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Borscht – plated and served
Soups & StewsWinterDinnerLunchUkrainian

Borscht

Ruby red beetroot soup with beef, cabbage, and a dollop of sour cream with dill.

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Preparation
30 min
Cook/bake time
2 hr
Total
2 hr 30 min
Difficulty
Medium
Calories
509 kcal
Servings
6
Prep
30 min
Cooking & baking
2 hr

Ruby red beetroot soup with beef, cabbage, and a dollop of sour cream with dill. To keep the color bright and prevent it from turning brownish, the beetroots are added late and stabilized with a splash of vinegar. A filling stew that tastes even better on the second day.

Why this works

Betanin, the red pigment in beetroot, is only stable in an acidic environment. If boiled for a long time in a neutral broth, it breaks down and the soup turns brownish. The splash of vinegar lowers the pH value and holds the red color, which is also why the beetroot is added late, as every additional minute of heat costs color. Meanwhile, the collagen from the beef brisket provides thickness, turning into gelatin over the long cooking time.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Cook the broth

    Place the beef brisket in a pot with cold water, bay leaves, peppercorns, and the halved onion, and slowly bring everything to a simmer. Carefully skim off the rising foam and let the broth steep gently for ninety minutes without letting it boil. Remove the meat, cut it into cubes, and strain the broth.

  2. Braise the beetroot

    Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the grated beetroot for ten minutes over medium heat. Stir in the tomato paste, vinegar, and sugar, and let everything braise for another five minutes. The vinegar fixes the red pigment, otherwise the soup will lose its bright color later and turn brownish.

  3. Cook the vegetables

    Bring the strained broth to a boil and add the diced potatoes. After five minutes, add the white cabbage, carrots, and onion. Let everything simmer for fifteen minutes until the vegetables are soft but not falling apart. The cabbage should still retain a slight bite.

  4. Combine

    Add the braised beetroot along with the diced beef to the pot and let everything steep gently for just ten more minutes. The beetroot should not cook any longer, as it will otherwise lose its color and delicate sweetness. Stir in the garlic right at the very end.

  5. Season and serve

    Season generously with salt and pepper and adjust the acidity with a little vinegar, as the soup should be noticeably sweet and sour. Ideally, let it steep overnight. Serve it with a generous dollop of sour cream and plenty of fresh dill, as both are an inseparable part of the dish.

Our best tips

  • Add vinegar to the beetroot, as this keeps the color bright red instead of brownish.
  • Only add the beetroot to the soup at the end and do not cook it for a long time.
  • Cook it the day before. Borscht is one of those dishes that tastes significantly better on the second day.

Tasty variations

Vegetarian

Use a strong vegetable broth and add white beans instead of meat.

With plums

Cook four dried plums along with it, which gives a subtle smoky sweetness.

Nutrition facts

Per serving (1 portion)
Calories509 kcal
Protein30 g
Carbohydrates26 g
– of which sugar13 g
Fat31 g
Fiber7 g

Where the 509 kcal come from

per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it

We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:

  • Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
  • Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
  • Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
  • Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.

A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.

How we calculate nutrition →

Frequently asked questions

Why is my soup turning brown?

The beetroot cooked for too long or there was a lack of acidity. Add vinegar when braising and only add the beetroot to the soup at the end.

Can I use pre-cooked beetroot?

Yes, then the braising is largely omitted. Briefly toss it with tomato paste and vinegar and only add it at the end.

How long does borscht keep?

Four days in the fridge, and it gets better in the process. Freezing also works well, though the potatoes will become a bit softer.

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