I love a nice bowl of borsch - Russian beet soup! It brings me back to my childhood days in Russia and my grandma’s cooking. It was a staple in my house growing up, grandma cooked borsch on a weekly basis, loaded with cabbage, beets and carrots; garnished with parsley, dill and sour cream.

I’ve tried to make borsch a number of times and it’s not always easy. It’s one of these recipes that you have to try a few times to get it right. The quantity and quality of ingredients is really important. As a health and wellness coach, I try to cook lean and healthy. Russian food is often the opposite of my cooking style. However, I have discovered some ways to cook this soup without many additives and make it as ‘clean’ as possible. Here’s my recipe for a healthy bowl of borsch aka - labor of love soup.

Here’s what you will need for the base - beef shank bone broth:

2 bay leaves
5 peppercorns
1 beef shank (ossobucco) sold as an individual package
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt ( I don’t like very salty broths, but if you do, then you can add more)
1/2 onion
3 carrots
3 celery stalks
1 parsnip

Here’s how to make it:

Put the beef shank (ossobucco) in a pot and fill it up with 2 L of water. Add salt and heat it up on Medium High for 10-15 min until it boils.
Once it starts to boil, remove the scum and fat from the broth and decrease the temperature to Low.
Let it simmer/boil on low for about 30 minutes (set a timer if need be) - you want to make sure there are still bubbles - that means the broth is boiling. If there are no bubbles, increase the temperature.
While the meat is cooking, prep the veggies for the broth:
1. Wash and cut 1/2 onion. Peel the outer layer and set aside.
2. Wash and peel 3 medium size carrots. side aside.
3. Wash and slice in half 3 celery stalks and set aside.
4. Wash and peel the parsnip. Set aside.
When the 30 minutes are up, check on your meat. If the meat is floating at the top, it means it’s time to add all the veggies! If not, then wait until it rises to the top.
Once you add all the veggies, add salt, bayleaves, peppercorn and you can also add garlic seasoning.
Cover it with a lid and let it simmer on low for another 30 minutes until all vegetables cook through.
Check on your stock throughout the 30 minutes - taste to see if it needs any more salt and add as needed.
At the last 5 minutes, add a few strands of dill and parsley. It will give the broth a really nice aroma.
Once the broth is ready, turn off the stove. Take out the parsley, all vegetables and the meat. Set it aside.

Borsch Recipe:

It’s time to roll up your sleeves, put on an apron, and gloves (the beets will stain your hands!), and get to work! Here’s what you will need for the borsch. Be mindful of the ingredients because a lot of these vegetables have sugar and color - so you will need the right proportions!

For the mirepoix:

1/4 of a large cabbage - wash and slice. Set aside in a large bowl.
3-4 medium potatoes (or 7-8 small potatoes) - wash, peel and cut in quarters. Set aside in a bowl of cold water.
1/2 of an onion (wash and peel the first layer) diced in small cubes. Set aside in a small bowl.
2 small carrots - wash, peel and grate. Grate over a big plate.
2 larger beets - wash, peel, and grate. Grate over a big plate, same plate as carrots.
2 celery stalks - wash and dice up the celery
Chop up some freshly washed parsley and dill. Set it aside in a small bowl.

Borsch soup recipe:

Place the pot of broth on the stove, add the potatoes (minus the water) and heat it up until boiling point. Once it boils, reduce temperature to low and let it simmer
While the potatoes are boiling in the broth, you will cook the vegetables on a skillet for about 20 minutes.
Heat up some avocado oil on a large skillet, and add the onions. I prefer to use avocado oil because it is great for high heat!
Sautee the onions until they are caramelized - adding some salt and pepper. Continue to sautee for about 4-5 minutes.
Once the onions look like they are almost cooked (they should have some sizzle!), add in the sliced cabbage. Sautee and mix for another 3 minutes. Add more avocado oil as needed and salt.
Add in the celery and continue to sautee for another 3-4 minutes
Add in the grated carrots and beet mix and sautee everything together for another 8-10 minutes, adding salt, pepper and other seasoning as needed.

Once the 20 minutes are up, add in the sautéed mirepoix to the stock. Increase the temperature and let it reach a boiling point. Once that happens, reduce to simmer.

Let the soup cook on simmer for about 15-20 minutes, ensuring all the vegetables and properly cooked through. Add 2-3 bay leaves, and salt according to taste. I like my soups slightly under salted but others like a lot of salt. If you under salt it - then you will taste the sweetness of the beets. If you don’t like that, then you will need to add more salt. Some recipes call for 1 tablespoon of salt - so you can season at your own discretion.

Russian Borsch Soup