Christmas Borscht
Submitted by Moni
A jewel-red Christmas borscht simmered with beets, garlic, bay leaf, and lemon juice, then topped with cool sour cream and fresh dill. Light, earthy, and ready in 45 minutes for your holiday table.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
30 minREADY
45 minIn many Eastern European and German households, Christmas Eve means borscht. Not the heavy, meaty kind, but a clear, ruby-bright soup that’s meant to be simple and almost ceremonial.
This version uses canned diced beets simmered with celery, carrot, garlic, a bay leaf, and whole peppercorns. A squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of sugar balance the earthy sweetness of the beets into something clean and bright.
Strain out the aromatics, ladle the glowing broth into bowls, and finish with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of fresh dill.
It’s the kind of soup that makes the whole kitchen smell like the holidays.
Kitchen Tips
- Don’t discard the beet liquid from the can. That’s your broth base and carries most of the deep beet flavor.
- Remove the vegetables and seasonings before adding the diced beets back. This keeps the final soup clean and elegant.
- Serve warm, not boiling. The sour cream should melt gently into the broth, not curdle on contact.
Ingredients
Directions
Drain beets, reserving liquid.
Set beets aside.
In a large saucepan combine beet liquid, water, celery, carrot, bay leaf, garlic, peppercorns and salt.
Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
Remove vegetables and seasonings with a slotted spoon.
Stir in reserved diced beets, lemon juice and sugar.
Continue cooking 10 minutes or until heated through.
Serve topped with sour cream and/or dill sprigs.
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