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

Easy Superfood Borsch Recipe

4.98 from 38 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's Kitchen Cookbook
4.98 from 38 votes (9 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Alina
    November 1, 2016

    Made this for dinner last night. I added meat to mine. Super delicious!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 1, 2016

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂

      Reply

  • Yuliya
    February 19, 2016

    I cannot praise this recipe enough! Husband and I are concentrating on eating healthy and it’s amazingly delicious and healthy! Husband was at first disappointed that I made borsch that.. Wasn’t borsch lol but totally love it! Any advice on when to add meat if we want some? 🙊

    Reply

  • Moran
    October 25, 2015

    Oh, adding quinoa is a great idea, thank you!
    My mother in law makes a vegan borscht for me 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 25, 2015

      It is totally great without the meat (although I am no where near vegan ;)). I love a good excuse to use more quinoa.

      Reply

  • Dana
    January 4, 2015

    Love this clean tasting easy to make borscht. Do you by any chance have a recipe for a beet mushroom borscht?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      January 4, 2015

      I’m so glad you like the recipe! Thank you 🙂 I don’t have a recipe for a mushroom borscht yet, but that sure sounds good! We’ve put mushrooms into borscht before but I haven’t made a specific mushroom one. Sounds yummy!

      Reply

  • Bernie Parks
    January 3, 2015

    This was so good. Left out the potatoes and added cabbage & celery. Cannot wait to make it again. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      January 3, 2015

      I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for the great review! 🙂

      Reply

  • Anya
    October 13, 2014

    We LOVE this version of borsch, thank you Natasha for it tremendously!!! We love how great it tastes and how great we feel afterwards! I make it like at least once a week 🙂 GOD BLESS YOU NATASHA

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 13, 2014

      That is music to my ears :). I’m so happy you enjoy it! God bless you to Anya 🙂

      Reply

  • Sharon Dudka
    October 12, 2014

    I’m Ukrainian and I tried this recipe. Pretty good except you must add a tablespoon of fresh chopped dill at the end. 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 12, 2014

      Dill would be a very yummy add-in! P.S. Great etsy shop! 🙂

      Reply

  • Irina
    October 2, 2014

    I was looking for something healthy to make and this was so easy and turned out to be delicious! The kale and quinoa work so well. I love this variation on an old favorite. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 2, 2014

      That is music to my ears 🙂 I’m so happy you loved it 🙂

      Reply

  • Iryna B.
    February 8, 2014

    Mmm… reminded me the one we made in the Spring time with sorrel!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      February 8, 2014

      I LOVE sorrel borscht. Yum! You know you can freeze chopped sorrel and make it during winter 🙂 eh? eh? 😉

      Reply

      • mrw
        February 14, 2014

        The borscht came out very well- thank you so much!

        Reply

        • Natasha
          natashaskitchen
          February 14, 2014

          Thank you for the good report :).

          Reply

  • Natalia A.
    January 7, 2014

    Yah….I am so glad to find this recipe, I only heard from my friend that their is Borsch with kale and quinoa… I can’t wait to try this Borsch.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      January 7, 2014

      It’s the easy and healthier version 🙂 I hope you LOVE it!

      Reply

  • Donichka
    October 11, 2013

    This soup is so yummy I made it like 5 times already!! Thanks!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 11, 2013

      That’s awesome! It’s one of our faves now too. It’s so easy compared to the original borsch. 🙂

      Reply

  • Keri
    September 3, 2013

    What’s the 1/2 tbsp of lemon for?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      September 3, 2013

      Ohh sorry. I added it to step 4. Thanks for asking!!!

      Reply

  • Jaime
    September 2, 2013

    Is the ketchup necessary or what could I substitute it for?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      September 2, 2013

      You can omit it. Tomato sauce or a little less tomato paste works well too. 🙂

      Reply

  • hanna
    August 20, 2013

    made this borsch and my husband loved it!!! quick question, after the borsch is done do you take the onion out? i am by no means an onion fan, and it just floating there in the borsch kind of does not do it for me lol

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      August 20, 2013

      Yes, take the onion out :).

      Reply

  • Julia
    August 20, 2013

    Hi Natasha,

    My grandmother makes something that she calls a green borscht. I’m planning on asking her for the recipe but the thing is she always says she doesn’t follow a recipe and just adds a “little bit of this and a little bit of that”…which isn’t very helpful. I was wondering if you have heard of a green borscht and if so, if you could post a recipe? I think she adds sour cream (not as a topping but into the soup), some sort of green salad that isn’t kale or spinach (my Russian isn’t so great), potatoes, some cabbage, and not sure if there’s anything else except for herbs.

    Thanks!!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      August 20, 2013

      I know exactly what you are talking about and I already have the recipe posted here: https://natashaskitchen.com/2011/04/26/shchavel-borscht-sorrel-soup/ The green leaves you are referring to are sorrel. 🙂

      Reply

      • Julia
        August 20, 2013

        Yay!! Thanks so much! It’s exactly that 🙂 I think she adds beans instead of meat since I was a vegetarian for so long and still prefer the vegetarian version! Will try to make it once I’m back in the US! 🙂

        Reply

  • tonya
    August 1, 2013

    Ok thank u for promp response ure awesome, love u r blog. I tell everyone about it.:) will have to try this recipe soon.

    Reply

  • tonya
    August 1, 2013

    This looks tasty. Interesting u don’t have any kind of meat in ur borsch recipes. My mom always made it with pork. How would I add meat to this if I wanted to? Very curious

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      August 1, 2013

      Add meat at the very beginning to give it time to become tender. You want to cook it by itself for 15-30 min. Make sure to skim off any impurities that rise to the top. If you use meat, you really don’t need any chicken broth since the meat will flavor the borscht.

      Reply

  • nelli
    July 29, 2013

    hello Natasha,
    i made the soup based on this recipe a few times and loved it! my mom, though, does not like kyle and asked for the borscht with cabbage. Do you think i can just substitute cabbage for kyle in this recipe? i really like the simplicity of it and do not want to saute anything upfront like it is called for in other recipies you posted. would appreciate your thoughts on what i need to do to be able to sub cabbage for kyle in this recipe! thanks in advance.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      July 29, 2013

      Just add 1/2 head of cabbage, thinly chopped in place of kyle :).

      Reply

      • nelli
        July 29, 2013

        thanks a lot for the super quick response! and thank you for these wonderful recepies!

        Nelli

        Reply

  • ptichka73
    July 7, 2013

    I am grateful to have found this borscht. I made it tonight and all 5 children and my husband and I loved it! Very hearty and delicious. Thank you for sharing. Funny to eat soup in the summer but it was a cool day in Canada today so why not? 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      July 7, 2013

      I’m glad your family enjoyed it. You kind of made me hungry for some borscht :).

      Reply

  • Oksana
    July 2, 2013

    Thanks, than that’s what I’ll probably go with. It’s kind of expensive, but they’ve got great lifetime warranty on the knifes.
    By the way, I made the superfood borscht, and even my picky husband liked it. He said it was different, but a good kind of different. He thinks that eating it cold won’t be a bad idea either, since it doesn’t have any fat it it (besides the bullion that is). Only it took me about 45 mins to make it, but that still beats the regular version of borscht 🙂 (I did have to use a manual box grater for the beets because I was making it at night, and didn’t want to wake the kids, maybe that’s why it took me longer, lol)

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      July 2, 2013

      It is a chore to grate them by hand and your finger end up very colorful unless you used gloves 🙂 I’m so glad you liked it. That is a good idea to try it cold. It wouldn’t have any scum floating on top.

      Reply

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