I had this beet soup at my friend Swati’s home back in December when we went for Christmas Eve dinner. Swati had wanted to make a red-themed dinner and on the menu was  beet soup, beet salad, vegetarian lasagna, mushroom quiche, and fondue with homemade bread for appetizers.

I had never had beet soup until this evening. I’m not a big fan of beets and yet I liked this soup. Swati called it Russian Borscht soup.

I asked Swati for her borscht soup recipe and this is what she shared. It seemed simple enough and I thought I would try making the soup at home. I modified the recipe slightly to add some garlic and sage.

Swati’s Borscht Beet Soup:
makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 large beets
• 2 medium red skin potatoes
• 1 large red onion
• 4 cloves garlic crushed
• 4 sage leaves
• 3 tomatoes finely chopped
• 1 cup shredded red cabbage
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Sour cream

Directions:

• Peel beets, potatoes and onions, and cut them into quarters. In a pressure cooker, cook beets, potatoes, and onion all together until tender.
• Blend all the cooked vegetables and chopped fresh tomatoes in blender. Add 1-cup water as needed to bring to a thick soup consistency.
• In a large pot heat 1 tbsp olive oil and sauté garlic until tender. Add sage leaves and pureed beet vegetables. Add salt and pepper and 2 cups broth. Cook for additional 20-30 minutes adding more broth as needed for a soup consistency that you want.
• Add juice of 1 lemon and chopped red cabbage and stir-in. Soup is ready.
• Serve warm with dollop of sour cream.

With Valentine’s Day coming up, why not try making beet soup or borscht as part of a red-themed dinner option ❤️.