Ukrainian Borscht Recipe
Sharing my grandma's authentic Ukrainian Borscht Recipe I grew up with. This iconic beet soup is served with a dollop of sour cream and rye bread.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 174kcal
Ingredients
- 12 cups low sodium beef broth or beef bones + cold water (see notes)
- 5 cups green or red cabbage thinly sliced
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 medium carrots chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 large beets peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 4 large potatoes peeled and cubed
- 6 ounces can tomato paste low sodium
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- Pinch of sugar or maple syrup
- 3 large garlic cloves grated
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup dill or parsley finely chopped
- Yogurt, sour cream and rye bread for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot (I use 6 quart Dutch oven), add beef broth, bay leaves and bring to a boil. Or you can make beef broth with bones and meat first, please see notes. Meanwhile, wash, peel and cut vegetables.
- Once beef broth is boiling, add cabbage, cover and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat large skillet on medium heat and swirl 1 tablespoon of oil to coat. Add onion, carrots and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add beets, remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Transfer sauteed veggies to a pot along with potatoes, tomato paste and salt. Cover, bring to a boil and cook on low heat for 20 minutes.
- Turn off heat. Add vinegar, sugar, garlic and pepper. Stir and let borscht sit for 10 minutes to allow flavours to marry each other. Add dill, stir and adjust any seasonings to taste.
- Serve hot with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream, bread and garlic clove on the side (this is not for everyone).
Video
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate borscht in a large pot you cooked it in for up to 5 days. Reheat by simmering on low in small pot only amount you are planning to consume.
- Freeze: Freeze in an airtight glass container for up to 3 months. Then thaw on a counter overnight and reheat.
- Beef bones+cold water: This would be the most authentic borscht but I know many are short on time. You make the beef broth first with 2 pounds of beef ribs, oxtail, soup bones or any meat cut with a bit of fat. 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.
- Store bought stock: Good if you are in a rush. You can use regular beef broth from a carton. Preferably organic and low sodium, if you can. In this case, I would recommend to add some beef stew meat or a few cans of kidney or white beans as a protein boost.
- Sauerkraut: If you replace 2 cups of cabbage with 2 cups of sauerkraut, borscht will have even more umph.
Nutrition
Serving: 2cups | Calories: 174kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 647mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g