I don’t know about you, but beet soup (also called borscht) isn’t the most appealing sounding meal. The name conjures an image of an old Russian grandmother trying to use a bumper-crop of beets. What I didn’t realize is that Borscht is an amazingly flavorful, nourishing, and delicious soup that’s easy to make and freezes like a dream.
Longtime readers know that I love beets. They’re sweet, inexpensive, easy to grow, and are an uncelebrated superfood. Beets are naturally high in nitrates which convert to nitric oxide. Beetroot juice increases levels of nitric oxide which has been shown to increase endurance, increase mitochondrial biogenesis, improve blood flow, lower blood pressure, and strengthen muscle contractions. Beets are great for blood and liver detoxification and their deep ruby-red color indicates sky-high levels of anti-inflammatory phytonutrients. If you get beets with the greens still intact, you can clean and sauté the greens with a little extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper, as an ultra-nutritious side.
The recipe below can be made vegan by using vegetable broth as a substitute for the chicken bone broth. Those of you struggling with gut-health issues should opt for the chicken bone broth version which will be healing for the gut. If you don’t have red miso paste on hand, brown miso will work just fine (but white miso is likely too mild to impart enough umami to balance the recipe). My favorite way to enjoy this borscht is with a large dark leafy greens salad drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette dressing, topped with pumpkin seeds and crumbled goat cheese. When I make a full pot of this soup we enjoy it for one or two meals while it’s freshly cooked, then I freeze the leftovers in appropriately sized portion(s) for a quick weeknight meal.
- 6 beets, medium
- 5 cups water
- 2 TBL coconut oil
- 1 yellow onion, medium
- ¼ head red cabbage, julienne (about 3 cups)
- 1 ½ tsp caraway seed, whole
- 1 TBL kosher salt
- 3 cups chicken bone broth or vegetable broth for a vegan option
- 2 TBL red miso paste
- 2 TBL apple cider vinegar
- Scrub the beets well to wash, trim off any dirty stems or portion of the beets and put in a small pan and cover with the 5 cups water. Bring to a boil, turn heat down and simmer. Cook until tender, about 45-60 minutes.
- Once they're cooked, separate the beets from the liquid. DO NOT discard liquid. Cool.
- Once cooled; purée beets with 2 cups of the beet liquid (the remaining liquid can be discarded
- at this point) Set aside.
- In a large stockpot add the coconut oil and heat on medium.
- Add diced onion, cabbage, salt and caraway. Sauté until the onions are translucent; about 7-8 minutes.
- Add the broth and beet purée and bring to a simmer. Simmer (covered) for 30 minutes.
- Add miso paste and apple cider vinegar.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
- Enjoy!