Cold borscht

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Ukrainian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Keyword: cold beet soup, cold borscht, cold borscht recipe, summer borscht

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 40

Chilling time: 30

Total Time: 1 15

Servings: people as a main, 8 as an appetizer in small glasses

Calories: 162kcal

Cold borscht, also called summer borscht, is a Ukrainian cold beet soup. It's very easy to make and incredibly refreshing!

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Equipment

Ingredients

2 medium beets about 14 ounces
2 Persian cucumbers
3 radishes
¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill plus more for garnish
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley plus more for garnish
3 cups plain kefir
½ teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil for garnish
plain yogurt optional topping
hard boiled eggs optional topping

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Instructions

Add the beets to a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 30 to 40 minutes until they are fork tender. Remove from the water and set aside to cool.
Slice half of the cucumbers and radishes thinly into round coins, and slice the other half into matchsticks. Keep the coins and the matchsticks separated.
Chop the herbs finely.
Once the beets are cool enough to handle, peel them, then grate them on the large holes of a box grater.
Pour the kefir into a large mixing bowl. Add the grated beets, the cucumbers and radishes that have been sliced into matchsticks, the chopped herbs, salt, and pepper. Stir until all ingredients are combined.
Chill for 30 minutes or longer before serving. To serve, top with the thin round slices of cucumbers and radishes, more fresh dill and parsley, a dollop of yogurt, and a drizzle of olive oil. If desired, add half a hard-boiled egg on top too.

Notes

Cold borscht will deepen in color the longer it is chilled. It's perfectly fine to go ahead and enjoy it after it chills for 30 minutes. But if you want the gorgeous hot pink color, let it chill overnight. I also think it tastes better when chilled overnight because the kefir has time to absorb all of the sweetness of the beets and the freshness of the herbs.
If you want, you can cut all of the cucumbers and radishes into rounds instead of matchsticks to add to the soup. I prefer the texture and mouth feel of the matchsticks because they are the same size as the grated beets.

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Nutrition