Ukrainian Borscht

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 1 5

Total Time: 1 25

Servings:

Ukrainian borscht is a traditional sweet and sour soup made with beets, cabbage, garlic and dill in Eastern Europe. Then served with a dollop of sour cream and rye bread.

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Equipment

1 large pot
1 Large skillet

Ingredients

12 cups beef or vegetable broth or stock low sodium
5 cups green or red cabbage thinly sliced
1 large onion chopped
3 medium carrots chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
3 large beets peeled and cut into matchsticks
4 large potatoes peeled and cubed
6 oz tomato paste low sodium
2 tsps salt
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp white vinegar
3 large garlic cloves grated
ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup dill or parsley finely chopped
sour cream and rye bread for serving

Instructions

In a large pot (or 6 quart Dutch oven), add 12 cups beef or vegetable broth or stock and 3 bay leaves and bring to a boil.
In the meanwhile, wash, peel and cut vegetables.
Once broth is boiling, add 5 cups green or red cabbage, cover and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.
In the meanwhile, preheat large skillet on medium heat and swirl 1 tbsp of oil to coat. Add 1 large onion and 3 medium carrots and saute for 5 minutes, sitrring occasionally.
Add 3 large beets and the remaining 1 tbsp of oil and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Transfer sauteed veggies to a pot along with 4 large potatoes, 6 oz tomato paste and 2 tsps salt. Cover, bring to a boil and cook on low heat for 20 minutes.
Turn off heat. Add 1 tbsp white vinegar, 3 large garlic cloves and ground black pepper. Stir and let borscht sit for 10 minutes to allow flavors to marry each other.
Add 1/4 cup dill or parsley, stir and adjust any seasonings to taste.
Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream and rye bread.

Notes

Refrigerate borscht in a large pot you cooked it in for up to 5 days. Reheat only the amount you are planning to consume by simmering on low in small pot. Freeze in an airtight glass container for up to 3 months. Thaw on a counter overnight and reheat.
Store bought stock: You can use regular stock from a carton, preferably organic and low sodium.
Beef bones: If you choose to add meat, cook broth with ribs, soup bones or any cut with a bit of fat first. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour, skimming foam occasionally. After borscht is ready, remove meat, separate from bones and discard bones, finely chop and return meat to the pot.
Bone broth: This time I made Instant pot bone broth and used half of it diluted with water as a soup base.
Vegetarian: I make water based borscht more often than not because it's easy. In this case, I make sure to add a can of low sodium beans to up the protein, a bit more olive oil and maybe an organic bouillon cube.
Beans: If not using meat, you can add a can of drained beans. Any large white, red kidney or pinto beans.
Sauerkraut: If you replace 2 cups of cabbage with 2 cups of sauerkraut, borscht will have even more umph.

Nutrition