Vegan Borscht, delicious & rich, with wine pairing
I love vegan Borscht on a cold winters day! A Super healthy warmer.
Borscht is a soup that originated from the Ukraine region. There are many variations in Russia and Poland. Traditionally the soup is made with a bone stock, but for this one we use a vegetable stock.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Borscht is a sour soup. The most common and world wide best known Borscht is the beetroot soup. But a Borscht can be made with other ingredients too, like sorrel (green Borscht), rye, or white cabbage (white Borscht). In this post I will be talking about the beautiful coloured Red Beetroot Borscht.
🥘 Main ingredients
- Beetroots
- Red cabbage
- carrots
- celery
- potato
- onion
- garlic
- dill
- apple cider vinegar
For the Vegan sour cream;
- Raw cashews
- lemon
- apple cider vinegar
The Base stock
A vegetable stock (preferably home made) can be used for this soup. I would suggest to use dried mushrooms or miso in your base-stock. As this will bring more depth, and add an umami flavour to the soup.
Vegan sour cream
Borscht is usually garnished with a good amount of sour cream. So in this recipe I have included my favourite Vegan sour cream. Which I use in other recipes, like topped on a baked potato, or added to my favourite sandwiches. It is always a handy tasty dip / spread to have ready in the fridge. Even though in my fridge it never really lasts long.
🥣 Variations
There are so many variations of Borscht nowadays that you can make up pretty much your own personal favourite. Obviously if you want to make the red Borscht soup, Beetroots will be the main ingredient. But other vegetable to choose from, include;
- white cabbage
- swede
- turnip
- beans
- tart apples
- celeriac
- bell peppers
💭The main thing to keep in mind, is that this soup should be a sour and earthy soup. So don’t leave out the acidity from the apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice. Otherwise it would simply not be a Borscht any more, but more a random vegetable soup. Which can be nice to 😉
🍷 Wine pairing
This is a soup with high acidity, which could only pair well with a high acidic wine. I tend to lean more towards the white wine with medium body to balance well with the more earthy flavours.
A French Pinot gris, or a Chenin blanc could fit well in this profile. Locally we have a wine made from the Colombard grape (Domaine Maels), which is high in acidity, while round with notes of peach, pear, and citrus. A very well textured wine which would pair beautiful with this Borscht.
📖 FAQ
I could almost call this soup a super booster. It is very healthy, and low in calories (depending how much vegan sour cream you use). Beetroots have an exceptional nutritional value. And are natural anti-oxidants.
Like almost all soups, this soup freezes beautifully. So definitely make this soup in big batches and freeze for later use. Freeze up to 3 months, keep in the fridge for 6 days. This information is regarding the soup, NOT the cashew sour cream. The cashew sour cream can last in the fridge for 3 – 4 days.
This soup is can be served as a full meal on its own with a large dollop of cashew sour cream, and garnished with dill. Or as a side you can serve a baked potato, Rye bread or eastern European style small dumplings like; Pierogi or pirozhki pastries.
Feeling excited to make this vegan Borscht? Let me know how it went in comments below, or add @haricoco1 to your instagram post. Any questions, tips or ideas always welcome!
📋 Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
- 3 large beets peeled and diced
- 2 small carrots peeled and diced
- 1 celery stick chopped finely
- 1/4 red or white cabbage shredded
- 1 large potato russet, peeled and diced
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 -3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 1250 ml (5 cups) home made vegetable stock
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons fresh dill chopped
- Salt and pepper
- Parsley or dill to garnish
For the cashew sour cream
- 170 grams raw cashews soaked overnight
- 100 ml (⅖cups) water
- 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Start with making the vegan sour cream, by combining all ingredients and blend until very smooth. Keep this cashew sour cream in the fridge for minimum 1 hour.
- Heat the oil in a large pot (preferable a heavy bottom cask iron pot) and sauté the chopped onions for 2 – 3 minutes.
- Add the chopped carrots, beets, and celery, and sauté them on medium heat together with the onions for 8 – 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and stir for 2 – 3 minutes, so it releases the flavours.
- Pour in the stock, add the potato, cabbage, and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer, and let it simmer for approx. 20 minutes. Until all the vegetable are tender.
- Add the 4 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (add more if you want it more sour) and sprinkle in the dill (keep some for garnish)
- Season with salt and pepper to your own liking.
- Serve the Borscht with a large dollop of the vegan sour cream and garnish with parsley or dill.
Notes
White Cabbage, celeriac, beans, or tart apples.
As a seasoning you can add an extra bit of acidity with fresh lemon juice. Personally I like to keep an equal balance between the earthiness from the beets and the acidity from the apple cider vinegar. But feel free to experiment and adjust.
