The Art of Soups & Stews is a new monthly recipe column in which Best of Vegan contributor Devorah Bowen delves into her treasure trove of satisfying, comforting, cost-effective, and low-waste vegan soup and stew recipes. In today’s article, Devorah shares her recipe for vegan borscht.
Vegan Borscht
Borscht is a soup made primarily from beets, which gives it its gorgeous ruby color. Although it originates from Ukraine many Eastern & Central European countries (Russia, Poland, Romania etc) claim versions of their own. The variety of recipes with or without cabbage and meat are endless. They are as different as the people who make them. Coming from Polish & Russian ancestry, Borscht was something we had growing up and one of my earliest memories is of eating it. The beets give the soup a wonderfully earthy and sweet flavor. Served with boiled potatoes and vegan sour cream creating a delicious “pink” mixture of textures. If you love beets then this is right up your alley! This recipe serves 4.
What You’ll Need
- Water or Broth (I used a vegan beef-less broth)
- Red Beets
- a Carrot
- Onions
- Garlic
- Fresh Dill
- Cane Sugar
- Salt & Pepper
- Yellow Potatoes
- Vegan Sour Cream to serve
- Dark Pumpernickel Bread to serve
How to Make this Vegan Borscht
Step one: prepare the beets
Peel and cut the beets into smallish cubes. Set aside.
Step two: start sautéing the vegetables
Heat the oil in a large pot on medium heat, sauté the onion for about 4 minutes or until translucent. Add in the diced carrot and beets and continue to cook on medium low heat.
Step three: add the broth
Cook the vegetables for about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the garlic until it becomes fragrant about 2-3 minutes then cover with broth.
Step four: simmer
Cover the pot and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Add in the dill and sugar and continue cooking for another 20 -25 minutes or until all of the vegetables are tender.
Step five: prepare the potatoes
While the soup is cooking, prepare the boiled potatoes. Peel the potatoes and add them to cool water. Bring them to a boil until easily pierced with a fork, about 17-22 minutes (depending on the size of the potatoes). Drain and set aside.
Step six: serve and enjoy!
Once the borscht is ready, serve each bowl with boiled potato, vegan sour cream, fresh dill and dark rye or pumpernickel bread.
Vegan Borscht
Ingredients
- 4 cups 946 ml of Water or Broth (I used a vegan beef-less broth)
- 2 medium - 720 g Red Beets peeled and cubed
- 1 medium - 125 g Carrot peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup 160 g finely diced Onions
- 3 cloves of Garlic minced
- 2 Tbsp 30 g fresh Dill chopped
- 1-2 tsp 5-10 g Cane Sugar
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 4 Yellow Potatoes - small or medium sized
- Vegan Sour Cream to serve
- Dark Pumpernickel Bread to serve
Instructions
- 1. Peel and cut the beets into smallish cubes. Set aside.
- 2. Heat the oil in a large pot on medium heat, sauté the onion for about 4 minutes or until translucent. Add in the diced carrot and beets and continue to cook on medium low heat.
- 3. Cook the vegetables for about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the garlic until it becomes fragrant about 2-3 minutes then cover with broth.
- 4. Cover the pot and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Add in the dill and sugar and continue cooking for another 20 -25 minutes or until all of the vegetables are tender.
- 5. While the soup is cooking, prepare the boiled potatoes. Peel the potatoes and add them to cool water. Bring them to a boil until easily pierced with a fork, about 17-22 minutes (depending on the size of the potatoes). Drain and set aside.
- 6. Once the borscht is ready, serve each bowl with boiled potato, vegan sour cream, fresh dill and dark rye or pumpernickel bread.
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Recipe, text, and photography by Devorah Bowen.
If you loved this vegan borscht recipe, you might also like…
https://bestofvegan.com/all-about-the-veg-zero-waste-roasted-beet-salad/
This was so good! I’ll be making it again soon!