You will find yourself craving this wholesome beet, cabbage, and kidney bean borscht again and again. Beets are an incredibly healthy food, believed to build the blood according to Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine, and aiding in nitric oxide production, with the potential to enhance endurance in athletes!
All we are saying is give peace beets a chance
All we are saying is give peace beets a chance.
I think beets are one of those vegetables that people have a love/hate relationship with. Are you a beet lover? If you aren’t, I promise that this inventive borscht recipe will make one out of you yet!
I, for one, didn’t begin to enjoy beets until the ripe old age of 19. 😉 No matter your age, you will learn to enjoy the deep, earthy flavour of beets in this soup. The key to enjoying this beautiful root vegetable is preparing it properly. My two favourite preparation methods for beets are roasting or lightly simmering them in a soup, as I’ve done here! There’s something so visually pleasing about beet soup; it really does bring a smile to my face.
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Beets are also superfoods for athletes! Consuming beets raises levels of nitric oxide in the body, which in turn increases blood flow, improves lung function, and strengthens muscle contraction. Yet another reason to like them. 🙂
This borscht recipe is inspired by the one on the menu at Cafe Bliss, a vegan eatery in Victoria, British Columbia. I enjoyed many a steaming bowl while I lived there. Of course, beets play a starring role here, but so do potatoes, purple cabbage, and kidney beans! This soup is very easy to make, and it improves with age, making it the perfect recipe to make on the weekend and enjoy throughout the week.
I love to serve this nourishing borscht with avocado toast to turn it into a complete meal. It’s simple, healthy vegan eating at its best, and so comforting to come home to after a long day at school or work.
If you love this recipe, feel free to check out my creamy broccoli white bean soup and carrot, cauliflower, and lentil soup recipes, too!
If you enjoy this beet, cabbage, and kidney bean borscht, leave a comment and a rating below letting us know how you enjoyed it! And don’t forget to share a photo to Instagram with @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen. I love seeing your delicious recreations.
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Nourishing Beet, Cabbage, and Kidney Bean Borscht
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
You will find yourself craving this wholesome beet, cabbage, and kidney bean borscht again and again. Beets are an incredibly healthy food, believed to build the blood according to Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine, and aiding in nitric oxide production, with the potential to enhance endurance in athletes!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 medium cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ tsp each fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne
- 4 cups finely chopped peeled beets
- 3 heaping cups shredded red cabbage
- 2 cups finely chopped yellow potatoes
- 1 ½ cups cooked kidney beans
- 7 cups vegetable broth
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Garnish:
- Yogurt of choice
- Fresh dill
Instructions
- Warm the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper, the paprika, and the cayenne; stir to incorporate.
- Add the chopped beets, shredded cabbage, and potatoes, followed by the kidney beans and vegetable broth.
- Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes, or until beets and potatoes are fork tender and cabbage is soft.
- Finally, add the dill and apple cider vinegar. Remove from heat and garnish with yogurt and dill.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Soup
I hope your week is off to a great start! The next recipe that I’ll be sharing involves chocolate and pumpkin (surprise!), so stay tuned for that in a couple of days. 🙂
Angie says
These photos motivated me to give this recipe a try. It was amazing, so full of flavour, and easy to make. Thank you Up Beet.
Diana Reiss says
Just made this recipe for the first time…OMG!!! My husband and I LOVED IT!!!!
The only thing that we added were the beet tops (beet greenies) cut into small sections. We cooked them along with all the cut vegetables.
This is a very tasty and spirited borscht, due to the inclusion of the paprika and cayenne.
A perfect Lenten dish!!!!
Diana says
Just made this recipe for the first time…OMG!!! My husband and I LOVED IT!!!!
The only thing that we added were the beet tops (beet greenies) cut into small sections. We cooked them along with all the cut vegetables.
This is a very tasty and spirited borscht, due to the inclusion of the paprika and cayenne.
A perfect Lenten dish!!!!
Allison says
Hi Diana, that’s wonderful! I’m delighted to hear how much you and your family enjoyed the borscht!
Gail says
I made this for our family today and it was a huge hit. I tossed in some chopped beet greens at the end because I had them and they added nutrition. Lovely recipe. Thank you!
Allison says
That’s so good to hear! Glad it was enjoyed!