Roasted Vegetable Borscht, a traditional sweet and sour Ukrainian beet soup, is enhanced with roasted vegetables, caramelized onions and leeks, all wrapped up in a brightly-colored broth – incredibly healthy and tasty to boot!
I just can’t get over the color of this borscht soup, guys.
Beet soup. Borscht. Roasted Vegetable Borscht to be exact.
In the name of being open to new foods, don’t turn your nose up at this very tasty reddish-purple bowl of love – you might just like it as much as I do!
Being of Polish descent, I was raised very aware of what borscht was. I remember Nana making it a few times when I was younger, and I also remember wanting nothing to do with it.
It could have been the color, but I don’t know…at my age, it’s pretty enticing. I guess it could have been the texture, but I’m pretty sure it’s because the pigment in the beets turned my doodie red. (For the record – that’s totally normal. Sorry if that was a bit TMI!)
Yeah, that was it. Nothing better to traumatize a child against a food than making her think she’s dying because of it.
It’s said that your tastes change every ten years, and I suppose beets now fit into my list of acceptable second chance foods. Right there with avocados, mushrooms, and black coffee.
(Sorry olives. Maybe next decade.)
A good borscht starts with a good beetroot.
In the case of my take on it, I roasted the beets…along with some sweet potatoes and carrots. They are veggies that are already on the sweeter side, and roasting them really brought out some tasty flavors. This borscht recipe is a hybrid of both the Russian classic and Polish barszcz – and yet is somehow completely different.
A good borscht soup has a good balance of sweet and savory.
This pot has lots and lots of caramelized onions and leeks, and plenty of garlic to even out the candied veggie star.
A good borscht recipe has a sweet and sour bite.
Thyme, bay leaf, and red wine vinegar play well in the magenta pool and lend to a little lip-smacking.
A good Russian borscht doesn’t need a protein…unless you really want one.
This one is aaaaallll veggie and super healthy! It’s perfect for vegans and vegetarians, Meatless Monday, Paleo and Whole 30 dieters, Passover, Lent…or if you just need a night off from meat.
How to make Borscht:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil; scatter cubed beets, carrots, and sweet potatoes on lined pan and drizzle with 2 Tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss to cover evenly. Roast uncovered for 35-40 minutes, until fork tender. Remove from oven and set aside.
- In a dutch oven or heavy stockpot, melt butter over medium high heat. Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil, then add onions and leeks. Saute for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently until onions are translucent and leeks are sticky. Add garlic and cook another minute or so, until fragrant.
- Stir in vegetable broth, then roasted vegetables, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and add shredded cabbage. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until cabbage is tender.
- Add red wine vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with dollops of sour cream and chopped parsley or fresh dill. Borscht can be eaten hot or cold, and flavor deepens over time.
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Roasted Vegetable Borscht
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil separated
- 3 large beets scrubbed, peeled, and cubed
- 1 carrot sliced
- 1 large sweet potato peeled and cubed
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ large onion sliced
- 1 leek chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 8 cups vegetable stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cabbage shredded
- 3-4 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- Sour cream for garnish
- Parsley or dill for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil; scatter cubed beets, carrots, and sweet potatoes on lined pan and drizzle with 2 Tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss to cover evenly. Roast uncovered for 35-40 minutes, until fork tender. Remove from oven and set aside.
- In a dutch oven or heavy stockpot, melt butter over medium high heat. Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil, then add onions and leeks. Saute for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently until onions are translucent and leeks are sticky. Add garlic and cook another minute or so, until fragrant.
- Stir in vegetable broth, then roasted vegetables, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and add shredded cabbage. Simmer 15-20 minutes, until cabbage is tender.
- Add red wine vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with dollops of sour cream and chopped parsley or fresh dill. Borscht can be eaten hot or cold, and flavor deepens over time.
Nichole says
This is such a gorgeous dish!! I never knew that about food tastes changing every ten years – but that makes sense, because obviously my tastes have changed so much for the better!
Kitty says
Gorgeous soup!
Gwen @simplyhealthyfamily says
You had me at sweet and sour!!! That color is out of control gorgeous!
Cindy Kerschner says
I had borscht once years ago and I loved it. Thanks for this recipe!!
Liz says
Your borscht is gorgeous—I love that you kept chunks of beets instead of pureeing it all. Yum!!!
Sarah E. says
I love the color of this borscht and will totally risk weird BM colors to eat it LOL. I might even be able to convince my kids to eat it if it does weird things since the only reason they eat beans is because I told them it would make them fart 😛 But in all seriousness, it looks like an incredible dish and I love beets!
Lauren @ Sew You Think You Can Cook says
What a fun fact about tastebuds! (And I don’t think olives will ever make the cut. hehe) Maybe that’s why my husband started eating salads in his 20s. 😉
Your borscht is beautiful. A Polish version has been on my to-make list for a while now.
Christie says
Borscht has such a fond food memory for me. I remember sitting in a Ukrainian restaurant in Winnepeg with my mom eating borscht, cabbage rolls, and pierogies. So good. This just brings back those memories. I can’t wait to make it.
Sue Lau says
I love the color of this soup!
Linda S. says
My first time using beets and followed the recipe. Was so impressed with the ease to make the remarkable and impressive soup. Mine does not look like the photo but a wonderful layering of flavors. My soup had more cabbage than photo shows. Going forward will either use less cabbage or cut in smaller pieces instead of shredded. Will make this again as realize I like beets!!!!
Erica says
Hello Linda! Thanks so much for the feedback – this was the recipe that made me realize I like beets, too! So happy you enjoyed it!