I love the deep ruby color of this borsch! It’s so healthy and nutritious; packed with beans (protein), beets (iron), carrots (carotene), potatoes (vit C, potassium, Vit B6), cabbage (vit K, vit C, fiber, etc…), Can you tell I’m taking a nutrition class right now?? Hope you enjoy this recipe.
Ingredients
2large or 3 medium beetsthoroughly washed
2large or 3 medium potatoessliced into bite-sized pieces
4Tbspof cooking oil
1medium onionfinely diced
2carrotsgrated
1/2head of cabbagethinly sliced (see picture)
1can kidney beans with their juice
2bay leaves
10cupswater
6cupschicken broth
5Tbspketchup
4Tbsplemon juice
1/4tspfreshly ground pepper
1Tbspchopped dill
Instructions
Fill a large soup pot with 10 cups of water. Add 2 - 3 beets. Cover and boil for about 1 hour. Once you can smoothly pierce the beets with a butter knife, remove from the water and set aside to cool. Keep the water.
Slice 3 potatoes, add into the same water and boil 15-20 minutes.
Grate both carrots and dice one onion. Add 4 Tbsp of cooking oil to the skillet and saute vegetables until they are soft (7-10 minutes). Stir in ketchup when they are almost done cooking.
Meanwhile, thinly shred ½ a cabbage and add it to the soup pot when potatoes are half way done.
Next, peel and slice the beets into match sticks and add them back to the pot.
Add 6 cups chicken broth, lemon juice, pepper, bay leaves and can of kidney beans (with their juice) to the pot.
Add sauteed carrots and onion to the pot along with chopped dill.
Cook another 5-10 minutes, until the cabbage is done. Season to taste with salt and pepper. I usually don't have to add any unless I use low sodium broth.