Classic Borsch recipe that will make you go YUM!

Borsch is a Ukrainian/Russian beet soup. It is an incredibly healthy soup with very little fat.

Below is a vegetarian borsch, but you may add meat if you wish. We believe it holds better in the fridge without meat, while the beans are an excellent source of protein. It’s a great meal for babies too – just puree it in a blender.

Here is a recipe for Russian borsch:

Ingredients:

2 large or 3 medium beets, thoroughly washed
2 large or 3 medium potatoes, sliced into bite-sized pieces
4 Tbsp of cooking oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, grated
1/2 head of cabbage, thinly chopped (see picture)
1 can kidney beans with their juice
2 bay leaves
10 cups water
6 cups chicken broth
5 Tbsp ketchup
4 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp chopped dill

Method:

1. Fill a large soup pot with 10 cups of water. Add 2 – 3 beets. Cover and boil for about 1 hour (some beats take longer, some take less time. It depends on how old the beets are). Once you can smoothly pierce the beets with a butter knife, remove from the water and set aside to cool. Keep the water.

2. Slice 3 potatoes, add into the same water and boil 15-20 minutes.

3. Grate both carrots and dice one onion. Add 4 Tbsp of cooking oil to the skillet and saute vegetables until they are soft (7-10 minutes). Stir in ketchup when they are almost done cooking.

4. Meanwhile, thinly shred 1/2 a cabbage (I use a Zyliss Mandoline) and add it to the soup pot when potatoes are half way done.

5. Next, peel and slice the beets into match sticks and add them back to the pot (I use my mandolin slicer). When you peel beets, use a plastic bag over your hands unless you want red fingers.

6. Add 6 cups of chicken broth, lemon juice, pepper, bay leaves and can of kidney beans (with their juice) to the pot.

7. Add sautéed carrots and onion to the pot along with chopped dill.

8. Cook another 5-10 minutes, until the cabbage is done. Season to taste with salt and pepper. I usually don’t have to add any unless I use low sodium broth.

9. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or real mayo. Enjoy! Приятного аппетита!