Borscht Recipe – Vegetarian Vitamin Power Punch – Ukrainian Magic From the Whichs’ Hearth

How to Make Vegetarian Borscht.
Taste the world of Ukrainian cuisine with this homemade Vegetarian Borscht recipe, a vitamin-packed power punch from the Witch’s Hearth. Perfect for those looking to reset after a meat-heavy diet or observing fasting periods, this borscht delivers all the rich flavors of the traditional Ukrainian dish but without the meat. Learn the secrets of gentle cooking to preserve nutrients, and get two recipes for the price of one – the classic beef-based version from the 19th-century “Elena Molohovets” cookbook, and our highlighted vegetarian version.

(These proportions are approximate, so you have to cook the old-fashioned way by feel and by taste.)

Vegetarian Borscht Ingredients:
• 1 sweet bell pepper (yellow, red, or orange)
• 1-2 lemons
• 2-3 carrots
• 2-3 tomatoes
• 1 parsnip
• 1 yellow onion
• 1/4 cabbage
• 1 leek
• 2 potatoes (Russet or blue)
• Beets (about 3 medium-sized)
• Celery*
• 1 head of garlic
• Parsley
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• Pepper or peppercorns
• Cilantro and sour cream for garnish

Instructions:

• Keep a kettle of hot water on hand.
• Use only low heat

1. Prepare Potatoes:
Peel, clean, and cut into largish chunks.
Cook in boiling water until soft, then remove from the water into a separate pot, cover and set aside.
Keep the water in which potatoes were cooked. This is your initial stock now.

2. Prepare Other Vegetables:
• Slice cabbage, wash and slice leek, grind parsnip.
• Mince celery stick* (not used in video version)
• Add these to the pot with hot potato stock (potato water) for gentle cooking.
• Add hot water to the pot from the kettle and refill the kettle in case you need more boiled water.
• Cover it
• Let the veg in the pot settle on a gentle, low heat.
• Slice onion, mince carrots, and prepare beets by peeling and running through a food processor.
• Keep all veg in separate bowls for sautéing.
• Squeeze juice from one lemon, have another lemon on a standby if needed later.

3. Sauté:
• Sauté onions until they start turning golden, then add carrots. Cook until soft, and put in the main pot.
• Sauté tomatoes to reduce acidity. Do not add butter or oil, do not fry or overcook them.
• Sauté beets with butter or oil and half a tablespoon of sugar until soft, but not mushy

4. Combine:
• When the sautéed veg is soft, begin the soup assembly
• Crush the potatoes and add them to the pot.
(do NOT make conventional mashed potatoes with butter or milk, just crush them)
• Add crushed potatoes and mix in.
• Add the rest of the veg, except for the beets.
• Turn off the heat under beets, pour juice of one lemon over them, mix them and let them sit for 2 minutes.
This will preserve the nice red color. If you do not do this, the soup will turn brown.
• Add the beets in.
• Add a little parsley and fine minced garlic cloves.
• Adjust taste with salt, lemon juice, or sugar or boiled hot water if needed.

5. Finish:
• Bring to first bubble, just below boiling (about 200°F / 90°C), then turn off the heat. Let it sit for at least two hours or overnight for best flavor.

6. Serve: With sour cream on the side for non-vegans.

* I did not use a celery stick during preparation in the video. But it is part of the recipe. If you use celery, you might want a smaller parsnip.

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