Golden Beet Borscht

There are many variations of borscht… some have cabbage, some meat, but nearly all have beautiful red beets.

Until now.

Truthfully, I find the deep purplish-red color of traditional borscht absolutely stunning.  In spring and fall though, bright golden beets fill the markets, so I just couldn’t resist some golden beet borscht… something new and different.  Use any potato variety you have… baby reds, baby Dutch, or little purples will do the trick.  Flavored with a heap of fresh dill, this soup is delicious served cold, at room-temp, or hot right out of the pot.

I’ve been making borscht for years… my take on the classic Russian beet soup.

It’s a simple way I learned from watching my mom as a kid.  No frills, just veggies and herbs.  I posted a recipe a few years back on blog {see it HERE}.  That same one has remained a staple, with small tweaks and additions over the years.

While I love that deep red color, there’s something pretty about this golden hue, too.  It’s earthy, au natural…

This is a great make-ahead soup… make a batch, refrigerate or freeze it, then bust it out and reheat when you’re ready to use and hungry.  If you take that route, just reserve the fresh dill and toppings for the end… dill’s always better fresh.  Plus, this time of year, it’s easy to find all of these ingredients fresh in the markets.  I love it.  May as well take advantage.

Golden Beet Borscht: The Recipe

Serves 4

The Players

• 3 cups roughly chopped golden beets
• 2 cups chopped purple potatoes
• 1 ½ cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 cup chopped fresh dill, divided in half
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 tsp caraway seed (substitute fennel seed, if preferred)
• 3 cups chicken broth (how to make or where to buy broth made from pastured hens)
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, plus more to taste (get it HERE)
• 1/2 tsp salt, plus more as needed
• 1/2 tsp pepper, plus more as needed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• to garnish: plain Greek yogurt, crème freche, or sour cream and fresh dill sprigs

The How-To

Wash and peel the beets (save those greens for another use- they’re delicious and healthy!).

Roughly chop the beets into large bite-sized pieces. Chop the carrots, potatoes, celery, and onion and finely mince the garlic and dill.

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the beets, carrots, potatoes, celery, and onions, along with the salt and pepper. Stir and let cook for about 5 minutes, uncovered. Add the garlic and half of the dill. Cook for 5 minutes more. Add the chicken broth, water, bay leaves, caraway seed, and vinegar to the vegetables.

Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook the soup for about 30 minutes, until all vegetables are soft.

Using a potato masher, lightly mash the vegetables until you get the consistency you like (I like it fairly chunky).

Ladle into bowls, dollop crème freche or Greek yogurt over the top, and garnish with fresh dill sprigs.

That’s it… enjoy at room-temp, warm, or chilled!

Pin it