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–+ servings
red vegetarian vegan borscht with spoon in blue white bowl on Slavic red white and black napkin
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5 from 4 votes

Vegetarian Ukrainian/Russian Borscht Soup

This recipe makes a nice big pot of vegan red borscht soup (About 14 cups). Borscht freezes well for future enjoyment and it is even better the next day! This recipe is vegan as written, unless you add sour cream.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 56 minutes
Total Time2 hours 26 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Eastern European
Keyword: Borscht, Borscht Recipe, Russian Borscht, Ukrainian Borscht, vegetarian
Servings: 14
Calories: 97kcal
Author: Katia

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lb beets about 3 medium, peeled and cut into matchsticks (If you prefer the beet smaller you can shred them through a food processer)
  • 5 large garlic cloves minced
  • 8 oz. carrot 2-3 small, peeled and cut into about 1/8 " half circles
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 4 1/4 cup water divided (using 1/4 cup 1st, then 4 cups)
  • 1 small green cabbage (About 2 lb.) shredded (If you don't like the soup too thick, just use half the head)
  • 4 cups low/no sodium vegetable stock/broth
  • 5 Tbsp concentrated tomato paste I love the Italian kind in a tube
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 lb. white potatoes peeled & diced into 1/2 inch cubes (keep cubed potatoes in water till ready to use)
  • 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice start with 2 Tbsp and add another if you like
  • 2 Tbsp fresh dill chopped (or 1/2 Tbsp dried dill)

Instructions

  • Heat dutch oven or large pot on medium heat and add olive oil.
  • Once olive oil heated, add onion and cook about 5 minutes, until tender.
    Cooking diced onion in dutch oven with a wooden spoon
  • Add the garlic, stir and cook another minute. (Reduce heat to medium low if pot too hot)
    Adding minced garlic to tender onions
  • Then add beets, carrots with 1/4 cup water.
    Adding carrots and beets to dutch oven
  • Stir to combine, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
  • Now add the the cabbage, broth, remaining water, tomato paste, sugar, bay leaves, salt, pepper and return to a boil.
    Adding cabbage, tomato sauce, bay leaves to pot
  • Once it starts boiling, reduce heat and simmer covered this time for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Now, add the potatoes, return to a boil, cover and simmer for another hour, stirring occasionally. (If the soup is too thick for your liking you can add more liquid, but I think it's great thick and chunky)
  • Once the potatoes are knife tender and cabbage fully cooked and tender, turn off the burner.
  • Lastly, add the dill along with 2 Tbsp of lemon juice. Adjust salt and pepper at this point as well. If you like the soup a little tangier add another Tbsp of lemon juice or add a squeeze to each bowl you serve. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
    Adding fresh chopped dill and lemon juice as last step in borscht cook
  • Enjoy!! Priyatnovo Appettita!
    Big full ladle of borscht over big pot of borscht

Notes

Ideally served with a dollop of real sour cream (Optional for those not eating dairy), maybe a little fresh dill or even a squeeze of lemon juice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 97kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 349mg | Potassium: 482mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2876IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg