Vegan Beet Borscht

Say what? I never had borscht or even heard of it before I met my husband. This is a soup (really more of a stew) that he grew up with since he was a little boy. His mom used to have it when she was a child as well, so it’s a dish that gives great comfort to him – so of course, I had to learn how to make it!

Now borscht is a general term for a sour soup that originated in Eastern Europe. It has many different versions, some with meat, some vegetarian. This specific one is beet-based and is vegan. 

Beet borscht is traditionally served with fresh dill and sour cream. I feel so lucky that we are in a time when there is pretty much a vegan version (and good tasting vegan versions) of most dairy products. So if you can find it, try out some vegan sour cream. You really don’t want to skimp on the sour cream – it brings the dish to a whole other level that you will miss out on without it. For me, I think it completes the borscht. 

For the shoot, I already had the idea of what I wanted to do. I knew the borscht had this amazing vibrant red color and I didn’t want anything to distract from that. So I created an entirely grey scene with my backdrop and props to let the reds of the soup and green of the dill be in the spotlight!

Vegan Beet Borscht

admin Say what? I never had borscht or even heard of it before I met my husband. This is a soup (really more of a stew) that he grew up with… Soup soup, vegetable soup European Print This

Serves: 6

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
• 3 medium sized beets, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 2 cups)
• 1 onion, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 cups roughly chopped green cabbage
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 15oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cups Swiss chard or beet greens, roughly chopped
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Fresh dill

Vegan sour cream

Instructions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add beets, carrots and onions. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add in garlic, stir and cook for 30 second.
3. Add in cabbage and potatoes, cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add in broth, diced tomatoes, tomato paste and bay leaves. Stir, bring to boil, reduce to medium-low heat and cook uncovered for 20-35 minutes until vegetables are tender.
5. Add in greens, stir, cook for 1-2 minutes.
6. Turn off heat, add in apple cider vinegar.
7. Serve with fresh dill and sour cream.