 Ukrainian housewives about how to cook Ukrainian borscht, you will get 1000 different versions of it that will all taste great. There is no authentic recipe but there are traditional ingredients that can be used in different ways.
Some add mushrooms, some beans, others smoked ham or fish. Borscht can be made with meat broth, may be vegetarian, may be with tomatoes or tomato paste, bell peppers, celery, and can even be eaten cold.
Traditionally, first you make beef broth, then Ukrainian “sofrito” with julienned, diced or grinded veggies, then combine and add potatoes and cabbage.
I share the recipe for my go-to vegetarian borscht in the end of the post.
What Are The Ingredients in Borscht?
The main ingredient is obviously red beets! They are one of the most unreasonably underused root vegetables. Red beet has a number of health benefits being rich in nutrients and dietary fiber.
Red beets give this soup its ruby color and sweetish flavor. To make itt even more intensely colored I add lemon juice to the soup.
There is an uncountable number of the varieties of borscht but I will share an easy Russian/Ukrainian vegetarian borscht recipe today.
You will need:
- carrots;
- onions;
- red beets;
- broth (I use vegetable broth);
- potatoes,
- white cabbage;
- bay leaves;
- lemon juice;
- tomato paste;
- minced garlic;
- chopped dill;
- sour cream to garnish.
To make it vegan simply omit the sour cream or use vegan substitutes.
Why Is Beet Soup Healthy?
Borscht is nutrient-dense and can be a part of a calorie-controlled diet. It contains a variety of vegetables like carrots, onions, beet roots, cabbage and more. These veggies are rich in antioxidants and vitamins.
This delicious beet soup even helps you regulate blood pressure and protects heart, liver and stomach.
On top of that, this soup is naturally gluten free and low in calories. The version I will be sharing at the end of the post is one of the healthiest ones out there but it certainly doesn’t taste like diet food.
Cook’s Tips
- Borscht can be stored in the fridge for about 5 days. To reheat it, microwave it in a bowl/plate or warm in a pot on the stove. Yesterday’s borscht tastes the best, so it makes sense to make a big batch.
- This soup is a perfect ONE-POT meal prep meal which only requires 30 minutes to make! Freeze it in sealed bags or containers for up to 2 months. Keep in mind that potatoes and cabbage might change their texture after freezing.
- Alternatively, you can freeze the cooked “sofrito” and use it every time you want to make borscht.
- Serve it with a spoonful of sour cream and chopped fresh dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy it with a slice of toasted rye bread or pampushki (Ukrainian garlic bread)!
Recipe Variations
- You can skip the potatoes to make the soup low carb.
- This soup is traditionally made with beef broth. You can use both beef and vegetable broth for this recipe.
- Add beans or mushrooms to make the soup more hearty.
- Some variations of borscht include bell peppers, celery and tomatoes.
- Make chilled borscht in summer using buttermilk instead of broth and serve it with hard-boiled eggs.
MAKE IT GLUTEN FREE: Serve it with gluten-free bread or rye croutons.
MAKE IT VEGAN: Skip the sour cream or use vegan substitutes.
MAKE IT QUICK: Make the cooked “sofrito” in advance and freeze it, then use it every time you want to make borscht.
Here is the full recipe (and a video recipe) of borscht for you to enjoy! If you can’t see the video, disable your AdBlock for this page by clicking on the AdBlock button and selecting Don’t run on this page.
Let me know how you like the recipe in the comments down below. If you like it, make sure to give it a rating!
Easy Russian Borscht Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium-sized onion diced
- 2 medium-sized carrots diced
- 2 medium-sized red beets diced
- 2 qt or 2 liters vegetable broth hot
- 2 potatoes diced
- 1/4 white cabbage chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
- salt and black pepper to taste
- sour cream to garish
- rye bread to serve
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add olive oil, onions, carrots and beets and sautée for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add hot vegetable broth, potatoes, cabbage and bay leaves to the pot, put the lid on and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add lemon juice, tomato paste, minced garlic, chopped dill and salt and pepper to the pot. Cover and cook for 5 more minutes. Let rest with the lid on for 15 more minutes before serving.
- Garnish with a spoonful of sour cream and fresh dill. Serve with rye bread. Enjoy!
Notes
Cook’s Tips
- Borscht can be stored in the fridge for about 5 days. To reheat it, microwave it in a bowl/plate or warm in a pot on the stove. Yesterday's borscht tastes the best, so it makes sense to make a big batch.
- This soup is a perfect ONE-POT meal prep meal which only requires 30 minutes to make! Freeze it in sealed bags or containers for up to 2 months. Keep in mind that potatoes and cabbage might change their texture after freezing.
- Alternatively, you can freeze the cooked “sofrito” and use it every time you want to make borscht.
- Serve it with a spoonful of sour cream and chopped fresh dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy it with a slice of toasted rye bread or pampushki (Ukrainian garlic bread)!
Recipe Variations
- You can skip the potatoes to make the soup low carb.
- This soup is traditionally made with beef broth. You can use both beef and vegetable broth for this recipe.
- Add beans or mushrooms to make the soup more hearty.
- Some variations of borscht include bell peppers, celery and tomatoes.
- Make chilled borscht in summer using buttermilk instead of broth and serve it with hard-boiled eggs.
I love this recipe! This one-pot vegetarian Russian Borscht recipe looks really delicious. Perfect for the coming winter.
Thank you Dennis!
My favorite soup – so flavorful and so healthy – I have always made it to impress my guests, and it has always been a hit!
This looks soooooo fabulous!!! I love the Russian dishes in this picture…and the dark bread is perfection!
Thank you so much, Mila! I’m so glad you like it! 🙂