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Borscht… Fresh Beet Soup

July 17, 2012 by Natalie

January 2015: See my new updated version of this recipe HERE!

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Borscht, according to Merriam-Webster: a soup made primarily of beets and served hot or cold often with sour cream.

Borscht, according to Me: an amazingly delicious concoction of sweet beets and other root veggies cooked with lots of fresh dill that I love eating hot or cold often with Greek yogurt right out of the Tupperware the morning after I’ve made it (which I’m doing right now).

Take either definition… it’s mighty scrumptious stuff.

I’ve been participating in a CSA… I get a fresh box of locally grown organic veggies every Friday from the Santa Cruz Homeless Garden Project (it’s awesome, and a great way to support a good cause!).  Not only do I get a plethora of fresh veggies each week, I get a heap of surprise veggies every week!  I never know what it’s gonna be… whatever is in season finds its way into my fridge.  This week, I got a load of beets!  Naturally, I turned to one of my favorite soups ever… this is my take on borscht. 🙂

There are a ton of variations of Borscht.  It’s origin stems from Eastern European countries such as Russia, Poland, and the Ukraine.  Some have meat, some have cabbage, some are hot, some are cold.  Since I don’t really follow rules in the kitchen, it may not taste exactly like the beet soup you may have had before… it’s a version I’ve created from the teachings of my amazing mother- and I love it 🙂

In my CSA this week, I got these amazing little carrots, an assortment of beets, some beautiful spring onions, and some fresh dill.  Perfect… the main ingredients for my favorite beet soup!!  In this version of Borscht, I also add potatoes, some celery (though I gotta say this week my supply was pretty weak… I usually add another stalk or two), chicken stock (use veggie for a vegetarian version), bay leaves, and my mom’s ‘secret’ ingredient… caraway seeds.  Well, I usually use caraway seeds anyway… couldn’t find any in my spice cabinet at the moment, so opted for fennel seeds instead, a great substitute in my opinion.  In the last couple of years, I started adding red wine vinegar also- it balances the sweetness out and adds a nice subtle acidity (thanks to my sis for the tip!!).  I feel like you really can’t mess this soup up though, no matter what you do.  That’s what awesome about soups- they’re really hard to botch- you chop things up, throw them together, and stir.  Of course, you need to get your flavors balanced, but with a little tasting, adjusting, and continued stirring, you can make a wonderful soup to enjoy for days (though mine never last that long).  I suppose my favorite thing about this soup in particular is that, in addition to being super healthy, delicious, and easy, it’s really good both hot and cold (not true for most soups).  I love it warm the night I make it equally as much as I do the next day cold right out of the fridge… this means you can make it in summer, fall, winter, or whenever you want!  It’s sweet, savory, and comforting any time of year.

To start your Borscht, you need some goodies from the produce aisle (or from your fridge if you have ’em… since my beets were from my CSA, I had a variety of sizes and shapes- mostly teeny little guys.  Chances are you’ll be getting yours from a store, which means they’ll likely be large and round- in that case, you’ll only need a few beets, not ten random little ones like I had.

You can make changes as you want… for example, I had cabbage right in my fridge- ready to go, and while I know it’s traditional to use in Borscht, I chose not to because I like my soup to be mostly root vegetables… smooth and sweet.  But adjust however you want… like I said, hard to ruin this one 🙂

Serves about 4

INGREDIENTS

2-3 cups fresh beets

1 onion, about 1 cup chopped

a few carrots, about 1 cup chopped

a few small potatoes or 1 large, about 1 cup chopped

a few stalks celery, about 1/2 cup chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

about 3/4 cup fresh dill, chopped

2 bay leaves

1/4 tsp caraway seed (substitue fennel seed if preferred)

2 cups chicken stock

2 cups water

1 tsp red wine vinegar (substitute apple cider vinegar if preferred)

couple tbsp olive oil

extra salt and pepper, to taste

garnish: plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream) and fresh dill sprigs
DIRECTIONS
Begin by chopping beets into bite-sized bits- they can be kinda big and
chunky because they’ll cook down and be mashed a bit later
Heat some olive oil in a large pot (one with a lid) over medium heat
Toss beets in with a sprinkle of salt and pepper
Then chop up other veggies…
Toss in pot and stir veggies
Let cook for about 5 minutes
Then pour chicken stock and water
Add bay leaves and caraway (or fennel) seeds
Cover and let cook for about 20 minutes at a low boil
Chop up dill, toss in, and add vinegar- stir well
Once again, cover and let cook down for about 10-15 more minutes
(Alternatively, if you’d prefer to throw in dill, bay leaves, and seeds
at once you can if it makes things easier on you)
Once veggies are cooked and soft, take a masher of some sort and
lightly press on the veggies to create a smoother (but still chunky) texture
(Some people blend the soup to make it completely smooth, some leave it super chunky- this is my favorite method- a little chunky, a little smooth- choose whatever you want!)
Then cover again and let cook down for 5-10 more minutes
Check for seasonings- add salt and pepper as desired
Dollop with with Greek yogurt or sour cream and garnish with dill
Enjoy hot or cold!!
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Filed Under: Comfort Food, Fall & Winter, Paleo & Primal, Recipes + More, Soups & Stews, Spring & Summer, Vegetarian Tagged With: Autumn/Holiday, Gluten-free, Soups & Stews, Vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. noreply@blogger.com'Lisette

    July 23, 2012 at 9:09 pm

    You are amazing 🙂

    • noreply@blogger.com'Natalie

      October 19, 2012 at 7:47 pm

      Hi Lisette! I replied to this eons ago… where’d it go ha?! Anyway, thank you, m’ dear, and happy happy birthday!!

  2. noreply@blogger.com'Julia | JuliasAlbum.com

    October 19, 2012 at 8:18 pm

    I love beets and cook with them all the time! I love beet soups, too! Yours looks delicious!

    • noreply@blogger.com'Natalie

      October 20, 2012 at 2:50 pm

      Hi Julia! I actually have a bunch in my fridge right now- think I’ll make some soup tonight!! If you have any delicious little things you do with them, feel free to share- I always love new ideas!! Thanks for popping by!

  3. noreply@blogger.com'Anonymous

    October 20, 2012 at 3:55 am

    I just finished making my gigantic pot of borsht. Freeze it in small containers for the year. I swear, it’s got magical powers – both virtuous and indulgent at the same time.

    • noreply@blogger.com'Natalie

      March 30, 2013 at 6:20 am

      Completely agree!!

  4. noreply@blogger.com'Anonymous

    September 24, 2013 at 2:48 pm

    Do you peel the beets before cutting/cooking? Thanks!

    • noreply@blogger.com'Natalie

      September 29, 2013 at 10:40 pm

      It’s a preference thing… you can peel them or you can boil them in with the soup and simply allow the peels to become part of it (they usually fall off during the boiling anyways, but they will still be there which can bother some). As Char mentioned below, you can also boil them to remove peels prior to making the soup, or alternatively you can roast the beets beforehand, then remove the peels and add to soup. These beets for this version were incredibly small and the peels were thin, so I didn’t bother… but again, it’s a preference thing 🙂 Hope that helps!

  5. noreply@blogger.com'Anonymous

    September 29, 2013 at 10:19 pm

    Don’t peel your beets – way too time consuming! Boil them with the peel on in a separate pot and save the juice then put hot beets into cold water and the skin slips right off! Then chop into perfect chunks with ease 🙂
    Char Friesen

  6. noreply@blogger.com'Natalie

    September 29, 2013 at 10:41 pm

    Thank you, Char! I had posted earlier to the question above, but your response reminded that that they do come off after being boiled… another great option! I so appreciate you leaving this tip!! Thank you! 🙂

  7. noreply@blogger.com'Michele Russo

    October 13, 2013 at 11:37 pm

    This was my first ever borscht experience and I am a convert. It is so delicious. Thank you!

    • noreply@blogger.com'Natalie

      October 14, 2013 at 2:24 am

      Hi Michele!
      Yay!!! That makes me so happy! 🙂 Welcome to the borscht world!!

  8. facebook.neoandrej@example.com'Андрей Зюзиков

    December 6, 2014 at 11:32 am

    Instead celery you must use tomato.

    • Natalie

      December 8, 2014 at 7:46 pm

      In my cooking there are no ‘musts’ haha- I make various renditions and variations depending on how I’m feeling!! But thanks for the tip! 🙂

Trackbacks

  1. Beet Recipes | My Heart Beets says:
    January 11, 2019 at 12:24 pm

    […] Borscht Soup […]

  2. 50+ Healthy Soup Recipes (paleo and primal-friendly) - Savory Lotus says:
    April 1, 2021 at 9:55 am

    […]  Borscht – Fresh Beet Soup from Honey Ghee and […]

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