Ukrainian Red Borscht Soup Recipe

Great! I love cooking my beets with the skins on in the same water I'll use for the soup. After boiling them for about an hour, the skins come off easily and they're a breeze to chop or slice. Plus, it boosts the nutritional content of the soup!

I have tried this recipe twice and it is excellent! I have traveled to 23 countries, so trust me when I say this modified version is the way to go. I skipped the meat as it was too greasy for my taste, omitted the garlic as it wasn't necessary, and replaced the sugar with aged vinegar for a nice sweet touch. I also included a chicken bullion cube and a can of chicken stock, both fat-free, and used only half the amount of tomato paste. I loaded up on fresh dill for extra flavor. Cooking the onions in grape seed oil with its high burn rate was a game changer. By following these modifications, you can achieve culinary greatness and authentic Ukrainian taste.

I have been using this recipe for many years, and it brings back memories of the Borscht my Ukrainian family used to make. I made a few tweaks, like using ground hamburger instead of pork and substituting white vinegar with Dill pickle juice from the pickle jar. The addition of Dill pickle juice really elevates the flavor profile and adds a unique twist to the dish.

I am Ukrainian and have been preparing a unique meatless borscht for years following the traditional recipes passed down from my mother and grandmother. Firstly, the soup is known as "borsch" in Ukrainian. Secondly, we enhance the flavor with celery and parsley root, without adding any sugar. The borscht is left to steep for several hours before being reheated and served. And as for tomatoes? They have no place in our recipe.

Great base recipe! If you prefer a more robust broth like we do, I suggest doubling the water and adding 3 tablespoons of low-sodium organic beef bouillon. I used 1 pound of beef stew meat instead of pork, cut into bite-sized pieces. Everything else remains the same, except I sautéed the beef and veggies in olive oil for a light browning before adding them to the water. I also cut the veggies into bite-sized cubes for easier eating. The result was delicious!

I prepared this dish, but it didn't quite match up to my grandmother's version. I wasn't a fan of the shredded texture, which made it more like a stew than a soup due to the presence of tomato paste. The flavor was too overpoweringly tomato-based for my liking. In my second attempt, I omitted the paste, shredded only the beets for color, and found the result much more appealing. I also used homemade chicken stock and incorporated a tablespoon or two of chicken soup base, which enhanced the dish's overall taste.

Rewritten review: While this borsht recipe will suffice, it deviates from the traditional version as it is a family recipe. Normally, a traditional borsht would include the following steps: 1) Adding beans: Soak large beans for a day and then add them to the boiled ribs. 2) Cooking with ribs: Boil the ribs for half an hour before adding all other ingredients. 3) Adding sliced beets on a skillet, which enhances the taste. 4) Including 2-3 bay leaves 15 minutes before the borsht is done. For a vegetarian option: Instead of meat, you can add mushrooms or omit any protein, especially for fasting. The vegetarian version is also delicious. Serving suggestion: Toast a piece of bread on both sides in olive oil. Once it cools slightly, rub a clove of garlic on it, and sprinkle minced dill on top of the soup bowl.

I made several substitutions in this recipe due to lacking some ingredients. I reduced the amount of carrots from three to one, and increased the beets from three to four. I also added two tablespoons of heavy cream for added richness, which I highly recommend. To enhance the flavor, I added extra sugar until it tasted right. Instead of parsley, I used a mix of dried basil and fresh dill, which turned out to be delicious. As for the pork sausage, I replaced it with fried bacon crumbled over the top with sour cream as a garnish. These modifications made the soup turn out fantastic. Next time, I might slightly increase the carrots and stick with three beets.

I had an amazing experience trying Borscht for the first time! I cooked the beets for an hour, peeled and shredded them, using 4 beets for extra beet flavor. Some mentioned the broth lacked beet flavor, so I adjusted accordingly. Following a tip from a Ukrainian friend who never includes tomatoes in her Borscht, I omitted the tomato paste and tomatoes. I skipped the sugar based on recommendations and instead added 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a generous amount of fresh chopped dill at the end. Served with crusty garlic bread, this dish was simply fantastic!

This was my first experience trying borscht, and now I understand why it's beloved by so many. I was blown away by how delicious it turned out. I followed the recipe closely, with a couple of tweaks. I used six small russet potatoes instead of three because that was what I had on hand. I also used a whole 14.5-ounce can of tomatoes, including the liquid, instead of 8 ounces. I don't think this affected the flavor much, if at all. For the broth, I used 4 cups of water, 2 cups of chicken broth, and 2 cups of vegetable broth, which added depth to the dish. Don't skip the sour cream, fresh parsley, or dill - they really elevate the flavor. I seasoned the borscht with 1 teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of pepper, which worked perfectly for me. This recipe has earned a spot in my collection of favorites. It's truly one of the most delicious dishes I've ever tasted.

Great soup! I made a delicious gazpacho with a twist. I added cooked beets as chunks after blending, skipped the sugar, and included lemon zest and dill for extra flavor. Topped it off with Greek yogurt. I also sautéed the holy trinity to create a flavorful base and added a hot spot of paste for a hearty taste.

This is by far the best recipe I've tried. I absolutely adore this soup!

Excellent. Simple to prepare. Although it's a vegetarian recipe, I made a small modification by using chicken stock instead of water.

Fantastic winter meal. Very satisfying!

I am giving this recipe a 3-star rating, mainly because I didn't follow it exactly. In my family (we're Ukrainian), we never use tomatoes or tomato paste in our cooking. Instead, I used this recipe as a guide and made some changes to suit our preferences. We always use olive or avocado oil and butter instead of vegetable oil, and we prefer not to include sugar or meat in our dishes. For this soup, I used a combination of beets, onions, potatoes, garlic, celery, cabbage, carrots, chicken broth, and water. I also added some carrot and beet leaves, bay leaf, pepper, and a splash of apple cider vinegar. I let it simmer until the beets and potatoes were tender, and then added fresh dill about 5 minutes before serving. You can also top it with sour cream if desired. The result was absolutely delicious and reminded me of home-cooked meals from my childhood. Highly recommend giving this recipe a try!

I enhanced the flavor by adding half a bouillon cube and skipping the sugar. Opted for beef instead of pork and blended the soup. Extremely satisfying and tasty!

I opted not to include tomatoes, paste, or sugar in my borscht recipe as I prefer a savory taste over sweet. I also chose to skip the cabbage to fully enjoy the beet flavor without interference. Drawing inspiration from my Ukrainian and Polish grandmothers, who made deliciously simple borscht with just beets, dill, and stock, my own version includes chopped celery and red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar, and excludes meat. While I initially hesitated to begin with ground sausage, I decided to give it a try and found it to be a fantastic addition.

A fantastic recipe that resulted in a delicious meal perfect for a chilly day! I decided to enhance the flavors by adding a hint of vinegar, but otherwise stuck to the instructions.

Turned out just as delicious as the Ukrainian restaurant near my house.

I made this recipe for the first time a year ago and it was fantastic! It has a great flavor, is not too difficult to make, and my husband absolutely adores it.