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World Chef Recipes Test Kitchen

Classic Borscht

Classic borscht: a ruby-red beet soup with cabbage, potatoes, carrots and dill, finished with sour cream. Healthy, cheap and even better the next day.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Resting 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Ukrainian
Calories: 220
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 medium beets (about 1 1/4 lb) peeled and coarsely grated
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 2 medium carrots coarsely grated
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar divided
  • 8 cups low-sodium beef or vegetable broth
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and diced
  • 1/2 small head green cabbage thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
  • Sour cream to serve

Method
 

  1. Heat the oil in a 6-quart pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, until soft.
  2. Add the carrots, beets, tomato paste and 1 tbsp of the vinegar. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables soften.
  3. Pour in the broth, add the bay leaves and bring to a boil.
  4. Add the potatoes, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
  5. Stir in the cabbage and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes more, until the potatoes and cabbage are tender.
  6. Stir in the garlic, the remaining 2 tbsp vinegar, the sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer for 2 minutes, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
  7. Remove the bay leaves, stir in the dill and let the soup rest off the heat for 10 minutes. Serve hot with a spoonful of sour cream.

Notes

Add some of the vinegar with the beets at the start. The acid keeps the soup ruby red instead of turning brown.