Description
This classic Ukrainian borscht is packed with hearty winter vegetables in a bright red, sweet-sour broth.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups shredded green cabbage (1/4 of a medium head, about 1 pound)
- 1 medium carrot (4 to 5 ounces), peeled and grated
- 1 large red beet (about 12 ounces), peeled and grated
- 2 medium russet potatoes (1 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 medium onion (6 to 8 ounces), finely diced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons mild vinegar (like white, apple cider, or wine)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 10 black peppercorns* (see note below)
- 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
- Dill and sour cream, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Start by prepping all the vegetables. (I highly recommend using a food processor, which makes this super easy. If you don’t have one, a sharp knife and a box grater will do. Be sure to process the beets last to avoid staining the other vegetables.) Begin with the slicing attachment and finely shred the cabbage. Then switch to the grating attachment and grate the carrot (you should end up with 1 cup). Then grate the beet (3 cups).
- Peel and chop the potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Peel and finely dice the onion.
- Place the potatoes in a large pot/Dutch oven, and add 3 quarts water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the potatoes are almost cooked through, about 5 minutes. Then add the cabbage and cook for 2 minutes more.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook until it’s almost translucent, about 5 minutes. Then add the beets, carrots, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook until all the vegetables are soft and pastry, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, vinegar, and sugar to the beet mixture, and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Stir the beet mixture into the pot, along with the peppercorns, and bring everything back to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Turn the heat off, and stir in the garlic and a splash of lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt, sugar, and/or lemon, if needed.
- Serve hot, garnished with dill and sour cream if desired. (Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and eat within 4 days.)
Notes
If you don’t have whole peppercorns, just use regular ground pepper.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of the recipe
- Calories: 95
- Sodium: 108 mg
- Fat: 3.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 14.4 g
- Fiber: 2.9 g
- Protein: 1.7 g
