If you’ve been avoiding beets due to unpleasant childhood memories, we implore you to reconsider and try this sweet but hearty soup. It’s inexpensive, delicious, easy to make, and your kitchen will smell amazing! (Note: to make this 100% vegan AIP friendly simply omit the tomato paste and potato.)

Our borscht recipe features a robust version of the traditional soup, with red cabbage, potatoes, and carrots added. The result is a meal that you’ll want to make again and again. Chock-full of vitamins, and packed with flavor! For a yummy vegan AIP version, just switch out a sweet potato for the potato and omit the tomato paste!

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium beets, diced (you can peel the skins or leave them on. We like to leave them on. More nutritious that way).
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups vegetable broth (check labels to make sure there is no gluten, such as added soy sauce).
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups finely chopped red cabbage
1 medium russet potato, chopped
2 teaspoons nutritional (brewer’s) yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped dill
salt and pepper to taste

TOPPINGS
additional chopped dill
chopped parsley
chopped chives
vegan sour cream

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat olive oil in a large soup pan. Pour in beets, carrots, and onions and saute at medium heat for about ten minutes. Add the chopped garlic and simmer for a minute or two more. Inhale the delicious aroma!

Stir in the vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, cabbage, and potato. Raise the heat and bring your mixture to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer your concoction, uncovered, for about half an hour. You should be able to easily stick a fork into any of the vegetables. But please don’t overcook — you don’t want your soup to be mushy!

Remove the soup from the burner and stir in the lemon juice and chopped dill. Pour into bowls immediately and serve with your favorite toppings. We used a mixture of vegan sour cream, additional chopped dill, and chopped parsley. Though we searched high and low for chives, our store was out of them. Still, they’re highly recommended for this dish.

Serves 4-6 hungry guests. You can serve the soup alone, or pair it with a salad and/or a loaf of gluten-free bread. Leftovers should be covered securely and stored in your refrigerator. This soup tastes even better reheated after a day or two! It should be gone by then, but will keep for up to four days. If you double the recipe, you can stash some in your freezer for later. Enjoy this winter dish, and do your best to stay warm out there!

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