Simple Vegetarian Borscht Soup Recipe

Vegetarian borscht is a delicious, hearty soup popular in Poland and other East European countries.  It contains a mixture of fresh and pickled beets, white beans and potatoes. It’s sweet and tangy, full of goodness and delicious!

If there is one soup I really crave once in a while and, as a result, make more often than any other soup it’s vegetarian borscht.

Vegetarian borscht ticks so many boxes for me! It’s easy to make, healthy, hearty and filling and contains one of my favourite vegetables – beetroot.  And I absolutely love the colour!

Back in December I posted a recipe for Polish Christmas Eve Borscht, which is essentially a simplified version of this vegetarian borscht. (Plus it contains porcini mushrooms, absent in this recipe, and is served without any vegetables in it).

In this vegetarian borscht soup recipe I tried to recreate the flavour I remember from my childhood (in Poland).  Not every borscht recipe is the same, which is no surprise. People have their own preferences as to flavour and texture, often based on where they come from or childhood memories.  This for me is a good thing as it shows what an adaptable and versatile vegetable beetroot is.

What goes into vegetarian borscht

Apart from the beets this soup also contains potatoes and white beans.  Some recipes also call for shredded cabbage though I omitted it in this recipe.  The most popular herb in a borscht recipe tends to be dill which I also used in my soup.

This kind of chunky borscht/barszcz in Poland is also known as ‘Ukrainian barszcz‘.

Despite there being such a variety of borscht recipes, they all have 2 things in common.  In addition to having beetroot as their main ingredient (rather obvious) they all contain an ingredient that adds sour, sharp notes to the soup.

While some recipes call for sour cream or yogurt, usually added once the soup has been cooked, others use vinegar, lemon, sauerkraut or pickled beetroot, which are usually added during cooking.

I like my borscht quite sharp and without the added calories of  sour cream so I chose the pickled beetroot route (plus a little vinegar).  You can add either homemade or shop-bought pickled beetroot (along with some of the brine).

I also added a little soy sauce for more richness and depth of flavour.

Equipment you’ll need

• Kitchen scale/measuring cup
• Vegetable peeler and grater
• Chopping board and knife
• Large pot with lid and large spoon
• Plate or bowl
• Rubber gloves for handling beetroot (highly recommended)

How to make simple vegetarian borscht recipe: step-by-step

1.Start by frying the onion, garlic and celery in a little oil.

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2. Add the beans, quartered beets, half of the stock, cover and bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.

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3. Carefully remove the beets from the soup and set aside for a few minutes to cool.

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4. Add the cubed potatoes, grated pickled beetroot, brine, vinegar and soy sauce into the soup and continue cooking for 15 minutes.

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5. In the meantime coarsely grate the beets, put back into the soup, add the remaining stock, dill and continue cooking for 20-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are fully cooked.  Remove from the heat, adjust the seasoning as necessary and serve.

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Top tips

• Preparation: I recommend using rubber gloves when handling the beetroot or you’ll end up having red hands for a couple of days!
• Seasoning: Make this soup as sharp, tangy and sweet as you like by adjusting the amounts of vinegar, soy sauce and seasoning according to your preference.
• Serving suggestions: Enjoy with a slice of rye or pumpernickel bread, with a dollop of sour cream (this will add more tanginess to the soup) or simply on its own.
• Storing: This soup tastes even better the next day.  Keep refrigerated for up to 4 days.
• Freeze individual portions for up to 3 months.

Other beet soup recipes

I have published a few other beet soup recipes.  This Polish Christmas Eve Borscht is also easy to make and vegetarian.  This Beetroot Summer Soup (Chlodnik) is served chilled, making a refreshing, delicious lunch idea perfect to enjoy on a hot day. Beet greens vegetable soup is another type of borscht, made using beet greens.  You may also like creamy beetroot soup with kale and fennel.

Check out also this collection of over 12 creamy vegan soups.

Keep in touch!

If you make this simple borscht recipe I’d love to know how it turned out for you.  Do you have a favourite borscht soup recipe? Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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Simple Vegetarian Borscht Recipe

This simple vegetarian borscht recipe is a delicious, hearty soup popular in Poland and other Eastern European countries as well as Russia.

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Course: Lunch, Soup

Cuisine: East European, Polish

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 151kcal

Author: Monika Dabrowski

Ingredients

• 3 medium beets peeled, cut into quarters
• 150 g pickled beets, coarsely grated
• 80 ml brine from the pickled beets
• 3 medium potatoes peeled, cubed
• 250 g canned cannelloni beans rinsed, drained weight
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 small celery stalk finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp dill finely chopped
• 1.5-1.65 ml hot vegetable stock (6.5-7 cups) from a cube
• 2 tbsp cider/wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• In a large pot heat up the oil, add the onion, garlic and celery and cook over a medium heat for 3 minutes stirring often.
• Add the beans and raw quartered beets, 1/2 the vegetable stock, cover and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
• In the meantime, peel and cube the potatoes. After the soup has been cooking for 15 minutes carefully take out the beetroot pieces and put on a plate to cool a little.
• Add the potatoes, grated pickled beetroot and brine, into the soup, cover and continue cooking for 20 minutes.
• In the meantime coarsely grate the beetroot (use rubber gloves if you are grating them by hand), then put it back into the soup, add the remaining stock, dill, vinegar and soy sauce, cover and bring to the boil again. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and continue cooking for 20-30 more minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Remove from the heat, adjust the seasoning and serve.

Notes

• Preparation: I recommend using rubber gloves when handling the beetroot or you'll end up having red hands for a couple of days!
• Seasoning: Make this soup as sharp, tangy and sweet as you like by adjusting the amounts of vinegar, soy sauce and seasoning according to your preference. 
• Serving suggestions: Enjoy with a slice of rye or pumpernickel bread, with a dollop of sour cream (this will add more tanginess to the soup) or simply on its own.
• Storing: This soup tastes even better the next day.  Keep refrigerated for up to 4 days.
• Freeze individual portions for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 151kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 447mg | Potassium: 614mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 18IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 4mg

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