Russian Borscht: Beetroot Soup with Beef
Borscht is a Russian beetroot soup built on beef stock with cabbage, potato and carrot, with grated beetroot added in the final twenty minutes along with a splash of vinegar — the vinegar is what keeps the deep red colour. It's served with sour cream, dill and garlic.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 95 min
- Total
- 120 min
- Calories
- 290
Half the pleasure of borscht is its colour, and most people lose it by cooking the beetroot from the start. The beetroot goes in at the end with a little acid, and that's what fixes the colour.
Method
-
1
The stock
Simmer the beef with the bay leaves, skimming the foam, for an hour until tender. Lift out the meat, cut it up, and strain the stock.
⏱ 65 min -
2
The vegetables
Add the potato to the stock for ten minutes, then the cabbage for another ten.
⏱ 22 min -
3
Frying the beetroot
In a pan: soften the onion and carrot, add the grated beetroot, tomato paste and the spoon of vinegar, and cook for ten minutes. The vinegar is what fixes the red.
⏱ 12 min -
4
Bringing it together
Add the beetroot mixture and the chopped beef to the soup, check the salt, and give it ten minutes over low heat without boiling hard.
⏱ 12 min -
5
Serving
Crush the garlic with the dill and scatter it in for the final minute. Serve hot with a spoon of sour cream in the middle of each bowl.
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Tips that actually matter
- Vinegar with the beetroot is non-negotiable if you want the red to survive.
- Don't boil the soup after the beetroot goes in — boiling fades the colour.
- Borscht is better on the second day, like most soups.
People also ask
My borscht came out brown.
The beetroot cooked too long, or without acid. Fry it separately with vinegar and add it at the end.
Can it be vegetarian?
Yes — vegetable stock instead of beef, everything else the same. Lenten borscht is common in Russia.
A substitute for sour cream?
Thick Greek yoghurt gives roughly the same acidity and texture.
Cook mode
Russian Borscht: Beetroot Soup with Beef
-
1
The stock
Simmer the beef with the bay leaves, skimming the foam, for an hour until tender. Lift out the meat, cut it up, and strain the stock.
-
2
The vegetables
Add the potato to the stock for ten minutes, then the cabbage for another ten.
-
3
Frying the beetroot
In a pan: soften the onion and carrot, add the grated beetroot, tomato paste and the spoon of vinegar, and cook for ten minutes. The vinegar is what fixes the red.
-
4
Bringing it together
Add the beetroot mixture and the chopped beef to the soup, check the salt, and give it ten minutes over low heat without boiling hard.
-
5
Serving
Crush the garlic with the dill and scatter it in for the final minute. Serve hot with a spoon of sour cream in the middle of each bowl.
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