Vibrant Vegetarian Purple Borscht

Directions

1. Place the beets into a large pot and cover with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, 20 to 40 minutes. Meanwhile, place the tomatoes and tomato puree in a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the carrots, celery, tomato mixture, half of the dill, and the vegetable bouillon. Continue cooking and stirring until the carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Remove the beets from the cooking liquid and place them in the freezer in a bowl. Stir the mushroom mixture, potatoes, kidney beans, including the liquid, and 6 cups of water into the beet water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
4. Peel, then grate the chilled beets. Stir the beets, cabbage, and remaining dill into the soup. Cover and simmer until the cabbage is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and allow soup to rest for at least 2 hours. Bring soup to a boil, and serve hot with a dollop of sour cream.

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Reviews (6)

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11

RoseRover

Jul. 14, 2012

"I didn't add as much water as called for, also didn't read the directions carefully enough and chucked out the beet water AND the kidney bean juice. It still turned out deliciously purple. Very hearty..." See more and a great way to use up the veggies coming out of the garden right now. I didn't have cabbage, so I substituted kale. This recipe could easily be made vegan by using vegetable oil instead of butter and using a vegan sour cream substitute. UPDATE 14.7.2012 - my beet greens were still nice, so I threw those in too at the end with the kale. Everything was fresh from the garden except the mushrooms and beans, so no bouillion cube needed :)"

9

saraht23

Mar. 3, 2011

"If you have made Borscht the traditional way before just boiling the veggies I have to say that cooking the veggies in the dill makes a huge difference in the flavour of the soup. Skip the Boulioun It..." See more is not needed. I also skipped the kidney beans as I found that odd. I also used 4 cups of water instead of 6 when adding the second batch of water this made for a better flavour"

8

Tessa

Jan. 24, 2011

"fantastic beet soup. I used red cabbage instead and it was wonderful in color and taste...." See more"