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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
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.
2. Bring to a simmer, then add the chopped potatoes, quinoa and carrots. Let cook 5 minutes.
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!)
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 🙂
Easy Superfood Borsch Recipe

Ingredients
- 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 🙂
This is one of our favorite soups!! Have you ever frozen it to save some for later? Does that work?
Hi Liz, yes, this recipe freezes well.
Hi Natasha,
I haven’t made one of your recipes that wasn’t delicious. I don’t have kale on hand, substitute with spinach? Will that pair with the turnip leaves?
I haven’t tested that but spinach is usually a good substitute for kale.
Never made borsch before, but hubby has a garden full of beets so it’s time to try it. One question: is it ok if I just dice the onions? We love onions. I’ll be back to add stars as soon as I get this made. Thanks.
HI Ki, yes you can just dice the onions. I hope you love it!
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.
So glad to her that! Thank you for the feedback. 🙂
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.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Terri!
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!
Love it! Thanks for your awesome review, Kim.
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
Hi Ruth, we have a cold holodnik soup as well as cold okroshka soup. I hope one of those is what you are looking for.
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
You’re very welcome, Kelly. Thank you too for trying my recipe, I’m glad you loved it!
If we can’t find fresh beets, are canned an option? Or can you suggest a substitution?
Hi Kendall, I have not tested that but it may work! If you experiment please let me know how you like that.
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
That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great, Vera! Thank you for that great review!
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!
Thank you for sharing thaht with me!
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.
Wow! Talk about timing! I’m so happy you made that ahead of time. I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
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
You’re so welcome, Jasmine! I’m so happy you found this recipe!
It is very very delicious! Missing some good meat (story of my life because hubby is vegetarian) but really yummy
Thank you for the wonderful review, Vera!
Not sure why you didn’t suggest chopping the onions?
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 🙂
Natasha, thank you for the delicious recipe. I was missing Kale but it still turned out ‘super’ 😉
So glad you enjoyed it Sean!
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.