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A soup bowl of borscht garnished with sour cream and a sprig of dill.

Borscht

This classic Borscht recipe is the national dish of Ukraine. Beef and root vegetables are included in this savory soup, but it gets its vibrant rub red color from the main ingredient of red beets.
5 from 12 votes
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Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 207kcal
Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

To make the stock:

  • 2-½ pounds of beef on the bone
  • 12 cups water
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 parsnip
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 1 fennel bulb quartered
  • 1 onion
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4-6 peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon fresh black pepper

For the soup:

  • 2 pounds fresh beets scrubbed of soil and peeled
  • 2 cups cubed carrots about 3 carrots
  • 2 cups shredded cabbage 12 oz.
  • 2 cups cubed white potatoes
  • 2 medium onions chopped
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons chopped dill

Garnish

  • Sour cream
  • Fresh dill fronds
  • 2 lemons quartered

Instructions

To make the stock:

  • To a large stock pot add beef and bones, the water, carrots, parsnip, celery, fennel, onion, bay leaves, peppercorns, salt and pepper.
    Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for two hours. Remove and discard the vegetables, reserving the broth.
  • Transfer the meat and bones to a cutting board and allow to cool enough to handle then remove any meat from the bones and dice or chop the meat into pieces. Discard the bones.

To make the soup:

  • Add the beets to the reserved broth, bring to a boil and simmer 20 minutes or until the tip of a sharp knife slides into the beets with some resistance. Remove the beets from the soup pot and transfer to a plate to cool.
  • Add the carrots, cabbage, potatoes and onions to the stock, bring back to a boil; then reduce the heat to simmer, cover and cook 15 minutes.
  • While the vegetables are cooking grate the cooled beets using either a box grater or a food processor with the large grate attachment.
    When the vegetables are fork-tender, add the beets and chopped meat to the stock with the tomato puree, sugar and salt. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the chopped dill and continue to simmer another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
  • To serve, pour soup into shallow bowls, top with 1 tablespoon sour cream and a sprig of the dill. Accompany each serving with a lemon wedge to squeeze over their serving.

Notes

  • 1 pound of stew meat can be used along with a few marrow bones. The marrow bones are collagen-rich and add a delicious flavor to the broth.
  • The soup broth can be made earlier and refrigerated to allow any accumulated fat to surface, harden and be removed.
This recipe has been adapted from the Foods and Cooking of Russia and Poland by, Elena Makhonko and Ewa Michalik.

Nutrition

Serving: 2cup | Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 296mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 12g