How to make rich and hearty traditional Borsch or beet soup!
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If you’ve never heard of the European dish, borsch, then you are missing out on a rich, flavorful, and hearty meal! Borsch, or beet soup, is a very popular dish in many Eastern European and northern Asian countries as it tastes like no other soup and is a very hearty meal. It gets its striking deep red color from beets, which are packed full of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals while being low in calories!
Lucky for me, borsch is actually one of my family’s favorite meals! This is a small miracle considering that in my household we are constantly debating over what’s for dinner. As my husband is a vegetarian and the kids and I are not, it can sometimes be hard to plan out dinners that cater to everyone’s needs. Usually, it ends up with me cooking two different dinners, one being vegetarian and one having lots of meat.
However, with this recipe, I can easily make separate batches of borsch. This is easily done by simply leaving out the meat while everything else cooks in the pressure cooker. Then, I scoop out a serving or two of the vegetarian borsch to set aside for my husband. I can then add the meat to the pressure cooker and let the remaining borsch cook for another 10 minutes on the saute setting. This method works perfectly for me every time!
Now traditionally, borsch can take a good 4-6 hours to prepare and cook. My own recipe, however, reduces this time to only 30 minutes! While I would love to have the time to slow cook this meal, I just don’t. My schedule stays consistently busy so I need quick dinners to keep me and my family on the go. My quick borsch recipe has allowed me to easily cook this scrumptious dish even with a busy schedule.
Whether you want a good, hearty bowl of soup to warm up and fill up with, or you just need another quick and easy dinner, my simple borsch recipe has got you covered! Ready for a healthy, hearty, and rich dinner? Then, let’s get started! Here’s how to make my quick and simple, Classic Borsch.
To make easy Borsch, all you need is: a pressure cooker, garlic press, beef, an onion, olive oil, carrots, potatoes, beets, cabbage, garlic cloves, bay leaves, salt, pepper, parsley or dill, sour cream, and cold water. First, turn the cooker on to saute. Brown the beef, then remove and drain it. Next, pour the oil into the cooker and saute the onions until soft. Then, add in the beef, the remaining veggies, and lastly, the cold water. Close and lock the lid of the cooker. Set to high, and set the cooking time for 10 minutes, or according to your cooker’s manual. Then, let the pressure relieve naturally for 5 minutes. Serve and garnish with sour cream and dill or parsley.
Easy Borsch Equipment
First, let’s talk about equipment. I don’t need much at all to make this scrumptious dish, just the help of 3 common kitchen tools. Here’s what I use to make quick and easy classic borsch:
Scrumptious Borsch Ingredients
Now let’s go over the delectable ingredients that make up this hearty and rich dish. This recipe consists of several fresh vegetables and scrumptious seasonings. Here’s what I use to make classic borsch:
- 1 lb Stew Beef
- 1 Yellow Onion– medium
- 4 tbsp Olive Oil
- 14 Cups Cold Water
- 3 Carrots– diced
- 3 Potatoes– peeled and diced
- 3 Beets– peeled and diced
- ½ Head of Green Cabbage– shredded
- 2 Cloves of Garlic– pressed
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Ground Pepper
- 2 Bay Leaves
- ¼ Cup Chopped Parsley or Dill
Garnishes:
How to Make Classic Borsch
Now it’s time for me to break down this easy borsch process for you! Thanks to my quick and easy version of this recipe, the whole meal can be prepared in about 30 minutes with minimal steps. Let’s get this dinner party going, here’s how to make a quick batch of borsch:
- First, turn the pressure cooker on and set it to saute. Brown the stew beef in the pressure cooker, then remove and drain the meat, if necessary.
- Next, pour the olive oil and onions into the pressure cooker, and saute the onions until soft, about 2 minutes.
- Then, add in the browned beef, carrots, potatoes, beets, cabbage, garlic, salt, bay leaves, pepper, and parsley (or dill). Add in the water last.
- Next, close and lock the lid of the pressure cooker. Set it to high pressure, and set the cooking time for 10 minutes, or according to your specific pressure cooker’s manual recommended cook time.
- After cooking, let the pressure relieve naturally for 5 minutes before opening the lid.
- Finally, spoon the Borsch into serving bowls and garnish with sour cream and dill or parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Storing Borsch
To store homemade Borsch: first, transfer the soup to an airtight container and label the date on the outside. Store the soup in the fridge for up to 5 days. To store soup in the freezer, transfer it to a large, freezer-safe Ziploc bag. Label the date on the outside of the bag and then freeze it flat for easy storage. This beet soup can be kept frozen for up to 3 months.
More soup recipes
Satisfyingly Easy Dinner Ideas
On the lookout for even more quick, easy, and filling meals to keep your family satisfied without having to spend all day in the kitchen? Then you are going to love some of my other simple dinner ideas:
- Macaroni Salad with Chicken
- Classic Meatloaf
- Quick Chicken Alfredo
- One-Pot Pasta
- Stuffed Peppers
- Stuffed Chili Peppers
- Split Pea Soup
- Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup
- Homemade Tomato Soup
- French Onion Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Homemade Croutons
- Easy Dinner Rolls
Classic Borsch
Ingredients
- 1 lb Stew Beef
- 1 Yellow Onion Medium
- 4 tbsp Olive Oil
- 14 Cups Cold Water
- 3 Carrots Diced
- 3 Potatoes Peeled and Diced
- 3 Beets Peeled and Diced
- ½ Head of Green Cabbage Shredded
- 2 Cloves of Garlic Pressed
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Ground Pepper
- 2 Bay Leaves
- ¼ Cup Chopped Parsley or Dill
Garnish
Instructions
- First, turn the pressure cooker on and set it to saute. Brown the stew beef in the pressure cooker, then remove and drain the meat, if necessary.
- Next, pour the olive oil and onions into the pressure cooker, and saute the onions until soft, about 2 minutes.
- Then, add in the browned beef, carrots, potatoes, beets, cabbage, garlic, salt, bay leaves, pepper, and parsley (or dill). Add in the water last.
- Next, close and lock the lid of the pressure cooker. Set it to high pressure, and set the cooking time for 10 minutes, or according to your specific pressure cooker’s manual recommended cook time.
- After cooking, let the pressure relieve naturally for 5 minutes before opening the lid.
- Finally, spoon the Borsch into serving bowls and garnish with sour cream and dill or parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
BORSCH BUT NOT BORSCHT!!!!! NO T!!!!!
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