Simple Borscht Recipe (Instant Pot or Stove Top!) (2024)

FAQs

Does borscht lower blood pressure? ›

There are several health benefits you can enjoy when eating borscht as a result of the nutrients in the ingredients including reduction of blood pressure, stomach, liver and heart protection, and blood cleansing support!

Although borscht is mostly used to describe a beet-based soup, there are soups in some culinary traditions with the same or similar names, but with sometimes wide variations in ingredients and preparation methods. In such soups, beetroots are not used or merely optional.

This soup from Eastern Europe is rich in essential nutrients that provide numerous benefits. Additionally, it's a low-calorie option that can be easily adapted to fit various dietary needs, including vegetarian and vegan lifestyles. Is borscht healthy for you? Rest assured, it certainly is.

The important part of making borscht is getting the sweet-to-sour balance just right. From beets, carrots and leeks, you get sweet (sometimes with an additional spoonful of sugar).

Kale, spinach, cabbage, collards and other leafy greens are rich in dietary nitrates, which serve as a vasodilator that widens the blood vessels and improves blood flow.

Roast Them

Roasting is an overall healthy cooking method with minimal vitamin loss, particularly vitamin C. Roasted beets are rich and sweet with slight mineral flavors. Remember to avoid long cooking times and high temperatures, as these can reduce nutrients. Try using smaller bulbs if you want to prepare them faster.

It's standard for Ukrainian cooks to use pork in their Borscht and top it off with sour cream, whereas Russian cooks are more likely to use beef. Furthermore, Ukrainians will offer buns with their bortsch, and Russians will offer a native bread known as “black bread.”

Borscht is one of many examples of a dish that took on Jewish significance because of immigration. The tart and tangy, ruby-hued, beet-based soup is considered the national dish of Ukraine, and has been enjoyed by non-Jewish and Jewish Ukrainians alike for generations.

You can serve borscht with sides like Pumpernickel or rye bread, garlic toast, meat, salads, dairy, pickled foods, pierogi, grains, potato pancakes, mashed potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, deviled eggs seasoned with paprika or dill, gluten-free options, and accompany it with fermented Slavic beverages and Santa Carolina ...

He explained that while “a number of cultures claim borsch to be theirs – Ukraine, Belarus, Poland and Russia – Ukraine has the strongest claim for the dish.”

Can diabetics eat borscht? ›

Make a tasty beet soup, also called borscht. You can also check out our other diabetes-friendly soups in our appetizer section. Try a lower-calorie hummus by using beets in place of chickpeas.

Borscht is one of the most well-known Ukrainian meals – a traditional, hearty soup with multiple layers of ingredients held together by a savory beet broth.

Serve the borscht with plenty of chopped dill, some sour cream on the side, and some good-quality bread for dipping. The soup will taste even better the next day.

Cooking Time and Temperature: Beets can lose their vibrant red color if they are overcooked or cooked at high temperatures for too long. If you cooked the beets for an extended period or at a high temperature, it could cause them to lose some of their color intensity, resulting in a more orange appearance.

Martseniuk says the key to good borscht is acidity: “Either lemon juice or white vinegar is important to help keep the color.” Without it, your soup can turn slightly muddy and brown, a far cry from the brilliant characteristic hue you're going for.

Beets are high in nitrates which research suggests improve cardiovascular health in several ways. Some studies show beetroot juice supplementation may lower blood pressure and increase blood flow. It increases oxygen uptake, lengthening the time it takes to become fatigued, which allows people to stay active longer.

We pack these recipes with ingredients like potatoes, beans and legumes, which are great for managing your blood pressure. Recipes like Pesto Chicken & Cannellini Bean Soup and Southwest Salmon Chowder are healthy, filling and have at least 20% of your daily potassium needs.

A number of studies have found that nitric oxide supplements may improve key indicators of heart health. For example, after taking nitric oxide supplements for 30 days, people with hypertension experienced a significant decrease in resting blood pressure.