brilliantly easy Borscht

Good, simple food.

Food Grandma would make with fresh ingredients from the backyard/ farm.

That’s Polish food.

This is one version, comes together quite beautifully, cooks all in one pot in very little time thanks to the Instant Pot.

Wait, what? Instant Pot? Babcia didn’t have an Instant Pot.

Actually yes she did, it just wasn’t electric and it was far more explosively dangerous but stay with me here.

If you buy an Instant Pot for NO other reason but to make THIS borscht, I applaud you, and I am with you 100%.

This vegetable borscht is worth it.

Your happiness while you eat amazing borscht is worth it ❤️

what you need

• Instant Pot
• Wooden spoon
• Baking soda
• Grater or food processor
• Peeler

ingredients

• 2 large beets, grated
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 1 large carrot, sliced
• 1 large potato, diced

• Olive oil
• 3 tbsp minced garlic
• 5 cups beef broth
• 14 1/2 oz diced tomatoes
• 2 cups green cabbage, shredded
• 1/4 cup fresh dill or 1 tbsp dry
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tsp seasoning salt
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Grating beets is messy, it just is. If you have a food processor that’s great, but it’s still messy, just a quicker kind of messy.

BAKING SODA is the solution to your red stained everything.

Sprinkle onto stained hands or cutting board generously add enough water to create a paste and scrub. Works great!

🌏 you could use gloves but why add unnecessarily to the plastics problem our earth has? Baking soda is the key.

this is how we do it

PEEL and grate beets, set aside in a bowl.

Coarsely DICE onion and celery and cut carrots into rounds and set aside in a bowl.

Place DICED potato in its own bowl, covered in cool water to keep from browning.

SET the Instant Pot to sauté.

SAUTÉ the grated beets in oil for 8 minutes, remove back to bowl.

ADD 2 tbsp olive oil, onions, carrots and celery to pot, sauté 2 min.

Add in garlic and cook 30 seconds then add beef broth, tomatoes, potato (drained), cabbage, dill and give a good STIR then add the 3 bay leaves.

Turn OFF sauté button.

Lock lid in place, make sure the indicator on top is pointing to SEAL not vent.

Select pressure cook button, set for 8 minutes and walk away.

Do a quick release by putting a tea towel over the vent on top and pushing the indicator to vent with a spoon.

Keep your hands down and your face away from the vent. Let the steam slow down and the pin drop on top and open it up carefully.

This is what you’ll have. Not very borschty…yet but oh mommy is it smelling good!

Add the sautéed, grated beets in along with the seasoning salt, lemon juice and vinegar.

Well hello beautiful!

inspired by YT Pressure Luck

Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt (optional) and a slice of Rye bread.

YUM does not accurately describe this borscht!

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, go on and kick it old school on the stove top. Won’t be one pot. Will take longer. But it will also be awesome!

* if you’re new to pressure cooking I suggest you look up some tutorials on YouTube. It’s not as scary as it seems 🙂 look up quick release Instant Pot for sure!