Classic Ukrainian Red Beet Soup - Borscht(Борщ)

Borscht (Борщ), as you might already know, is a hearty, meaty, beautiful red beet soup originally from Ukraine and also popular in Russia.

It's the perfect warming, cozy winter soup and delicious served with a steamy, freshly baked, crusty sourdough baguette or Russian Borodinsky bread.

What makes this borscht special

What makes this borscht different and ultimately very special is the way you slowly stew it in a heavy cast-iron pot over the fire for 5 hours. If you use chicken or do a meatless version, the cooking time will be around one hour.

This recipe is a little more time-consuming than the average one-pot beet soup, but the result is very rewarding and worlds apart from the quick version.

Ingredients

For the soup...

• Meat - I use oxtail, but you could use any type of beef stewing meat. Otherwise, use chicken or go vegan and omit the meat altogether by using more veggies.
• Vegetables - Beetroot, cabbage, onion and carrot.
• Seasonings - Apple cider vinegar, sugar and salt balance this soup beautifully.
• Extras - Tomato paste and optionally a bay leaf or two.

To finish...

• Sour cream - A must in most Ukrainian and Russian soups. Also called smetana or creme fraiche.
• Herbs - Use whatever soft herbs you like. I prefer dill and parsley.
• Garlic oil - Simply fresh garlic grated into neutral oil.

Instructions

1. First, you want to brown the meat nicely, and I do this by grilling it over the fire over hot coals, as you would normally.
2. While this is going on, put the beetroot, wrapped in foil, straight over some embers and give it a turn every 10 minutes until it's cooked all the way through. This takes about 45 minutes depending on the size of your beetroot. No fire? You can salt-roast the beets in the oven instead.
3. Next, we will set our pot over the fire on medium-high heat and start adding a splash of sunflower oil, grated vegetables and a pinch of salt.
4. Fry the vegetables until they have softened slightly but are still raw.
5. Add the tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, sugar, meat, and enough water or beef stock to just cover the ingredients. Give it a mix, put a lid on and simmer slowly for about 4 hours or until the oxtail is soft.
6. While that is slowly cooking, get together the final touches. Usually, Ukrainian borscht is served with a bit of sour cream on the side, which you then stir in before eating. We will honor that tradition, but we need to elevate the flavors and make sure this borscht is really special. So we make a garlic oil (just crushed garlic and sunflower oil) and prepare a fresh mix of chopped herbs, crunchy fresh spring onion, and freshly ground black pepper.
7. When the meat is soft and melts in the mouth, it is time to add the baked beetroot and a bit of raw grated beetroot. The baked beetroot adds a beautiful layer of earthy sweetness to the very rich meaty soup that's been simmered for hours, while gently taking on a very subtle smokiness from the wood fire. The raw grated beetroot also elevates the color to a deep, rich reddish-purple.
8. Finally, you need to adjust the seasoning of the borscht. What you want is a nice balance between sweet, sharp and salty. Taste the borscht and adjust to your palate. When you are happy with it, dish up.
9. Serve with a generous dollop of sour cream, a bit of garlic oil and a sprinkling of freshly chopped herbs, spring onion, and ground black pepper.

Pro tips when making borscht

• Stock - Use homemade beef stock instead of water for a deeper, beefier broth.
• Meat - Choose stewing beef with good marbling. The fat renders into the broth and makes the soup taste richer.
• Mise en place - Grate, chop, and weigh everything before the pot goes on the heat. Once the vegetables hit the pan, there's no time to prep as you go.
• Seasoning - Balance the soup with sugar, salt, and vinegar right before serving, not earlier. The beets mellow as they cook, so the sweet-sharp-salty balance needs a final check at the end.
• Time - Oxtail and beef shoulder are tough cuts. They need a long, slow simmer of about 4 to 5 hours to break down and turn tender. Rushing the heat toughens the meat instead of softening it.
• Rest - The soup tastes even better the next day, once the flavors have had time to settle. It's one of the better make-ahead dishes for that reason.

Substitutions and variations

• Vegetarian - Leave out the meat and use 2.5 L (about 10.5 cups) vegetable stock in place of the water, with a bit more cabbage and carrot to keep it hearty. The cooking time drops to about 1 hour once the vegetables go in.
• Chicken - Swap the oxtail and beef shoulder for about 700 g (1.5 lb) bone-in chicken thighs and use chicken stock instead of water. Simmer for about 1 hour, until the meat pulls easily from the bone.
• Equipment - Cook this in an Instant Pot or slow cooker instead of over the fire. Pressure cook the meat for about 45 minutes on high, or slow cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, then carry on with the vegetable and beet stages as written.

Serving suggestions

• Bread - Toasted, freshly baked Borodinsky bread or sourdough rubbed with a garlic clove.
• Salted pork fat - Take it one step above delicious and add a few thin slices of salted pork fat or lardo onto the toasted bread. It's the traditional way of serving borscht.
• Drink - A glass of chilled bread kvass, the traditional fermented rye drink served alongside Slavic meals.
• Dessert - Finish the meal with a slice of Russian honey cake.

Storing instructions

Once made, cool it down and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Alternatively, you can portion and freeze it for up to 6 months.

To reheat, simply defrost in the fridge overnight or in the microwave. Bring it to a boil before serving.

Frequently asked questions

Related recipes

• Beetroot And Feta Salad
• Salt Roasted Beets (Video)
• Creamy Potato And Leek Soup (Video)
• How To Boil Beets To Perfection(Video)

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Recipe

5 from 14 votes

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Borscht (Ukrainian Beet Soup)

A traditional Ukrainian beet soup built on oxtail and beef shoulder, slowly stewed in a cast-iron pot over the fire until the meat is meltingly tender. Baked and raw beetroot, apple cider vinegar and a finishing garlic oil give it a deep red color and a balanced sweet-sharp-salty flavor.

Author Charlé Visser

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 hours hours

Total Time 5 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8 portions

Course Dinner, Lunch, Soup

Cuisine Ukrainian

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

For the pot

• ▢ 150 g (1.5 cups) beetroot - grated
• ▢ 100 g (1 cups) carrots - grated
• ▢ 100 g (1 cups) white cabbage - grated
• ▢ 100 g (1 cups) white onion - sliced
• ▢ 100 g (0.4 cups) tomato paste
• ▢ 50 g (3.5 tablespoon) apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 20 g (1.5 tablespoon) sugar
• ▢ 60 g (0.3 cups) sunflower oil
• ▢ 35 g (2 tablespoon) salt
• ▢ 2,5 L (10.57 cups) water - or beef stock

For the meat

• ▢ 350 g (0.77 lb) oxtail
• ▢ 350 g (0.77 lb) beef shoulder

For the beetroot to finish

• ▢ 2 medium beetroots - baked in foil then grated
• ▢ ½ medium beetroot - raw, finely grated (for color)

To serve

• ▢ 250 g (1.0 cups) sour cream
• ▢ 2-3 cloves garlic - peeled and minced
• ▢ 25 grams sunflower oil - for the garlic oil
• ▢ 10 g (1 tablespoon) parsley - chopped
• ▢ 10 g (1 tablespoon) dill - chopped
• ▢ 40 g (3 tablespoon) spring onion - chopped
• ▢ 4 g (1 teaspoon) freshly cracked black pepper
• ▢ salt, apple cider vinegar and sugar, to taste

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Instructions

• Brown the oxtail and beef shoulder over hot coals, or sear them hard in the pot, until deeply browned on all sides. That color is where a lot of the soup's flavor comes from, so don't rush it.
• Wrap 1½ of the finishing beetroot in foil and set it over the embers, or roast at 200°C / 400°F, turning every 10 minutes until soft all the way through, about 45 minutes. Keep the remaining ½ raw for later, and cool the baked beetroot until you can grate it.
• Set the pot over medium-high heat with the sunflower oil, then add the grated beetroot, carrot, cabbage, sliced onion and a pinch of salt. Fry until softened but still slightly raw, so they hold their texture in the finished soup.
• Stir in the tomato paste and cook it for 1 to 2 minutes until it darkens slightly, then add the apple cider vinegar, sugar and the browned meat. Pour in enough water or beef stock to just cover everything, bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook low and slow until the meat is meltingly tender and pulls apart easily, about 4 hours. Top up with liquid if the level drops below the ingredients.
• While the pot simmers, crush or grate the garlic into the 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil and set it aside. Chop the parsley, dill and spring onion and crack the black pepper, so everything is ready to finish the soup.
• When the meat is tender, stir in the grated baked beetroot for earthy sweetness and a subtle smokiness, then stir in the reserved raw grated beetroot, which brings the color back to a deep reddish-purple.
• Taste and balance with salt, apple cider vinegar and sugar until it's evenly sweet, sharp and salty. Ladle into bowls and finish each with a dollop of sour cream, a drizzle of garlic oil and a scatter of chopped herbs, spring onion and black pepper.

Notes

1. Meat choice - Oxtail and beef shoulder are tough, gelatin-rich cuts that need the full slow simmer to turn tender. Any beef stewing cut works. For a lighter soup, use about 700 g bone-in chicken thighs and cut the cooking time to around an hour.

2. Vegetarian version — Leave out the meat, swap the water for the same 2.5 L of vegetable stock, and add a little more cabbage and carrot. It's ready in about an hour once the vegetables go in.

3. Keeping the color — Beets fade with long cooking. The reserved raw grated beetroot stirred in at the end is what keeps the soup a deep red, so don't skip it.

4. Balancing the flavor — Borscht should land between sweet, sharp and salty. Adjust the sugar, salt and apple cider vinegar right at the end, tasting as you go, since the beets mellow as they cook.

5. Cooking method — No open fire needed. Cook it on the stovetop, or use an Instant Pot (about 45 minutes on high pressure) or a slow cooker (low for 6 to 8 hours), then finish with the beetroot as written.

6. Make ahead — Like most soups and stews, borscht tastes better the next day once the flavors settle. It's a good make-ahead dish.

7. Storage — Cool and store airtight in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 6 months. Reheat gently and bring to a boil before serving.

8. Serving — Traditionally served hot with sour cream, garlic oil and fresh dill, alongside dark rye or sourdough bread. For the classic touch, add a few thin slices of salted pork fat on the bread.

Nutrition

Serving: 350grams Calories: 398kcal Carbohydrates: 14g Protein: 29g Fat: 25g Saturated Fat: 8g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 15g Trans Fat: 0.1g Cholesterol: 102mg Sodium: 1979mg Potassium: 580mg Fiber: 3g Sugar: 9g Vitamin A: 2755IU Vitamin C: 15mg Calcium: 91mg Iron: 4mg

Keywords:beetroot soup, borscht

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