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4.9 from 24 votes

Ukrainian Borscht

This version of borscht is hearty and slightly tart — and it seems to contain pretty much everything in a typical Eastern European produce aisle. Once made, borscht reheats well and will keep in the fridge for a week.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs 15 mins
Total Time
2 hrs 45 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 271 kcal
Course: Main Course , Soup , Lunch
Cuisine: Russian , Polish

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds venison cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 quart venison or beef stock
  • ½ ounce dried mushrooms
  • salt
  • 3 beets, about 1 pound
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 large carrot, cut into ¼-inch slices
  • 1 onion, sliced from root to tip
  • 1 large parsley root or parsnip, cut into ¼-inch slices
  • 1 small celery root, diced (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 large potato, peeled and diced
  • 1 head cabbage, roughly shredded (about 2 cups)
  • Juice of 2 lemons, or 2 to 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon chopped dill
  • black pepper
  • Sour cream for garnish

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  2. In a large Dutch oven or other heavy, lidded pot, just barely cover the venison with water and bring to a boil. Immediately turn off the heat, drain the water and reserve the venison. This removes any scum that might otherwise rise to the surface of your broth. Return the venison to the pot, add the stock and 1 quart of water. Bring to a gentle simmer and add salt to taste. Crumble the dried mushrooms into the soup, cover, and let it cook gently while you turn to the rest of the soup.
  3. As soon as you put the lid on the soup, move to the beets. Coat them in the oil and wrap loosely in foil. Roast in the oven for 1 hour to 90 minutes, until reasonably tender. Remove from the oven and let the beets cool enough to handle. (If you have latex gloves, put them on — beets stain.) Peel the beets and then shave them on a coarse box grater.
  4. Heat the butter in a sauté pan. When it’s hot, add the sliced onion and sauté over high heat until the edges brown, about 6 minutes. Drop the heat to medium-high and add the beets, carrot, celery and parsley root. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.
  5. Stir in the tomato paste, adding a ladle or two of the simmering soup to help blend everything and to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the sauté pan. Turn off the heat.
  6. When the venison is tender, add the diced potatoes to the soup pot and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the cabbage and simmer another 10 minutes. Add the contents of the sauté pan to the soup and cook another 5 minutes.
  7. When the potatoes are ready, add the lemon juice or vinegar, parsley, dill and a healthy grinding of black pepper. Serve with a dollop of sour cream in the middle of the soup.

Nutrition Information

Calories 271kcal (14%) Carbohydrates 31g (10%) Protein 26g (52%) Fat 6g (9%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Cholesterol 80mg (27%) Sodium 445mg (19%) Potassium 1328mg (38%) Fiber 8g (32%) Sugar 10g (20%) Vitamin A 1628IU (33%) Vitamin C 62mg (69%) Calcium 118mg (12%) Iron 5mg (28%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 271

% Daily Value*

Calories 271kcal 14%
Carbohydrates 31g 10%
Protein 26g 52%
Fat 6g 9%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 80mg 27%
Sodium 445mg 19%
Potassium 1328mg 28%
Fiber 8g 32%
Sugar 10g 20%
Vitamin A 1628IU 33%
Vitamin C 62mg 69%
Calcium 118mg 12%
Iron 5mg 28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.