Beet & Cabbage Borscht
Beets are a health-building powerhouse and combined with all the other vegetables, this is antioxidant heaven. If the beet greens look good, I sometimes add them in as well. And you can use tomato puree or sauce in place of the Pomi. Soups are flexible that way. Being Polish, we always stir in a little sour cream when serving. - Jenny Jones
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Makes: 6 - 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 6 cups beef, chicken, vegetable stock, or water
- 2 cups diced fresh beets
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced red potato
- 1 cup Pomi strained tomatoes
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped dill
- 1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- pepper to taste
Instructions:
- In a large pot, cook and stir the onion and celery in hot oil for about 3 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes.
Jenny,
I use to watch your show and loved it and now I love watching you cook and using quite a few of your recipes. This particular recipe is on the stove right now.
Absolutely think Polish cooking is the very best. Fortunate enough to have been there many times. Married to a man who jumped ship after graduating from the Polish Naval Academy and he joined the U.S. Army in Germany in 1953. I worked at the Red Cross at the base he was stationed at in Georgia.
The best cooks and the best hosts and hostesses on the planet.
Mary from Georgia
Do you have a polish beet soup for Christmas eve? My Mom made a meatless one with prunes served over white boiled potatoes. Not cooked in with the beets. Kind of sweet with a little bite very earthy. I don’t see anyone with something like it. All have meat stock and sour cream plus cabbage. My mom’s had none of that. She was very particular about the ingredients.
I made this with tonight, my husband was uncertain but ended up having three bowls of it. No caraway seed for us as we both are not fans. This is a wonderful recipe. Thank you Jenny for sharing your tasty recipes.
I love adding carrot and bay leaves, as well as starting with a lean ham burger or cubed steak with onion, garlic and celery then adding remaing ingredients. Love your recipe! ❤
I use lemon juice, not vinegar or citric acid. Too much reflux, otherwise. I only use beet greens for salad. If I want greens, spinach, parsley or cucumbers are sufficient. I like borscht simple. Beets, lemon juice, dill and parsley, salt, and serve with sour cream. Smetana. I suppose Greek yogurt would work, but regular yogurt is too watery. I found canned diced beets to be oddly tough. My mother always bought Libbey’s, but I can’t find that brand. So I get whole or sliced. If I use fresh beets, I boil/blanch them first, then peel them under running water, then slice or dice them. Then another cooking to make the borscht. With the skin on, they don’t release much juice into the water. I will say, if you want to do a still life, by all means, peel the raw beets, because they are so beautiful to look at!
I am making my way through all your recepies….luv this soup…dollop of sour cream on top.. tasty… if you want the best meat loaf and bread this is your go to website
Should I peel the beets before cutting up and cooking in the soup?
Yes.
Thank you so much for answering me, Jenny! I love beets and really want to try this recipe! I love your videos and recipes and think you are a terrific person!
Mary Linda, I love beets as well. I was working out of town and went to dinner at the home an Eastern Indian. He cooked beets by slicing thin and sauteeing them with onion and hot peppers and curry powder. They were delicious! I’m not sure if this is an Indian recipe or just what this guy came up in his bachelor state (also working out of town).
Jenny, my husband and I love watching you cook and your recipes. Borscht turned out great!
Made this yesterday!! I used your recipe~ I’m away from home and I don’t have my moms recipe with me…a few things I thought were a little different, but oh boy so yummy! We’ve always done bbq spare ribs on the side with this soup and I recall my dad always had to have the wide egg noodles with it…so I boiled my ribs first making a stock for the soup…and I also roasted my beets!!! and I’ll just say again, yummy !! I’m kinda surprised we have some left for lunch today !!!??. Thanks again for refreshing recipes stirring memories!!
Sounds great, I love soups. I prefer golden beets, will be making it with those? Katie
Jenny for the Borscht, do you serve it hot or cold? I love all your recipes, and I love your cooking presentations. You are such a fun person and so pretty and charming too. You make cooking appear fun. I am a 79, and I have always not liked to cook. You really inspire me to cook more and to enjoy it. Lately, when I am cooking one of your recipes, I can see your pretty, smiling face telling me, “Enjoy, you can do it.”
Jenny can you give us a recipe for kapusta — cabbage soup that my grandmother made for yrs? I would love to make it
All your recipes are great!
I have been searching for a recipe for kapusta (cabbage soup) also. It was a favorite of mine when I was a little girl. Jenny, please help us. Thanks.
My mother-in’law who was Polish/ Ukrainian always made hers with spareribs. None of her wonderful recipes were ever written down. She just made them from memory. So it is difficult sometimes for me to recreate what she so easily did. I am the last of the girls who makes these recipes and I am the DIL. This recipes is similar except for the ribs. I am going to make this with the spareribs and go from there. Thanks for this recipe?
Short Rib for sure, and sometime I will buy a small thinner rib eye steak Bone in to make the broth. By boiling it then add the onions. the house smells wonderful. Then I remove the steak, take out the bone, cube the meet and at the end when the Borscht is ready I add the cubbed steak back in,
I realise these recipes were made to stretch a budget. However, now by Grace alone, we can afford to spice it up a little. The flavour of the fresh beef broth is so Different and with beets, Yummy. And if you cube a roast for broth and add that into the big pot borscht at the end … a dollop of sour cream, a bowl of rye bread and butter. That sounds like a meal to me? ty Jen and Sgrl
My mom was Russian, she made hers exactly like you do…with short ribs. And you have to use sour cream…for sure!!!! I’m making it this weekend for my daughters.
My mom always made them with spare ribs also ~ she would boil them for the stock ~ make the soup and bbq ribs !! So delicious !!! I sure am p”anning on this in the very near future !! Yum !
iam still referring back to your simple and tasty recipes since I discovered your site 2 years ago.You make it simple.I add a dollop of sour cream in a borscht soup at the end after it is finished.
Hi Jenny! Just found your blog via Youtube. Your recipes look delicious! And you look just as pretty and sweet as you did on your TV show all those years ago! Thank you for this generous recipe blog.
Does anyone know if the beets are supposed to be raw or cooked ahead of time?
Raw.
81 years of good Polish food and still making the taste of polish family. The recipeis I make are handed down to me and my sisters. I use ribs for my stock and then add the onions and shredded beets. Thats the only way , shred the beets and I don’t use cabbage. That takes it too far east in Europe to Russia. Lots of fresh dill ,garlic and what your taste longs for. I made this in my shop once a week and sold out every time. love your polish cooking. Ray
Raw is the best and be careful not to boil to long because they can become pink. However, Canned whole beets can be grated up and used…in place of fresh…if that’s all you have….
When I use canned beets.I use a really nice cut of beef for the broth to balance it out…TY Jen and Betsy
Hi Jenny
Love your videos and humour
I made the Dutch oven bread and crapes and both were easy and yummy
Will try gnocchi ( kopytka not kluski and best served with mushroom sauce or bacon bits and onions )
And potato placki
I think that you could add the old fashion chicken soup ?
Jenny – we love Beet Borscht and use a recipe very similar to this one. One thing I do is roast my beets in the oven with skins on in olive oil and kosher salt. When cool skin them and dice. Then I add the cabbage and beets in the final 20 min. of cooking the soup.
Thanks so much Jenny. Keep the recipes coming.
I’m 72 and have never baked anything from scratch or even made a pie crust. But I tried the crusty bread you cook in a pot with the cover on and I was amazed and so pleased,. Thanks for making recipes that are so simple for old people.
You can use a slow cooker and it turns out great. You can also freeze it no problem.
My go to borscht recipe.
Hi Jenny, love your recipes. i’m ukrainian and wondererd if you have a reciepe for either BABKA OR PASKA ONE OF THEM CALL FOR SOMETHING LIKE 20 EGG Y0LKS, AND RAISINS. MY GRANDMOTHER PUT ORANGE JUICE IN THE BATTER, OR SAFFRON. BREAD TURNS OUT VERY YELLOW, AND VERY TASTY. I KNOW YOU WILL FROWN ON THE EGG YOLKS, BUT IT,S ONLY AT EASTER TIME. BARB K.
I don’t frown on egg yolks at all but I’m sorry I do not have such a recipe.
What you are talking about is a polish cheesecake with 20 eggs and you can add raisins
Just google SERNIK
Barbara Kennedy is talking about a bread, not a cheesecake (sernik). That very yellow-with-yolks, slightly sweet bread with raisins and zest and sometimes saffron, is Easter placek.
Best regards.
My Polish Babcia (from Lublin area) made exactly what you are describing. It’s a classic Easter placek, though she made it throughout the year.
Did a search. Found a recipe for this placek from a Polish-American chef — here’s a link:(Hope it’s OK to post a link …)
http://www.makeitlikeaman.com/2015/03/28/polish-easter-sweet-bread/
Jenny sounds so good. Can this be made in the slow cooker. Thank you.
I have never used a slow cooker but I can tell you that even with soup, you do not want vegetables that are over-cooked and it seems to me that they would be. But that’s just my best guess so check around to see if other soup recipes use a slow cooker.
I make my Borscht in the slow cooker for convenience and it turns out delicious. Also, I do put in beef. I put the beef in for at least an hour so it will start to get tender. Then I add in all the vegetables and seasonings (very similar to yours). I don’t cook the soup all day because I don’t like my veggies mushy and overcooked. It works out well because I can leave it alone and do other things in the house without having to keep checking on a pot on the stove. Also, I sometimes use canned beets if the ones in the market don’t look so great. I don’t see much difference in the soup.
We made this and the no knead bread this weekend,outstanding.
Anyone try freezing this recipe? Does it work well or everything turn to mush?
I have never frozen it for that reason – I think it would turn to mush.
Oh man, I just made a double recipe and was planning on freezing. Cabbage was on sale this week after St. Patrick’s holiday.
awesome recipe!
Is your preference to serve this hot or cold?
I serve it hot with a dollop of sour cream.
I just came across your website yesterday and can’t wait to make some of your recipes, including this soup. I have a grocery list and am going to try the oatmeal cake and everyday cookies this week (trying to lose weight but have a sweet tooth all the time). Thanks very much. I can’t wait to see what new recipes you add to your site.
FUN! A beautiful creation and fun to make. New to me, a Soup where beets and cabbage are the STARS. The ratios are quite pleasant. Than you Chef Jenny! Dan
Thanks for this recipe! I made it for the first time tonight and it was amazing
Do you use red or green cabbage and do you peel your red potatoes or leave the peel on?
I have used both green and red cabbage in this soup, whichever I have on hand, and I peel the potatoes. I think if the peel was left on it might separate from the potato and float around in the soup…
OMG look at this! You might just be my favourite food blogger! I just found your blog tonight and you make things like cabbage rolls and borscht. Thanks for being awesome.