Borscht soup gets natural sweetness from the beets, and a bit of lemon juice and zest add a tangy twist to balance the flavors.
Prep time: PT20M
Cook time: PT30M
Total time: PT50M
Rating
4.97 stars (83 reviews)
Keywords
beet soup, Borscht, what is
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 beets (peeled and diced ½ inch, approx 1 ½ pounds)
2 carrots (diced ½ inch)
1 large russet potato (peeled and diced ½ inch)
½ small green cabbage (thinly sliced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 bay leaf
salt and black pepper (to taste)
sour cream (for serving, optional)
Categories
Side Dish
Soup
Cuisine
Polish
Ukraine
Steps
In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the beets, carrots, potatoes, and cabbage. Cook stirring occasionally until slightly softened, about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Pour in the broth and add the bay leaf. Simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until the beets and carrots are tender.
Discard the bay leaf. Stir in the fresh dill, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream and additional fresh dill.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 157 kcal
Carbohydrates: 24 g
Protein: 6 g
Fat: 5 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Sodium: 991 mg
Sugar: 8 g
Reviews
Nadja Barber-Redmann on 2025-12-25 (5 stars): Delicious & simple to make , great for the Winter Blues 💕💕💕
BG Thompson on 2025-11-15 (5 stars): Great recipe! I didn't have any cabbage so I added an extra potato.
Tanis Shipman on 2024-09-30 (4 stars): Delicious! Easy recipe to follow
Jeannette on 2023-09-23 (5 stars): I’ve never liked beets but decided to try this easy recipe as I had everything on hand but beets. I made it and it is delicious. I left out the cabbage and I used an infused olive oil and I puréed most of it so it wasn’t too chunky and it’s great with the dollop of sour cream! Thanks for such a healthy and inexpensive recipe and it’s the only Ukrainian recipe I have, love it.
Alexandra on 2023-05-12 (4 stars): The beets remained hard while the potatoes became overcooked. Next time, I will cook the beets by themselves for a while before adding the rest of the vegetables. Good recipe!
SAMI on 2023-01-08 (5 stars): Hi Holly
I make my Bortch the same way you do...as it is one of the 12 dishes Ukrainians eat Xmas eve. Simple where the Beet flavour shines through. My mom started adding beef and other veggies to her soup which to me takes away from it being a pure Beet soup. I enjoy all your Slavic recipes.
G P DYCK on 2022-10-03 (4 stars): Growing up in a Russian influenced, German ancestry Mennonite home in western Canada (how is that for a blend of cultures), it was rare that there wasn't a borsht pot on the back of the wood stove. The term borsht covered several different types of soup. The most common was kumpst borsht or cabbage soup. Beet borsht was next in line, followed by sweet milk borsht and sour milk borsht. I don't ever remember the beets and cabbage making it into the same pot. My mothers borsht had a very good reputation and she would can many jars of it. When cousins, etc, would come back for a visit, they would make a point of stopping in for a jar or two of Aunt Suzies Borsht. I mention this because all the beet borsht recipes I come across now have cabbage in them.
Linda on 2021-12-10 (5 stars): I made this without the cabbage and puréed it as an experiment. Had no bay leaves. It was fabulous! I will do it like this always.
