Recipes
Classic Borscht
2025-07-26
Borscht is one of those soups every family makes a little differently, but a few things never change: a rich meat broth, a deep beet-red color, and a balance of sour and sweet that gives it real depth instead of just tasting like “red cabbage soup.”
The secret to that vivid color is cooking the beets separately with a splash of vinegar or lemon juice. The acid helps the beets hold onto their bright crimson tone instead of turning dull during cooking, while a touch of sugar balances out the tang and rounds out the overall flavor.
The classic vegetable lineup — potato, cabbage, carrot, onion, and of course beets — leaves plenty of room for variation: some cooks add bell pepper, some stir in beans for extra heartiness, others add a few prunes for a subtle sweetness. The meat is flexible too — bone-in beef works well, and pork ribs give an even richer broth.
Borscht is almost always better the next day, once the flavors have had time to meld. Serve it hot, always with a dollop of sour cream, fresh herbs, and a slice of dark rye bread or garlic-rubbed pampushky on the side.
Ingredients
- 500 g bone-in beef
- 2.5 liters water
- 2 medium beets
- 3 potatoes
- 1/4 small head of white cabbage
- 1 carrot
- 1 onion
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 tsp sugar
- bay leaf, salt, black pepper to taste
- fresh dill and parsley, sour cream for serving
Instructions
- Simmer the beef in water for 60-70 minutes until tender, skimming off foam, then remove the meat, strain the broth, and return it to the pot.
- Cut the potatoes into cubes and add them to the simmering broth.
- Grate the carrot and beets coarsely, and finely chop the onion.
- Saute the onion and carrot in oil for 5 minutes, add the beets, tomato paste, vinegar, and sugar, then cover and cook for 15 minutes until softened.
- Shred the cabbage and add it to the broth along with the potatoes, cooking for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the beet mixture into the pot, add the diced meat, bay leaf, salt, and pepper.
- Simmer the borscht for another 10-15 minutes over low heat, stirring in crushed garlic a minute before it’s done.
- Let the borscht rest, covered, for 15-20 minutes before serving with sour cream and fresh herbs.
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