Beetroot soup or borsch is a brightly colored vegetable soup loaded with vitamins and antioxidants. Besides its intense magenta color and sweet-sour taste, beet soup is very healthy and can be part of a weight-loss diet program.

If I were Russian I would say that it is a traditional dish that finds its origin in Russian culinary. However, an Ukranian would argue with me and would claim it is a Ukrainian soup. I don’t know exactly where this soup is coming from, but I completely understand the battle, it is very good and is worth fighting for. Also, I consider myself lucky for being taught to love this easy and healthy recipe since being a child.

Surely every Eastern-European housewife has her secrets for preparing the recipe. Today, I will share with you a recipe that always works great for me. Best borscht is savory, with a lovely magenta color, in which the other vegetables keep their right to coexist next to the beetroot. Why coexist? Because the beet has the property of coloring everything it comes in contact with.

Honestly speaking, beet soup is one of my favorites soups. It is light, easy to prepare, and because has an intense taste of vegetables. You don’t need to add any artificial flavors to make it irresistibly tasty, just entrust yourself to the vegetables of the earth. Also, you can choose to make it with or without meat, the taste will remain just as intense. Beets, onions, carrots, potatoes, and bell peppers can be found at any market or supermarket. Don’t waste any other minute, let’s cook this beet soup together.

Is beetroot healthy to eat?

Everything the body needs is found in beets. Either marinated, fresh, or baked, the beet is a nutritious superfood with many health benefits. Vitamins A, C, B complex, sulfur, sodium, calcium, iron, iodine, potassium, and antioxidants in beetroot help treat many ailments. Beetroot is one of the most complex foods, scientifically proven to fight cancer and other diseases. Moreover, this vegetable is indeed very tasty when cooked. Dishes become better when made with the juicy and sweet beetroot. It is mandatory for you to try the beet hummus, beet and arugula salad, and the salad with roasted beets.

Like any of the above mention recipes, the beet soup is also a quick and easy recipe. If you want you can add more cabbage, parsley root, celery root, or anything else you like. Instead, if you like the slightly sour taste, squeeze some lemon juice. I hope I managed to intrigue you and that you are eager to know what it takes to cook the magenta borsch?

Ingredients for beet soup

The main ingredient for the soup is, of course, the beet. The dosage I will further indicate is to feed 6 people, large portions. To create the vivid beet soup you will need the following vegetables and spices:

Beetroot 2 pieces, medium
Potatoes 3 pieces, medium
Carrot, 1 piece
Onion, 1 piece
Leek, half a stick
Bellpepper 1/2 piece
Tomato paste, 2 tablespoons
Olive oil, 3 tablespoons
Parsley and dill, chopped, 3-4 tablespoons
Salt and pepper to taste

The borsch doesn’t require many ingredients to give out a delicious taste and a sense of comfort. For a more consistent version, you may add some chopped cabbage. I didn’t include it this time because I wanted more beets, more color, more sweetness.

How to make beet soup?

It will take a few simple manipulations to cook a recipe with seniority. To speed up the process I strongly recommend getting the help of a grater. This is how you ensure the vegetables will have the same shape and size. Ok, let’s take it step by step.

First, peel the beets, the carrot, onion, potatoes and remove the tail and the seeds from the bell pepper. Wash the vegetables.

Take a soup pan and put it to heat, add the olive oil. Let the oil heat up on a low flame. In the meantime thinly chop the onion and add it to the hot oil. While the onion is simmering, grate the carrot and add it to the onion. Mix well and cover with a lid. The vegetables should saute for about 3 minutes on low heat. Be time-wise and grate the beets in the meantime, then add them to the sauteeing onion and carrot. Mix again.

At this point, thinly chop half of the bell pepper and add it to the other veggies. Cube the potatoes and chop the leek and send it to the pot with sauteeing vegetables. Mix well and add the tomato sauce, you’re almost done preparing the beetroot soup!

The color should be very intense and the smell – inviting. Now it’s time to season the soup with salt and pepper to your taste. Pour half a gallon of boiling water over the simmering veggies and mix for everything to blend well. However, you may use chicken or beef stock instead of water. No doubt the taste will be better with stock rather than with water. Nonetheless, my vote goes to the lighter and healthier version of the beet soup. Try cooking both versions then decide which of the two better suits your needs and tastes.

Finally, wait until the vegetables are tender to chop and generously sprinkle the parsley and dill on top of the soup. Turn off the stove and let it rest for about 10-15 minutes prior to serving it.

borsch

How to serve the borsch?

Pour the beet soup into a soup plate and serve it next to some fresh bread. Traditionally, borsch is served with garlic bread and sour cream. For extra acidity, you may squeeze a few drops of lemon juice. Also, pair the soup with some chili peppers if your stomach allows you to. Whatever your choices, make sure to enjoy this beautiful and tasty beetroot soup – the borsch!