Easy and delicious recipes, inspired by my Ukrainian ancestry
Vegetarian Borscht – a hearty and deeply satisfying bowl of soup, with a sweet-sour finish that your family will enjoy! Perfect hot or cold!
Borscht is one of those soups that has dozens of variations and every time I make it slightly different, depending on the ingredients I have on hand, but always extremely Tasty!
When the weather gets cooler, yes even here – in Sunny Florida, I make Borscht for us and usually a vegetarian version. I have used meat a couple of times in the past, but we prefer just veggie soup.
It’s a filling and deeply satisfying bowl of soup, with a sweet-sour finish. I made a huge pot and the leftovers have only grown tastier.
I remember how my family in Ukraine served Borscht cold in the summer days where you want something refreshing and light but full of flavor. They would add sliced cooked egg, sour cream, and dill on top.
How to make Vegetarian Borscht
The main ingredient in Borscht is the beets, which give the dish its distinctive deep red color. But dealing with beets can be a very messy process as you know. You need to wear gloves since the beet juice stains your skin.
Sometimes, I take the time and shred the beets to get this unbelievably rich purplish color. But, if the color is not that important to you use canned Pickled Beets or I found these amazingly tasty “Love Beets” which are delicious cooked beets at Costco!
They sell 4 pack package and you can use as many as you like for the soup, the rest you can make a Delicious Vinaigrette Salad! I found these cooked beets at Publix as well, but they sell one pack.
There are many different variations of Borscht. I do prefer the Vegetarian version of this popular across Eastern Europe soup.
Borscht is a sour soup common in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. In English, the word “borscht” is most often associated with the soup’s variant of Ukrainian origin. It’s made with red beetroots as one of the main ingredients which give the dish its distinctive gorgeous red color.
A few times I’ve added a jar of Gold’s Russian Style Borscht. It has an amazing flavor and is readily available at many supermarkets. Or you can add this tasty Ukrainian Borscht found at the European stores.
Before we installed RO (Reverse Osmosis) filtration system, I used to drag gallons of Distilled water every week to use in soups, pasta, rice, coffee, and tea. The tap water has too much chlorine and minerals and does change the taste. I would recommend using Distilled water if you do not have RO system installed.
You can keep Borscht in the fridge for almost a week. Great Low-Cal, Low-Carb Lunch idea!
You can eat it cold during the summer months and serve it with sliced cucumbers and sliced cooked egg (Ukrainian version), or hot during the winter months.
If you use fresh beets you will get a deeper red color. For the above soup, I’ve used cooked “Love Beets“.
TIP:
For a beautiful deep red color and enhanced flavor, it’s best to roast beets in the oven and add them at the very end of cooking.
Wash beets and pat dry.
Trim off all but about 1 inch of the beet greens.
Wrap beets tightly in heavy-duty foil and roast at 375 F for about 45 minutes to an hour.
Slice or shred them into almost ready Borscht.
Borscht is low in calories (if you skip the sour cream) and full of vitamins and minerals. But who would want to do that? Sour cream adds so much flavor!
I always roast several beets and use some for Borscht and some for Vinaigrette Salad.
Click here for the recipe!
Vegetarian Borscht
Vegetarian Borscht - a Hearty and deeply satisfying bowl of soup, with a sweet-sour finish that your family will enjoy! Perfect Hot or Cold!
Ingredients
- 2 medium Beets, washed, peeled and shredded or use 1 pack of "Love Beets" or 1 jar Pickled Beets
- 1 small head Cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 medium Carrot, thinly sliced
- 1 medium Bell pepper, thinly sliced (optional)
- 2 medium Potatoes, cut into small cubes
- 1 Celery stalk, diced (optional)
- 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable stock (or use water and broth)
- 3 Bay leafs
- 2 Tbsp. Fresh dill, minced or dill weed
- 1 Tbsp wine Vinegar, to taste
- 1 Tbsp Lemon juice, to taste
- salt/ pepper to taste
- Dill for serving
- Sour Cream
Instructions
- Arrange the ingredients listed above (except for vinegar and lemon juice) in a large pot and bring to boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender.
- When the soup is almost done, add vinegar, lemon juice, and salt/pepper. Test and adjust the flavors.
- Serve with additional dill and sour cream.
- Enjoy!
