Authentic Ukrainian borscht is a deeply flavored beet and cabbage soup built on rich bone broth with tender meat, balanced by vinegar's bright acidity and sweet undertones from beets. This version uses bone-in pork trotters to develop authentic umami depth.
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You can either use store-bought broth or homemade, but for authentic Ukrainian borscht, I prefer making my broth from scratch.Place the bone-in meat (pork, beef, or chicken) into a large Dutch oven or another heavy-bottomed pot, and add enough water to fully submerge it. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 1-2 hours or until the meat is tender and cooked through.I'm using pork trotters, so I simmered them for two hours to enhance the richness of the broth.
While the broth simmers, you can prepare the vegetables - peel them, chop the cabbage, finely dice the onion, cut the beets into thick sticks, and slice the carrots into circles.
Once the broth is ready, remove the meat and add 2 tsp of salt and bay leaves. Then place the chopped cabbage into the pot with the broth and simmer for 20 minutes.Note: use more or less broth depending on how thick you want the borscht soup to be. I normally place the meat in a 6-quart Dutch oven and fill it up with water almost full. Then I use the entire broth for the recipe.
Preheat a frying pan over medium heat for a couple of minutes, then add the oil. Add the chopped onion, beets, and carrots to the frying pan and saute over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tsp of salt, along with the tomato sauce/paste and vinegar. Fry for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In the meantime, peel and chop potatoes into medium-sized cubes peel and mince the garlic, and slice the cooked meat into bite-size pieces.
20 minutes after adding the cabbage, stir in the sauteed beets, carrots, and onion, along with the peeled and chopped potatoes, minced garlic, and cooked chopped meat. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Cook for another 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and easily pierced with a fork. Do a taste test and add more salt if needed. Turn off the heat and serve! Enjoy!
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days; freeze up to 3 months. Reheat gently on the stovetop, adjusting vinegar and salt to taste as flavors may mute after freezing.
Yes. Omit the bones and use 2–2.5 liters of beef or pork stock as a time-saver, though homemade broth will deliver richer flavor.
White vinegar (2 tbsp) is sharper and more neutral; ACV (4 tbsp) adds subtle sweetness. Start with less and adjust to taste—borscht should be tangy but not sour.
Beets vary in pigment. Use fresh, deep-red beets and don't skip them. If color fades during cooking, add a splash of vinegar to set the red hue.
Simmer bone-in pork trotters 1.5–2 hours until meat shreds easily with a fork. Broth should be gelatinous when cool, signaling collagen extraction.
Yes—borscht tastes better the next day as flavors meld. Refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze up to 3 months. Reheat gently on the stovetop.
