We often eat this soup because it is very tasty and healthy, and my little girl really likes it.
This soup has a sweet taste of beetroot, and I use borscht because it is specific to my region.
I use red beet boiled in the shell, carrots, potatoes, onion, parsnip, parsley, celery, red pepper and green herbs.
This soup is a fasting dish, but it can also be served with cream.
- 2 beets boiled in the shell
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 red pepper
- 1 small celery
- 1 parsley root
- 1 parsnip
- 8 potatoes
- 4 tablespoons of peeled diced tomatoes in sauce
- salt to taste
- dry lovage
- dill
- dry parsley
- borscht
Required kitchen utensils
– knife for peeling and chopping vegetables
– wood cutting board for chopping vegetables
– a stainless steel spoon
– 4-liter pot (4-quart pot)
– a small hole grater
– gas cooker (or any other source of cooking: electric or induction stove)
Step 1. Boil the beet
You have to boil the beet in the shell, then, to peel and cut it into cubes.
If you want, you can cut it into cubes (or grate it using the large holes of the grater) and boil it along with the rest of the vegetables.
Step 2. Prepare the vegetables for the soup
Peel all vegetables and wash them well.
Chop the onions, carrots, and peppers into small cubes and bring them to boil with 3 quarts of water.
Add the celery, parsnip and whole parsley (cut or not into cubes) and a tablespoon of salt.
I prefer to remove celery, parsnip and root parsley at the end because they give a sweeter taste to the soup.
Cut the potatoes and add them with all the vegetables.
Add the red beet and canned tomatoes (chopped into small cubes), cover with a lid and let the soup boil over at low heat until the potatoes are cooked.
Step 3. Adding the borscht
Add the borscht to taste 5 minutes before the soup is ready.
Step 4. Preparing the green herbs
The ideal would be to use fresh green herbs: wash and chop them.
I only use fresh parsley, dry lovage, and dill.
At the end, add the chopped herbs, turn off the stove, allow the soup to infuse for 5 minutes, and then, serve it.
Step 5. Garnishing and serving
This soup is a fasting dish, but it can also be served with cream. We serve it with fresh home-made bread.
Polish Beet Soup
There are other alternatives of this beet soup. You should consider Polish Beet Soup which is quite similar to my soup recipe.
This time, the vegetable contents are left in the soup and pureed, leaving you more nutrients as beets are rich sources of iron, potassium, and vitamin-C.
You can choose to season with lots of black pepper, and sprinkled with some dried marjoram on top.
And you can also add boiled potatoes to your bowl and have a dollop of sour cream on top. This soup can be enjoyed hot or cold and its brilliant magenta color is so pretty on the plate.
For this recipe, you can choose to boil or roast the beets. Once roasted the beets (until tender, about 1 hour), you can start the soup by boiling all the vegetables and the beets.
Instead of borscht, you can add red wine vinegar and vegetable or chicken broth. You can add a garnish of sour cream or yogurt if you like, while some classic versions even include pierogi-like dumplings.
Russian Beet Soup
For the Russian Beet Soup, you will need beef, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, onion, and beets.
Turnips and other root vegetables can be added if desired. Russian borscht, unlike Ukrainian borscht, often, though not always, includes cabbage, potatoes, and meat as well as beets.
Cook beets, carrots, potatoes and onion in 2 cups boiling salted water. Add some butter, beef stock, and cabbage.
You have to cook just 15 minutes. Add lemon juice and stir until combined. Serve in soup bowls, topped with a spoonful of sour cream.
You can also choose to cook separately the ingredients; this means that you can choose to boil the beets and carrots in the beef stock, covered, until tender, about 45 minutes.
You may use vegetarian or chicken borsch instead of beef stock. Then, you can add cabbage, onion, and potatoes to a broth.
Often, beets are replaced with tomatoes and add other ingredients, such as mushrooms, fermented wheat, and lovage.
Either as a main course or, more typically, as an appetizer, this soup can be served hot or cold, with sour cream.
Golden Beet Soup
If you want to prepare a Golden Beet Soup, you need to buy some golden beets.
Not only is it very hearty and filling, like a good soup should be, especially in the winter, this dish is also brothy, light, healthy and tastes phenomenal.
You do not need to do more things: just dump in all the vegetables (leeks, carrots, potatoes, golden beet, zucchini, garlic), broth (chicken or vegetable broth) and water into the pot.
You will know that your soup is perfect when the potatoes and beets are cooked through and tender. But keep in mind that sautéing the aromatics at the beginning gives so much more flavor to the soup.
You can also serve the soup with sour cream or if not, it might be a good idea to add a tablespoon or two of freshly squeezed lemon juice at the end, for a bright note of acidity.
So, you are going to have a convenient and very nutritious meal to serve to your family or guests.
Roasted Beet Soup
And last but not least, a Roasted Beet Soup is an option any time you want something extremely special.
With diverse recipe alternatives of this soup, it is up to you to make the perfect decision considering your tastes.
You can prepare the recipe with vegetable broth, woodsy thyme, and a squirt of lemon juice that balances the sweetness of the beets and leeks.
Bake the beets with olive oil and salt in the oven and they soften and their edges become sweet and caramelized. In a pot, add onion, carrots, leeks and any other vegetables and sauté.
Then, you can add the beets and broth and bring to boil. Season the soup and serve it after garnishing with feta cheese and dill or process it to a smooth puree.
The final result will be a thick, vegetal, and autumnal soup.
