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Russian borscht with beetroot

Russian borscht with beets

An easy recipe for classic Russian borscht! A classic recipe for rich Russian borscht. This fragrant, hearty soup is perfect for a family dinner. It's quite easy to make, and both adults and kids will love it!

Natalia Tsybulskaya

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Beef

400

Beets

Carrots

Potatoes

Cabbage

250

Tomatoes

Garlic

Vegetable oil

Salt

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 40 % 8 g

Fats 25 % 5 g

Carbohydrates 35 % 7 g

106 kcal

GI: 71 / 0 / 29

Cooking method

Step 1:

Gather all the ingredients. It's best to use bone-in meat — the broth comes out richer! Beef works great; I'm using beef brisket with ribs. But you can also use pork, or even chicken. Out of tomato season, I recommend swapping the tomato for store-bought tomato paste.
Step 2:

Wash the meat very well. Cover it with water and cook it over the lowest heat, covered, for about an hour. Don't salt it.
Step 3:

Take the meat out of the broth, let it cool, remove the bones, cut the meat into small pieces, and return it to the broth.
Step 4:

Peel the potatoes and cut them into small cubes. I'm using a purple potato variety, which is why it's that color. Add it to the broth.
Step 5:

Wash the cabbage, remove the outer leaves, and shred it finely.
Step 6:

Add the cabbage to the soup as well. Keep cooking over low heat.
Step 7:

Peel the carrot and onion. Grate the carrot on the coarse side of a grater and dice the onion. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet — any kind from olive to sunflower works, but it must be refined. Sauté the onion and carrot for about 5–7 minutes, stirring constantly.
Step 8:

Add the sautéed vegetables to the soup. Keep cooking over low heat.
Step 9:

Peel the beets — I'd recommend wearing thin gloves for this. Grate the beets on the coarse side of a grater.
Step 10:

Heat oil in the same skillet and add the beets and tomato paste (if you're using a fresh tomato, dice it first). Beets scorch quickly, so keep the heat low and add 2–3 spoonfuls of broth from the soup so the beets and tomato braise gently.
Step 11:

Add the sautéed beets to the soup as well.
Step 12:

Peel and mince the garlic. I grate mine on a fine grater, but you can chop it with a knife or put it through a press. Add the garlic to the soup.
Step 13:

Salt the soup at the very end.
Step 14:

Serve the borscht with sour cream and fresh herbs. Enjoy!