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Hot Ukrainian Borscht

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Dinner, Main Course – Ukrainian
By Adapted From Cook's Illustrated – Serves: 6-8
Prep Time: 20 Minutes – Cooking Time: ~30 Minutes – Total Time: ~50 Minutes

Super healthy, with vegetal and earthy flavors, this Hot Ukrainian Borscht is a great soup to kick off the new year!

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 small head of Green Cabbage, halved, cored and sliced crosswise into thin strips
  • 3 tsp. Kosher Salt, divided, plus more to taste
  • 8 cups Chicken Broth
  • 1/4 cup Grapeseed Oil
  • 1 Onion, diced fine
  • 8 oz. Beets, trimmed peeled and shredded, totaling 2 cups
  • 2 Carrots, peeled and shredded, totaling 1.5 cups
  • 1 6-oz. can of Tomato Paste
  • 1/3 cup Chopped Fresh Dill
  • 1 tbsp. Lemon Juice, plus more to taste

Instructions

1

Reserve 1/2 cup of the broth.

2

Get the rest of the broth set to boil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Once boiling, add the cubed Yukon Gold potatoes and the sliced cabbage with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Adjust heat to keep a simmer and cover and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 10 minutes.

3

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup of grapeseed oil over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and stir frequently until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

4

Then add the shredded carrots and beets. Stir to combine and season with another 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Stir frequently and cook until the veggies are softened, about 5 minutes.

5

Then add the 6-ounce can of tomato paste and work it into the veggies. Cook and stir until the tomato paste is fully incorporated, begins to look darker in color and forms a thick veggie mixture. About 2 minutes.

6

Now, use that 1/2 cup of reserved broth to deglaze the tomato paste veggie mixture. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Then cut the heat under the beets.

7

Uncover the simmering broth, potatoes and cabbage. The cabbage should be cooked down a bit and the potatoes should be fork tender. Now, carefully add the beet mixture to the broth and cabbage mix.

8

Stir in the beet mixture until it's fully incorporated. Cover again and let it simmer for another 5 minutes or so. Then stir in lemon juice, dill and another 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Stir well. Now, cut the heat and taste for seasoning.

9

Serve the borscht while hot and garnish with sour cream and more dill, if desired.

Notes

I started with adding the juice of half a lemon. I like my Borscht a bit more sour, so I added the juice of 1 whole lemon. So in total I have the juice of 1.5 lemons. Then I added another 2 teaspoons of kosher salt. Your's might be just to your liking before adding more seasoning. So be sure to taste before serving.