It’s borscht! Hot pink, vegan, and way tastier than you remember. Trust me.
Dudes, beet soup is so good. You’re going to have to trust me on this. I know, I know, it just sounds so unappealing, and many people think the purple-pink vegetable tastes like dirt. But I’ve always been a fan of it and its neon color. Surely there’s a way to bring everyone over to the dark bright side, right?
A bit o history on our friend borscht. In old school Ukraine, beets were cheap and plentiful. So they were perfect with onions, carrots and vinegar, cooked down into a red soup and topped with sour cream. Variations included adding potatoes, cabbage, sugar and brisket (yessss).
You can buy borscht in a jar, but that stuff’s garbage. Make you own! It’s healthy, vegan, tasty, and neon. All my favorite things!
I went a little untraditional with my borscht. There are about as many ways to make it as there are consonants in the word. As in, a lot. You can go hot or cold. You can add meat, or not. Sweeten it up, or make it tart. (Hehe, tart.)
Since it’s January, and even freezing in Austin (what isss this), this version is hot. But as I discovered as the soup cooled during its photography session, it even tastes good cold. Score!
I went vegan (with this soup, not in real life. Like I said, brisket!!), with coconut milk as a thickener. That way you can pair it with a pastrami sandwich for the ultimate warming lunch. And I like to let the beets shine, along with mild leeks and a hint of honey for sweetness.
This certainly isn’t your Bubbe’s soup. It’s even brighter than the traditional version, puréed with a sweet swirl of coconut milk and topped with pickled red onions.
Borscht
Ingredients
- For borscht:
- 3 large beets washed, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium sweet potato I used a purple sweet potato, washed, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 medium carrots washed, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices
- 2 medium leeks washed week and cut into slices
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 lemon juiced
- ½ cup coconut milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Dill for garnish
- For quick-pickled red onions:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 medium red onion cut into slices
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Put beets on a piece of foil, drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and wrap in foil. Roast for about 30 minutes. Then add sweet potatoes and carrots and roast for 30 more minutes or until vegetables are fork tender.
- Meanwhile, make pickled onions by whisking together salt, sugar and vinegar in a medium bowl. Then add onion slices and mix together. Let onions sit for 1 hour.
- When vegetables are cooked, take a few pieces of cooked beets and small dice. Set aside for garnish.
- In a large stockpot, heat 1-tablespoon extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add leek slices and sauté until soft and slightly browned, about 5-7 minutes.
- Then add beets, sweet potato, carrots, water, apple cider vinegar, honey and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer, and puree with a an immersion blender or in a food processor. Return to the stockpot if you used a food processor. Temper hot borscht with coconut milk by adding a 1/4 cup of the borscht into the coconut milk a little at a time to bring it to temperature. Then whisk in the coconut milk and season borscht with salt and pepper to taste. Top portions of borscht with beets, pickled onions and dill.
Love it! Cannot wait to make it. I love beets just roasted with a little salt, pepper and a wee bit of garlic. Yum!!!
Thanks! I love beets in any form, really.
I’ve never made borscht but always wanted too because BEETS and PINK food. Yes yes yes. Looking forward to trying it out!
Totally!! This one is a little untraditional but tasty!
I’m curious to know what you would substitute for coconut milk if you weren’t making this vegan – would you use regular milk?
I like the coconut milk either way! You could use Greek yogurt too, I like that.
Same quantity of Greek yogurt as coconut milk? That is good since Greek yogurt is a staple in our house and we are kosher “milchiktarians.” But I see Greek yogurt as a sub for sour cream and dolloped on the top of the borscht. In your recipe I have a feeling you mean for the Greek yogurt to be mixed in (and perhaps still dolloped on top as well?) . Please confirm. Thank you.
COconut milk is richer than milk, so actually I’d probably use a mix of Greek yogurt for tang and a little cream too. I’d just add it to taste! A dollop on top would be great too. Enjoy!