This red beet and cabbage soup is full of flavor! It’s made of red beets, cabbage, carrots, garlic, meat, and meat broth! This soup is extremely popular among the Russian and Central Asian population.

The beets may lose their color when cooked for too long or if cooked incorrectly, so it is important to follow the cooking instructions precisely.

Red Beet and Cabbage Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. of Meat (lean or with bones) – I used lamb with bones
• 1 lbs. (500 gr) of Potatoes
• 200 gr of Onions
• 300 gr of Cabbage
• 400 gr of Red Beets
• 200 gr of Carrots
• 3 Tbsp of Tomato paste
• 2-3 Garlic cloves
• 2-3 Bay leaves
• Juice of a half Lemon
• 1 tsp of Apple cider vinegar (optional)
• Pink sea salt or Celtic sea salt (to taste)
• Black Peppers (to taste)
• Cooking oil (Coconut oil or ghee)
• Greens for garnish

How to make beet and cabbage red soup:

1. Prepare a broth by simmering the meat in filtered water. Bring the water with meat to a boil, remove the foam formed on the top, add little salt and pepper, reduce the fire to the lowest, cover the lid, and set the timer for 90 minutes.
2. When the broth is ready, get the meat out and remove the bones. Cut the meat into smaller cubes or chunks and add the meat back into the broth.
3. Chop the onions. Grate the carrots using a large grater or julienne them. Chop the cabbage into thin strips.  Chop the beets into thin sticks or julienne them. I used a mandolin slicer with a julienne blade.
4. Put some cooking oil into the skillet (I use a cast iron skillet) and sauté the beets on medium fire for about 2 minutes.
5. Add the lemon juice and apple cider vinegar to the beets. Lemon juice and apple cider vinegar help retain the bright red color of the beets. You can use only lemon juice if you wish. The original recipe calls for 1 tsp of distilled vinegar (6%), which I try to avoid using in my food.
6. Add the tomato paste to the beets. Add some water if the paste is too thick. Cover the lid, lower the heat to low, and cook for 5 minutes.
7. In a separate skillet sauté the onions in a little oil. Add carrots and sauté together. Turn off the heat when the carrots soften.
8. Cut the potatoes into 3-4 cm cubes and put them in the boiling broth with meat.
9. After the broth comes to a boil, add the chopped cabbage. Simmer for 5 minutes.
10. Add the sauteed beets to the broth. Simmer for 10 more minutes.
11. Add onions and carrots. Add bay leaves. Check for salt and add if not enough. Add some ground black peppers to taste.
12. Press the garlic using a garlic press into the soup.
13. Turn off the heat and let the soup stay covered for 15 minutes before serving.
14. Serve with chopped greens (dill, cilantro) and sour cream to taste.