Borscht soup recipe

This borscht soup recipe and cabbage borscht is packed with red beets, onions, cabbage, and white beans, perfect for a cold winter night. An award-winning food writer and cookbook author, Molly Watson has created more than 1,000 recipes focused on local, seasonal ingredients. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.

This recipe makes enough for a crowd but also freezes extremely well and is a treat to pull out of the freezer and heat up after a long day’s work. It is particularly satisfying to devour on a snowy or rainy night. Enjoy it with some homemade rye or pumpernickel bread, perfect for dipping chunks into the soup. Put beans in a large pot and add cold water to cover generously. Bring to a boil, cover, turn off heat, and let sit 1 hour. Drain and return beans to pot. Cover again with cold water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to keep a simmer, and cook until beans are tender to the bite, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 F. Wrap beets in a large sheet of aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet, and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes. Let beets sit until cool enough to handle. NOTE: Your fingers may get a little red, so wear gloves if you want to avoid stained hands.

In a large pot over medium-high heat add oil, onions, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, if using, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add cabbage, stir to combine, and cook, stirring occasionally, until cabbage wilts, 3 to 5 minutes. Add caraway seeds and grated beets. Add salt and lemon juice, if using, to taste.

Serve hot, with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream and a sprinkle of dill, if you like. You can also freeze this borscht soup in a freezer-safe container—making sure you leave some headspace—for up to two months. I don’t like this at all. Stone Soup is a European folk story in which hungry strangers convince the people of a town to each share a small amount of their food in order to make a meal that everyone enjoys, and exists as a moral regarding the value of sharing. Some travelers come to a village, carrying nothing more than an empty cooking pot. Upon their arrival, the villagers are unwilling to share any of their food stores with the very hungry travelers.