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Beef borscht soup in a white bowl topped with dollop of sour cream.

Classic Beef Borscht

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 171kcal
Author: Shinee
Nothing beats a bowl of wholesome borsch soup on a cold winter day. This classic beef borscht recipe features simple ingredients, classic method and authentic taste!
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Ingredients

For beef broth:

  • 1 lb (450g) beef cut into 1-inch cubes Note 1
  • 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt divided

For zajarka/mirepoix:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves pressed
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 2 medium beets
  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste Note 2

For soup:

  • 2 medium potatoes Yukon gold or russet
  • 2 celery ribs optional
  • 1/4 cabbage 2-3 cups chopped Note 3
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ¼ cup parsley or dill chopped
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Sour cream and bread for serving

Instructions

To make beef broth:

  • In a large pot (I use 5qt Dutch oven), add beef chunks, 10 cups of cold water and 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat, skimming off the scum for clearer broth. Then reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 45 minutes.

To prepare vegetables:

  • Meanwhile, wash and peel all the vegetables.
    Grate the carrots and one beet on a large box grater. And julienne the other beet. (I like the variation in texture, but you can grate them all or julienne all the carrots and beets by knife, if you want to.)
  • Cube the potatoes and slice celery into small pieces.
    Thinly slice the cabbage.
    Finely mince the onion.

To cook zajarka/mirepoix:

  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet (I use 12-inch skillet) over medium low heat.
  • Add onion, carrots and garlic and sauté until nice and fragrant. Then stir in beets and tomato paste and cook for 8 minutes, stirring frequently.

To make the soup:

  • Once the broth has been cooking for about 30 minutes, add potatoes, celery, cabbage and bay leaf. And continue to cook the soup until potatoes are tender.
  • Once the potatoes are cooked through, reduce the heat to medium low and stir in carrot and beet mixture along with freshly squeezed lemon juice into the soup.
  • Gently simmer the soup for 5 minutes and then add freshly ground black pepper, fresh parsley or dill.
  • Serve immediately with sour cream and bread.

Notes

Note 1: Choose beef soup bone, chuck roast, stew meat, or top sirloin beef.
Note 2: Tomato paste is key for depth of flavor. Some use ketchup too.
Note 3: You can use any variety of cabbage: green, purple, Napa. Although Napa cabbage isn’t traditional, I like how quick it cooks and its subtle texture.
Storing Tips:
Beef borscht stores well and only gets better with time. I usually divide the leftover soup into plastic soup containers.
- Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, take only the amount you’re serving and gently simmer on stovetop until heated through, or microwave for 2 minutes. (TIP: Repeated heating, or boiling the soup for too long, will cause the beet soup loose its bright color.)

Nutrition

Calories: 171kcal
Carbohydrates: 17g
Protein: 15g
Fat: 5g
Sugar: 5g
Sodium: 713mg