Borscht is a cultural phenomenon. Borscht is a soup or even a stew loaded with vegetables. It is packed with flavor, and due to its abundance of vegetables, it is rich in nutrients. The dish itself is an excellent option for both Vegan and Meat lovers alike. Classically, it is topped with sour cream and dill for garnish.
However, Greek yogurt, particularly Fage 0% sugar, fat, is a great alternative that provides a creamy texture to this without the added fat and calories. While I have always been intrigued by borscht, the mystique of it has kept me from partaking until now. This happens to be in the 3rd week of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
While many people are raising money, this particular California restaurant has piqued my interest, as they have raised funds for the Ukrainian people. Sonoma’s Bar and Bottle: Check out this article.
What is Borscht?
Vegetarian Borscht with Yogurt and Dil
In this recipe, I have prepared the components in a small dice format to make them more appealing to eat. Shredded vegetables serve some. Some folks may argue that the diced vegetables have no purpose in borscht. If you are one of those, you will not like this recipe.
I make the stock, a thickened broth, and separate it, keeping it to the side. To finish, I combine the remaining diced ingredients with salt, pepper, and additional dill, and sauté them until the vegetables are tender. I made a version with kielbasa and cubed it, then sautéed it with the vegetables and beans here.
Then, please place them in a bowl and add the thickened stock on top. Garnish with dill and either sour cream or fage 0% fat and sugar yogurt. (This provides for a creamy addition without the element of fat or sugar added)
How to make your Borscht Vegan
Borscht vegan? Borscht is an excellent vegan dish. The way borscht is made, it is layered with lots of flavors—the creamy richness of potato, onions, garlic, carrots, vinegar, and beets. I am always looking for vegan ideas that I can enjoy either as a vegan or with meat. This was an easy dish that appealed to both vegans and meat-eaters alike.
When I made this dish, I built the stock as a vegan. I used vegetable stock and made a potato stock, which also gave some body to the soup and creaminess. This also makes it more filling.
Once this was done, I blended some roasted beets directly into the thickened stock and then diluted it further with vegetable stock. There is still no meat in this dish at this point.
If you follow the recipe, I sauteed diced cabbage, onions, and potatoes until they were tender. I added chopped roasted beets and white navy beans. I seasoned it with salt, pepper, and more dill.
These items were placed in a bowl with the thickened stock on top, garnished with dill. Still delicious, you could also garnish with navy beans.
Borscht Hot or Cold?
#1 Best Borscht Recipe
Borscht here is served hot. The recipes that I have developed would not be served cold. A cold soup is typically served cold. The flavors need to be adjusted for serving it cold, and the soup should be tasted and adjusted accordingly. The flavor of a hot soup will not be the same when eaten cold.
The qualities and characteristics of a cold soup need to be built more boldly because heat typically enhances flavors. Borscht can be eaten as a cold soup. A Typical Cold Borscht soup would be fermented beet juice combined with cream or some form of yogurt, such as kefir, or blended Greek yogurt, served over cucumber, eggs, radishes, and green onions. Garnish with chives.
This pink creamy soup would have the classic sweet and sour flavors known with Borscht.
White Borscht
A white borscht doesn’t likely have beets in it. White borscht typically has a sour taste, likely due to the addition of vinegar or a similar ingredient. It is essential to understand that fermentation played a crucial role in food preparation before the advent of modern refrigeration. Some pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut were all the product of things starting to spoil and it was learned ways to make them enjoyable.
In white borscht, the soup will have a sour taste, which traditionally comes from a fermentation process used in the recipe creation. White borscht would likely feature a sour, enhanced broth served over meat, such as sausage, accompanied by vegetables, and possibly even hard-boiled eggs.
The broth would be either clear or cloudy. However, it wouldn’t contain beets as in a classic beet borscht.
Related Recipes
Borscht
Ingredients
Stock
- 6 oz onion peeled, diced
- 4 ea garlic cloves, peeled, minced
- 1 tbsp dill fresh, chopped fine
- 4 cups potato chef potatoes, peeled sliced or grated
- 2 cups beets roasted, peeled, sliced or raw shredded or grated
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 cups stock for vegan or vegetarian use vegetable base, for others: beef, pork or chicken work well
- 2½ oz cider vinegar
Auxiliary Elements (Items that go into the stock)
- 1 cup cabbage diced fine
- 1 cup carrots small dice
- 3 oz onion spanish or vidalia, peeled, small dice
- 1½ cups potato peeled, small dice, keep in water until needed
- 1 tbsp dill fresh, chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper fresh ground
- 15 oz beans navy beans
- 1 cup beet roasted wrapped in foil at 400 until fork tender 60 minutes or so, cooled, peeled, small dice
Meat
- 1 lb kielbasa cubed in 1/2 to 3/4 inch chunks
Garnish
- 1 each dill 1 small sprig of dill, per oz cup of soup
Dairy
- 8 tbsp Sour Cream You can use sour cream, for vegan don't use sour cream or ygurt Fage 0% yogurt works really well in this dish, adds a creamy texture without added fat
Instructions
Stock
- In a stockpot add onion, sliced potato, 1 oz oil, sautee for 5 minutes
- Add 4 cups of stock that you are using, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, simmer for 10 minutes
- Once potatoes are tender, blenderize with an immersion blender or add to blender or food processor, blend to smooth
- Add additional 4 cups of stock, add chopped dill,
- Add 2.5 oz cider vinegar to the sauce
- Add the sliced, cooked beets (if using shredded beets add to potatoes while cooking), and blenderize the mixture again, if using soon, keep hot
Auxiliary Elements
- Saute onions, cabbage, potatoes in saute pan for 5 – 10 minutes, until carrots and potatoes are tender. If Using cooked meat it should be added in this part of the recipe
- Add 1 Tbsp dill, salt, and pepper to taste, stir
- Once the above items are tender, add beans, and diced cooked beets
Garnish
- In a bowl place 6 oz of a hot vegetable mixture, top with 8 oz hot stock
- Garnish with 2 tablespoons Sour Cream, and a sprig of dill
