Borsch
Submitted by Zara
A hearty, full-scale borsch loaded with beef, bacon, kielbasa, beets, cabbage, potatoes, and navy beans. This is the real deal: slow-simmered, sweet-sour balanced, and crowned with sour cream. Feeds 10.
YIELD
10 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
40 minThis is not some dainty little cup of beet soup. This is the full production.
Beef and slab bacon simmer for over an hour with aromatics to build a rich, meaty broth. Fresh beets get boiled separately, then cut and added to the strained stock along with shredded cabbage, sliced leeks, potatoes, tomatoes, and chunks of kielbasa.
Navy beans soaked overnight add heft, and a clever trick with grated raw beets steeped in water gives the finished soup that vivid, deep ruby color.
A splash of vinegar and a few spoonfuls of sugar create the signature sweet-sour balance you can adjust to your own taste. A flour-and-butter paste stirred in at the end gives the broth just enough body.
Serve it in deep bowls over sliced meat with a generous dollop of sour cream on top.
Variations
- Meatless: Skip the beef, bacon, and kielbasa. Use vegetable broth and double the beans for a vegetarian version that still has substance.
- Pressure Cooker: The beef simmering step can be done in a pressure cooker to cut the time significantly.
Kitchen Tips
- Soak the beet liquid from the grated raw beets and add it at the very end. It gives the soup its signature crimson color without overcooking the beet flavor.
- The sweet-sour balance is personal. Start with the sugar and vinegar amounts listed, then taste and adjust.
- This soup tastes even better the next day once all those flavors have had time to deepen.
Ingredients
Directions
Cover beans with water and allow to soak overnight; cook until tender; drain; set aside.
Place beef, bacon and water in large soup pot; bring to a boil.
Skim fat from surface. Add bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic, parsley, carrot, celery, onion and salt.
Cover and simmer over low heat for about 1½ hours.
Scrub beets for soup and cook in boiling water until tender, about 45 minutes; drain and discard water; cool.
Peel and cut each beet into eighths.
Scrub small beets; grate; cover with water to soak.
Remove meat from soup; set aside.
Strain soup into another pot and add cooked beets, cabbage, leeks, potatoes, tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, beef and bacon.
Bring to a boil and simmer 45 minutes.
Cut kielbasa into chunks and add with navy beans to soup.
Simmer 20 minutes more.
Mix flour and butter together to form paste.
Stir into soup to thicken slightly.
Strain raw beets, saving liquid and discarding beets.
Add beet liquid to soup.
Additional sugar or vinegar may be added for sweeter or more sour flavor.
Slice meat and arrange in individual soup bowls.
Pour hot soup with vegetables over meat.
Garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.
Serves 10.
Comments