Search
by Ingredient

Chilled Sweet & Sour Borsch Soup

Empty starEmpty starEmpty starEmpty starEmpty star

Submitted by TiffDre

Sweet and sour borscht: a hearty Eastern European beet soup with crumbled sausage, cabbage, and carrots, balanced with lemon juice and sugar. Serve hot or chilled with sour cream and dill.

YIELD

8 servings

PREP

20 min

COOK

45 min

READY

65 min

This sweet and sour borscht is the hearty Eastern European beet soup that anchors Polish, Ukrainian, and Russian winter tables. The defining trick is the lemon-juice-and-sugar balance: a quarter cup of lemon juice provides the sharp tartness, two tablespoons of sugar smooths it back to drinkable, and the result is the signature sweet-sour profile that distinguishes real borscht from a plain beet soup.

The sausage is the recipe’s modern American touch. Crumbled bulk sausage browned with onion gives the soup a rich, savory base that traditional borscht builds with smoked pork or beef bones over a much longer cook. Drain the sausage grease before adding the vegetables so the soup doesn’t go oily, but keep the browned bits in the pot. They’re flavor.

Red cabbage deepens the color and adds complexity, but the recipe note allows green cabbage as a substitute. The vegetables shred down during the forty-five-minute simmer into a hearty, spoon-thick soup that eats more like a stew than a broth.

Serving options are flexible. Eat it hot with a dollop of sour cream and fresh dill on top in winter; chill, blend smooth with sour cream, and serve cold in summer. Both versions taste like different soups despite being the same recipe.

Pro Tips

  • Wear gloves when handling beets. The juice stains hands and cutting boards permanently.
  • Use beet greens too if your beets came with tops attached. They add color and a subtle bitter note that balances the sweet.
  • Don’t skip the dollop of sour cream. It’s not optional garnish; it’s the cooling counterpoint that makes this soup.
  • Chill overnight before serving the cold version. The flavors deepen substantially.

Variations

  • Sub kielbasa or smoked sausage for plain bulk sausage for a deeper, smokier flavor.
  • Add a peeled diced potato for thicker body.
  • Make it vegetarian by skipping the sausage and using vegetable stock as the recipe note suggests.
  • Top with crumbled bacon and a soft-boiled egg for a substantial main-course bowl.

Ingredients

3 3
MEDIUM-SIZED MEDIUM-SIZED BEET
tender tops if you like *
1 1
SMALL SMALL ONION
chopped
1 453.6
POUNDS G SAUSAGE, BULK
crumbled
2 2
LARGE LARGE CARROTS
diced
2 473
CUPS ML RED CABBAGE
or green
¼ 59
CUPS ML LEMON JUICE
2 30
TABLESPOONS ML SUGAR
¼ 1.3
TEASPOON ML DILL WEED
6 1.4
CUPS L CHICKEN BROTH

Directions

Sauté the onion and sausage; drain off grease.

Add the beets, carrots, cabbage, lemon juice, sugar, chicken stock (stock can be made with 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon or cubes and 6 cups water).

Cover; bring to a boil, then reduce heat.

Simmer for 45 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt and dill weed.

Note: You can leave out the sausage; season.

Chill and blend with some sour cream in a blender and serve as a chilled soup.

Garnish with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt and dill weed.

* not incl. in nutrient facts Arrow up button

Comments


 

 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 297g (10.5 oz)
Amount per Serving
Calories 537 58% from fat
 % Daily Value *
Total Fat 35g 53%
Saturated Fat 11g 56%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 93mg 31%
Sodium 1275mg 53%
Total Carbohydrate 10g 10%
Dietary Fiber 2g 9%
Sugars g
Protein 55g
Vitamin A 133% Vitamin C 62%
Calcium 6% Iron 14%
* based on a 2,000 calorie diet How is this calculated?
Trans-fat Free
 

Email this recipe