The first post I ever published on Nutrition in the Kitch was borscht, my Baba’s Borscht. I have a huge sentimental attachment to this soup as some of my greatest memories are when our family would pack up into the minivan and venture on a 12-hour car ride through the Canadian prairies to visit my sweet little Baba (Ukrainian grandmother) in Manitoba during the summer. She would always make us this warm, cozy beet soup among many other amazing Ukranian dishes.
As a young child I actually wouldn’t have anything to do with it! Pink soup? No way. But, as I got a little older and into my teen years, I definitely developed a taste for beet soup. I couldn’t wait to visit Baba to give her a huge hug and enjoy her borscht. I also recognized the care and attention that my Baba put into her cooking, which made me love it even more.
It wasn’t until my early 20’s that I decided to attempt recreating her famous soup in my own kitchen. It took many tries, and many different variations to get it right, but I finally did it with Baba’s Borscht recipe! Every so often, I get a strong craving for borscht and will whip up a batch.
A few years later on the blog I decided to make a blended variation and this recipe was born (my post today is a much needed revamp of this recipe!). Anyone who has made it knows that beet soup can be a labor of love and does take a little more time, especially when it comes to washing and peeling beets. Hello red-stained hands! This blended version still contains all of the delicious flavours in my Baba’s soup, but takes out the grunt work with the use of pre-steamed packaged beets, and of course, the blender.
A simple combination of steamed beets, carrots, onion, garlic, dill, salt, pepper are the main components of the soup that get a quick sauté in a pan. Then everything goes in the blender and I add in the liquid ingredients, vegetable broth, almond milk, tomato paste, lemon juice and…pickle juice, the secret ingredient. I also sneak in a little coconut palm sugar to add a touch more sweetness to the soup.
A quick whirl in the blender and the result is a creamy, velvety, rich, deep red, tangy, and sweet beet soup that I’m sure my Baba would approve of (or at least I hope so!).
As for health benefits, the soup is packed with antioxidant and vitamin-rich beets, carrots, and onions, immune-boosting garlic, and bacteria-fighting dill. The flavour definitely gets even more rich after a day or two in the fridge so this is definitely a soup to make in batches so you can enjoy leftovers.
For this revamped version I also made Oh She Glows Vegan Cashew Sour Cream to top the soup and swirl in for that added creaminess!
This past week I made this blender beet soup for Justin and we enjoyed it with baked garlic sausage and locally made vegan perogies…even Hemsley was a fan! As I sat there and enjoyed my beet soup I thought about my Baba. While she’s no longer with us, I’m sure she was smiling down on us and is enjoying her own endless supply of borscht up there in the heavens!
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 cup diced onion (sweet or white onion works best)
- 2 cups steamed beets, diced (I used a store-bought package of pre-steamed beets to save time!)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup jarred pickle juice (optional, but so delicious to add it in!)
- 1¾ cups gluten free vegetable broth
- ½ tablespoon coconut palm sugar
- ¼ cup fresh chopped dill
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ cup Vegan Cashew Sour Cream (recipe here from Oh She Glows)
- Add oil to a large pan or wide soup pot and heat over medium.
- Add in onions, carrots, garlic, salt, and pepper and sautee until soft, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add in cooked beets, dill, tomato paste, and coconut sugar and stir until everything is heated through, about 7 minutes.
- Transfer mixture to blender, add in vegetable broth, lemon juice, pickle juice, and almond milk and blend on low, then slowly increase to high, and blend the soup until completely smooth.
- Divide soup between 4 or 5 large serving bowls and garnish with dill and 1 tablespoon of Vegan Cashew Sour Cream (or a dollop of non-dairy yogurt, sour cream, or greek yogurt).
Be sure to pin the photo below to save this delicious beet soup recipe for later, and of course share the love…Baba thanks you, haha!
Have a wonderful Sunday,
Christal // NITK
Yummy! I look forward to trying this version – recommended to me by an Edmontonian friend:) My first attempt at borscht this past week (with coconut milk and beet greens) was amazing. Now I’m afraid my next batch will never measure up;)
You’ve got to try this one for sure! It’s a great change from the regular texture of borscht doing it blended! Smooth and velvety!
I love Canadians !