A bowl of red borsch garnished with sour cream with a spoon beside it

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This borsch is packed with veggies and beats and is much faster to make than the classic borscht from 2010 and the even the simplified borsch that we posted last year. It’s also just as tasty (although the Mr. likes this version best).

My sister Tanya was excited to share this with me and I’m so glad she did. It’s brilliant and takes about 30 minutes to make (no that’s not a typo! 30 minutes!!).

There are 5 superfoods in this borsch: quinoa, beets, kale, onion (did you know onion was a superfood?), and beet greens (the greens from the stock of the beets). If you can’t find the beets with stems on; no worries, just use a little more kale. What makes these superfoods, you ask?

1. Quinoa: coined the “supergrain.” Quinoa has more protein than any other grain. This is our favorite lately. We cook it in our rice maker just like we would rice. We buy the organic quinoa at Costco; $10 for a large bag.

2. Kale, like other greens, has awesome nutritional benefits.

3. Beets: buy them with the greens intact which keep the beets fresh longer.

4. Beet Greens: One of the top 10 potassium foods! P.S. Organic beets tend to have the greens attached. Fred Meyer has good prices on organic beets. Mom’s garden has the best prices on organic beets. 😀

5. Onion: It might make you cry, but it helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure. It can also prevent cancer.

I’m totally watching a food documentary as I type this post. It makes me so glad that I made this borsch today and poured myself a bowl of superfood. I hope you love it like we do. My husband and son both approved!

Ingredients for Superfood Red Borsch:

12 cups reduced sodium chicken broth ( beef or veggie broth is ok)
1 medium or 1/2 large onion, peeled and cut in half (ends removed)
3 medium potatoes, sliced
1/4 cup quinoa
3 medium beets, peeled and grated
2 good handfuls of chopped kale leaves
2 bay leaves
3/4 cup sliced carrots
1 Tbsp Mrs. Dash
3 Tbsp ketchup
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
S&P to taste

Red Borsch_

How to Make Superfood Red Borsch:

1. Fill a large soup pot with 12 cups broth and place over medium/high heat (or use 12 cups water and 4 Tbsp Reduced Sodium Better than Bouillon paste; that’s what I use). Toss in the halved onion.

Red Borsch_-2

2. Bring to a simmer, then add the chopped potatoes, quinoa and carrots. Let cook 5 minutes.

Four photos of ingredients being cut for red borsch

3. Add grated beets (a food processor with a grater attachment makes this step a breeze and keeps fingers from turning purple), toss in a couple bay leaves, 2 large handfuls of chopped kale and the beet greens if you are using them. Stir to combine. Bring to a light boil and continue to cook uncovered 20 minutes. Your veggies should be soft when done. Discard the cooked onion halves if desired (you get all the onion flavor and people who don’t like onion won’t be bothered by it!)

Six photos, two of beets being cut up and added to a pot and four of kale

4. Add 1/2 Tbsp Lemon juice, 1 Tbsp Mrs Dash (or your favorite seasoning) and 3 Tbsp ketchup. Bring back to a boil and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste (I used 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper and 1 tsp sea salt. Serve with Sour cream or mayo 🙂

Two photos of a tablespoon of ketchup and one of Mrs. Dash

A close up of a bowl of superfood red borsch

Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

Easy Superfood Borsch Recipe

4.98 from 37 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
There are 5 superfoods in this borsch: quinoa, beets, kale, onion (did you know onion was a superfood?), and beet greens (the greens from the stock of the beets). If you can't find the beets with stems on; no worries, just use a little more kale.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 10 people
  • 12 cups reduced sodium chicken broth, beef or veggie broth is ok
  • 1 medium or 1/2 large onion, peeled and cut in half (ends removed)
  • 3 medium potatoes, sliced
  • 1/4 cup quinoa
  • 3 medium beets, peeled and grated
  • 2 good handfuls of chopped kale leaves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3/4 cup sliced carrots
  • 1 Tbsp Mrs. Dash
  • 3 Tbsp ketchup
  • 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • S&P to taste

Instructions

  • Fill a large soup pot with 12 cups broth and place over medium/high heat (or use 12 cups water and 4 Tbsp Reduced Sodium Better than Bouillon paste; that's what I use). Toss in the halved onion.
  • Bring to a simmer, then add the chopped potatoes, quinoa and carrots. Let cook 5 minutes.
  • Add grated beets, toss in a couple bay leaves, 2 large handfuls of chopped kale and the beet greens if you are using them. Stir to combine. Bring to a light boil and continue to cook uncovered 20 minutes. Your veggies should be soft when done. Discard the cooked onion halves if desired.
  • Add 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp Mrs Dash (or your favorite seasoning) and 3 Tbsp ketchup. Bring back to a boil and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste (I used 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper and 1 tsp sea salt. Serve with Sour cream or mayo 🙂

Nutrition Per Serving

123kcal Calories20g Carbs9g Protein2g Fat1g Saturated Fat159mg Sodium683mg Potassium3g Fiber4g Sugar1855IU Vitamin A13mg Vitamin C45mg Calcium3mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Easy Superfood Borsch Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
123
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
2
g
3
%
Saturated Fat
 
1
g
6
%
Sodium
 
159
mg
7
%
Potassium
 
683
mg
20
%
Carbohydrates
 
20
g
7
%
Fiber
 
3
g
13
%
Sugar
 
4
g
4
%
Protein
 
9
g
18
%
Vitamin A
 
1855
IU
37
%
Vitamin C
 
13
mg
16
%
Calcium
 
45
mg
5
%
Iron
 
3
mg
17
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Russian, Ukrainian
Keyword: Borscht, Superfood Borsch
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $
Calories: 123

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

Read more posts by Natasha

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • reksiklove
    April 29, 2023

    This variation of borsch is just perfect! It has perfect acidity (not always easy to get with borsh) and the use of the beet greens and kale gives it a novel twist.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      April 29, 2023

      So glad to her that! Thank you for the feedback. 🙂

      Reply

  • Terri
    May 25, 2022

    I do not like cooked greens of ANY kind, but I love borscht, so I figured what the heck, we’ll give it a try. I LOVE this soup! For anyone like me who has mouth feel issues with cooked greens, you won’t even notice them in here. Kale, beet greens, nope, no problem at all and the soup is delicious! It’s even a tad bit spicy which was bonus points for me (even though I added horseradish to it later)! I make pots of it to freeze so I have something tasty to look forward to on those days I drag in from work and don’t feel like cooking.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      May 25, 2022

      I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Terri!

      Reply

  • Kim
    March 2, 2022

    Delicious!! Best tasting borscht soup I’ve ever eaten. I used sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes and it added such a sweet, favorable taste!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      March 2, 2022

      Love it! Thanks for your awesome review, Kim.

      Reply

  • Ruth Cohen
    July 30, 2021

    Hi Natasha, I am looking for a vegetarian borscht recipe served cold with sour cream and is very simple no added veges other than beets and hot boiled potatoes on the side with butter and sour cream . I remember my mom saying something about vinegar, lemon juice or sour salt. I dont know what she used or if this was for her stuffed cabbage sauce. Still dont understand what these items do for the taste and which one and how much to use. A bay leaf could have been used but not sure and cant seem to recreate…PLEASE HELP..thank you

    Reply

  • Kelly Baraby
    November 22, 2020

    Hello Natasha, this was the closest recipe I could find to making a borscht I remember form the past. I made some changes , sliced beets instead of shredding. Added the beet stems chopped and sliced cabbage, then the beet greens and some kale. Love it thank you ! Kelly

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      November 22, 2020

      You’re very welcome, Kelly. Thank you too for trying my recipe, I’m glad you loved it!

      Reply

  • Kendall
    October 26, 2019

    If we can’t find fresh beets, are canned an option? Or can you suggest a substitution?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 26, 2019

      Hi Kendall, I have not tested that but it may work! If you experiment please let me know how you like that.

      Reply

  • Vera
    July 23, 2019

    I love this recipe and make it ALL the time. In fact, my 4 year old loves this soup as much as the original with meat and I alternate between the two often. Thank you for putting such a modern and healthy twist to my childhood comfort food

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 24, 2019

      That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great, Vera! Thank you for that great review!

      Reply

  • Symphony
    March 10, 2019

    I forgot to mention I had run our of Quinoa so used amarantd and millet (also super foods) and served with a dollop of live yoghurt. Yum!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      March 11, 2019

      Thank you for sharing thaht with me!

      Reply

  • Symphony
    March 10, 2019

    Thankfully I made the soup earlier in the day. When I sat down to enjoy it in the evening we had a power cut which lasted all evening, then my gas ran out. However, this soup was so unqucious – delicious and a delight to look and eat in candle light. Thanks Natasha for helping me to turn what could ave been a miserable Saturday night into an evening to remember.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      March 11, 2019

      Wow! Talk about timing! I’m so happy you made that ahead of time. I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!

      Reply

  • Jasmine Petersen
    December 5, 2018

    I have tasted Borscht when I was a girl. I have thought about making it and now that I am 61 I have made it.
    Delicious. I added some meat for flavor and instead of Sour Cream I used nonfat plain yogurt. So Delicious. Thank you

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      December 5, 2018

      You’re so welcome, Jasmine! I’m so happy you found this recipe!

      Reply

  • Vera Peress
    June 5, 2018

    It is very very delicious! Missing some good meat (story of my life because hubby is vegetarian) but really yummy

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      June 5, 2018

      Thank you for the wonderful review, Vera!

      Reply

  • CM
    September 9, 2017

    Not sure why you didn’t suggest chopping the onions?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      September 9, 2017

      Hi CM, You can discard the cooked onion halves if desired (you get all the onion flavor and people who don’t like onion won’t be bothered by it!) – I forgot to add that note so I updated the recipe 🙂

      Reply

  • Sean H
    January 6, 2017

    Natasha, thank you for the delicious recipe. I was missing Kale but it still turned out ‘super’ 😉

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      January 6, 2017

      So glad you enjoyed it Sean!

      Reply

      • Buba
        March 9, 2020

        Most of the recipe looks pretty good but please dont call ketchup a superfood. Definitely doesn’t belong in borsch at all, let alone a superfood version. Use tomato paste instead that only has tomatoes in there.

        Reply

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