I love borscht - it's a very common soup here in Estonia! I made borscht last Monday, and again yesterday. I prefer mine meatless - beetroot soups have so much flavour on their own, I think.. I've already blogged about beetroot soups (borscht and otherwise) on my blog a few times, so I need to think twice from now on before posting another beet soup recipe :)

I'm so excited to discover this wonderful recipe featuring beets. I love beets and can't wait to taste this deed purply red soup. Thanks Elise and have a great day!

I only wish my family liked more of the things that I like. I would love to try this!! Maybe soon.

Wow! I grew up eating a big bowl of Borscht with a piping hot piroshki almost every weekend at a Russian campground my family belonged to (though we're not Russian ourselves). Alas, they stopped serving it about 7 years ago, and now we only get it a few times a year.
I met my husband and his family there, and have been filching recipes from them ever since. Unfortunately, no one in my husband's family eats beets, so my in-laws, and now my husband and I, make it without beets (I know - it's probably illegal in some Slavic regions!) Instead, we add a green pepper, tomato paste, and extra potatoes. It's a delicious version, but just not the same as with the beets.
This post was like being struck by a bolt of lightning! Just seeing that rich purple-red soup made my mouth water (literally) and brought up so many wonderful memories. I'll be home with my family this weekend - and thanks to your post, I'll be making borscht with as many beets as I can fit into the pot!

Coming from a Polish family, I can't wait to try this version of borscht! Also, instead of using red-wine vinegar try using some of the juice from a can of pickled beets! It's what my mother uses and it always comes out delectable.

That sounds delicious! Our nanny is from Georgia (Soviet) and gave me her recipe to try a couple weeks ago. Oh so delicious! Some differences between hers and your friend's recipe is that she grates the carrots and beets and, instead of dill, she likes to use fresh parsley and fresh cilantro. However, she says that in Georgia they LOVE fresh herbs and you could add a bunch of fresh dill, as well. Also, her recipe calls to use stewing beef and to boil the beef until nearly done and then use that broth as the broth for the soup. I'm not convinced on that aspect (tough beef), but regardless... what a soup!

You know, I'm of Russian and Hungarian heritage, and yet I've never tried borscht!! How bizarre is that? I'll have to give this a try...for my ancestors sake :).

I made this recipe last night, to the raves of my Ukrainian adopted girls. It was the best recipe I have found, as the others were lacking in, well, taste! This is rich, sweet and savory. I have added it to my "most excellent recipes" file!

Yum! This looks so tasty. I'm spending a year in Russia (I'm American), and I definitely agree with above commenters that there are as many recipes for borscht as there are Russians. Some people add tomatoes, some add bell peppers; some use pork, some beef, some no meat at all... and there's even a mysterious difference between Russian and Ukrainian borscht (or at least in the packets of ready-mixed spices and seasonings they sell here) that I haven't quite worked out.

Russians who have been to America love to tell me how our soups "just don't compare" to Russian ones (and for the most part, it's true - soup is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of Russian cuisine!), but I doubt even the best Russian home cook would find fault with yours!

One other common Russian beetroot recipe that I LOVE: a simple cold salad of chopped boiled beetroot, diced prunes, and chopped walnuts, usually topped with mayonnaise, sour cream, or oil (I like mine with oil and a touch of vinegar as well). It sounds a little weird, but it's great!

Thanks for bringing back wonderful memories! I first made borscht when I lived in the Russian-Eastern European Studies House (Slavianskii Dom) on the Stanford campus - and scorched it terribly. My attempts since have been much more successful and with this cold, blustery weather in Sacramento, it's time for another attempt! My 2 y.o. son just ate beets (chioggia) for the first time last night, so I think we're ready to introduce him to borscht. Plus the beets are looking mighty fine at the Saturday farmer's market...

I've just cooked a lovely pot of borscht yesterday:) What is a very important thing to do while cooking borscht is to make a "zazharka" - the fry-up. While the broth (or just water as you can make a vegetarian borscht) is heating up you need to saute in corn oil or lard finely chopped carrots and onion; then you mix in tomato paste or chopped fresh tomatoes and saute until the color of the oil is red. Same time: saute in oil or lard finely chopped beetroot; spray it with lemon juice so the color stays bright. Then the ingredients are recommended to be put in broth in the following direction: first - potatoes cut in cubes (30 minutes prior to the end of cooking). Then cabbages cut in stripes (20 minutes prior to end of cooking). Then goes the beetroot (15 minutes before end). Then - the "zazharka" (10 minutes before end). Then 5 minutes before end - several black peppers and a couple of laurel leafs. Then you leave the soup simmer for about 20 minutes. Then - you may eat it seasonned with sourcream and dill.

But it definitely gets better the day after))

And there definitely are a thousand ways to cook it:) And everyone will tell that the way he does is the one and only to do)

Does it matter if you use green or red cabbage?

I eat Borscht all the time- I went a bit nuts a few days ago and made 3 types of borscht- cold Lithuanian borscht, regular hot borscht like this one pictured here but we have our own recipe for it, and some green broscht. It was the first time I tried cold Lithuanian style borscht- it has yogurt/sour cream/ buttermilk type of base, is served cold with some egg on top. It's really good actually but requires constant seasoning to get it just right. I would love to see you try more Soviet/ Easter European recipes or your take on something like Herring Under Fur Coat.

Today I made a spring borscht, all the usual ingredients plus beet tops and apple. If you don't have the tops, add chard. Lovely.

Hi!I am actually making Borscht as I type and stumbled across your recipe version to see what differences my recipe may have from others. I make a beef stock using a beef sirloin roast (bone-in)with onions and chives plus 2 cups of beef stock and plenty of water (about 5 cups). When that is done I toss in shredded cabbage and diced potatoes while I prep the rest. Before I combine all the ingredients I sautee onions, beets, carrots, shredded celery (sometimes no celery)and tomatoes in sunflower oil for about 10 minutes. I add tomato paste (2 Tblsp.) and brown or regular sugar(1-2 Tblspn.) and cider vinegar (1 Tblsp). It softens the beets and forces the color into the other vegetables. I add fresh parsley for herbs, pepper, salt and finally garnish with the parsley and the sour cream when serving. Thanks for posting this! It is neat to see all the different ways of making borscht.

Nice recipe, but a few comments. Either roast or saute the vegetables beforehand--it really intensifies the flavors; potatoes cooked for 45 minutes will turn to mush, 20 min. is usually enough. My Russian grandmother also added parsnip or celery root, and a ham bone (a hamhock will do just as well). Borsch recipes can create a lot of conflict. I was born in the US (grandparents left after the Revolution), but was married to a "new" Russian. He hated my borsch, I hated his (mine was deep red, his was pink and mostly cabbage!), we had several heated arguments about this, and for the 6 years we were married never made it again.