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Polish beet soup, also known as Borscht or Barszcz in Polish, is a healthy, hearty, delicious meat and vegetable soup. One you’ll want to make all the time!

Polish beet soup is best known for its beautiful pinkish colour. Its Polish name is Barszcz, or Borscht as its commonly referred to in English.

There are many variations of Borscht across eastern Europe but in my, obviously biased, opinion this is the best one! There are a lot of ingredients but that’s what makes this soup hearty and so healthy.

I’ve eliminated the use of meat, other than bacon, to opt for a lighter version. Traditionally you make a beef broth as a base for this soup and include the meat as part of the finished product. We keep the broth and skip the meat.

The other process improvement I’ve made is through the use of canned beets. Fresh beets are great but they’re a mess to work with and they take long to cook. Since we like to keep things simple here at House of G&K, canned is definitely a better alternative.

Thanks to its beautiful pink colour it might not even be difficult to get your kids to try it. Thanks to the beetroot and cream, this Borscht has a mild and slightly sweet flavour that will please your whole family.

Preparing Polish Beet Soup

Ingredients

Produce

Yellow onion: Onion is a very common vegetable that is used both raw and cooked in food preparation. It has a sharp flavour raw that often sweetens once cooked. There are many varieties of onions, some that are milder than others. We use the common onion or yellow onion in this recipe.

Garlic: Garlic is a bulb that is edible and is grown in soil. Though the green shoots it sprouts, called garlic scapes, are also edible, we are referring to the actual bulb that the scapes grow from. Garlic bulbs are made up of multiple cloves and depending on the variety you may have anywhere from 4 to 10 cloves, if not more. This is important to know because recipes will often call for a specific number of cloves which can vary in size greatly.

Cabbage: There are many varieties of cabbage the most common, in North America, being the green cabbage and purple, also referred to as red, cabbage. This is an annual vegetable that grows in a head with dense leaves. Cabbage is packed with nutrients and is low in calories making it an excellent addition to most meals.

Carrot: This root vegetable is slightly sweet, bright and filled with vitamin A and fibre. Baby-cut carrots are just smaller pieces cut from a larger carrot.

Potatoes: This root vegetable is starchy and is native to the Americas. Potatoes are rich in vitamin C and potassium and even contain small amounts of protein. There are many varieties and shades of potatoes. I like yellow flesh potatoes for this recipe but any type will work great.

Fresh parsley: Parsley is a dark green herb

that is used as a garnish or as a flavouring. The two varieties that are most common are flat-leaf and curly parsley. They are very similar in flavour however their leaves and texture are different. As the names suggest, flat-leaf parsley has flat leaves that are very similar to cilantro, whereas curly parsley has rougher and curly-looking leaves. Both are very rich in vitamins C and K and antioxidants, among other nutrients.

Pantry

Beef stock: The beef stock carries a lot of flavour. Before putting it in the soup have a taste to test out how salty it is. You don’t want to add salt if you don’t need it. If you find the stock salty enough for you, skip the ½ tsp of salt that we call for near the end of the cooking process.

Bay leaf: Bay leaves are the leaves of the bay laurel tree. Bay leaves are most often added to dishes whole and then removed after cooking, before serving. When used in their dry form they don’t soften during the cooking process so are not pleasant to eat.

White kidney beans: Kidney beans are a type of legume. They are named kidney beans because their shape looks like a human kidney. There are different kinds of kidney beans, here we use red kidney beans. Kidney beans are a good source of protein and fiber.

Canned Beets: Beets or beetroot are the roots of the beet plant. The leaves are also edible and very healthy. Beets have a deep purply-red colour and are full of nutrients. They are high in sugar so, when cooked do have a slightly sweet taste. Canned whole beets in water are simply cooked beets that are canned.

White Vinegar: Vinegar is made of acidic (<10%) acid and water (>90%). It is a clear liquid that is very acidic in taste. It is typically used in cooking or for pickling.

Meat

Bacon: Bacon is salt cure pork from different cuts of the back. It is typically sold in slices. There are also non-pork alternatives such as turkey bacon that can also be used.

Dairy

Heavy cream: Cream is one of the main stars of this dish. Ideally, you want to use heavy whipping cream or heavy cream which has between 36% and 40% fat content. I find that this isn’t typically available in the grocery stores near me so I settle for whipping cream which is usually between 30% and 35% fat. This cream will thicken nicely and create that almost fluffy texture in the sauce.

How to Make Polish Beet Soup

There is some prep to tackle in this soup thanks to all the fresh produce we use so let’s start with that.

Prepare the Fresh Ingredients

You need to peel and dice the onion. Dice it relatively small to allow it to blend in with the rest of the soup.

Next, peel and dice the potatoes into ½ inch cubes. You want the potatoes to be part of every bit not to overpower each bite.

Now peel and dice the carrots. Again, we are looking to make each of these veggies a part of a bigger bite so be mindful of that.

To dice the cabbage, cut cabbage into a quarter and slice one of those quarters into ¼ inch slices. Then dice those slices by laying them flat on the cutting board and slicing them into ¼ inch pieces again.

Peel the garlic and if you don’t have a garlic press, finely dice it. If you have a garlic press, set it aside to press into the soup later.

Finally, you need to chop the bacon. I like to cut the bacon slices lengthwise into three or four narrow strips. Then, cut across widthwise to create a dice.

Now that all the veggies, and bacon, are ready we are all set to cook.

TIP: To get a deeper colour of the soup, use the liquid from a second can of beets and the lefotver beets for a salad.

Cook the Beet Soup

Add the bacon to a soup pot and heat up on medium heat. You don’t need any oil as the bacon will release its own fat. Cook the bacon stirring occasionally for about 5-6 minutes until it is crispy.

Then, add the onions and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the onion has softened.

Now, press in the garlic, stir and cook for 30 seconds to a minute then add the vegetables, bay leaf and stock.

Bring the soup to a boil and cook on medium-low heat until the potatoes are cooked through. This should take about 20 minutes.

In the meantime, open the cans of beets and kidney beans. Remove the beets from the can and dice them but be sure to keep the liquid. We will be adding it to the soup.

Strain and rinse the kidney beans until the water runs clear.

Add the beets, ½ cup of beans, salt and pepper to the soup once the potatoes are cooked and cook for another 5 minutes.

Finally, add the vinegar and parsley to the soup, stir and cook for 2-3 more minutes.

The last step is to lower the heat to low before adding the cream. Pour the cream into the pot stirring as you pour. Simmer for another 5 minutes and you’re all set.

Serving Polish Beet Soup

As I’ve already mentioned, this soup is very hearty. It’s filling enough that one serving is a complete meal. But if you want to eat it as the Poles do, you have to serve it with potato pancakes on the side.

Serve the potato pancakes with sour cream or serve them as a side that you dip into the soup. Trust me, it’s incredible!

Let us know in the comments if you have any questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.

Are you looking for more soup ideas? Check out our recipes:

Polish Beet Soup (Barszcz)