Easy Vegetarian Borscht Soup

This easy one-pot vegetarian Russian Borscht recipe only takes 30 minutes to make! Delicious and wholesome winter soup full of nutrients!

Course Soup

Cuisine Russian, Ukrainian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 75kcal

Author Elena Szeliga

Cost $5

Equipment

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil olive, sunflower, canola or avocado oil
1 medium-sized onion
2 medium-sized carrots
2 medium-sized red beets
2 qt or 2 liters vegetable broth
2 potatoes
1/4 white cabbage
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cloves garlic minced
4 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
salt and black pepper to taste
(vegan) sour cream to garnish
rye bread to serve

Instructions

Dice your onion, carrots, beets, potatoes and chop cabbage. Use this veggie chopper to save time. You can also grate your carrots and beets with a box grater.
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add vegetable oil, diced onions, carrots and beets and sautée for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add hot vegetable broth, diced potatoes, chopped 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 (vegan) sour cream and more fresh dill. Serve with rye bread. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Cook’s Tips

Beets will stain your hands (and your cutting board), so be sure to wear kitchen gloves.
You can either dice the carrots and beets or grate them with a box grater. If you choose to dice them, use this veggie chopper to save time.
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 (vegan) 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

Use any of the following vegetable oils for sautéeing your veggies: olive, sunflower, canola or avocado oil.
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.

MAKE IT OIL-FREE: Instead of sautéeing veggies in oil, add a bit of hot water/broth to the veggies and steam them. Add ater aas needed to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pot.

Nutrition