Borscht

Borscht
  • Low phosphate
  • Low potassium
  • Low protein
  • Low salt
  • Vegetarian
  • Main meal
  • European
  • 1 hour or less
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A low potassium take on a traditional Eastern European recipe.

Chef

Laura Pope screenshot
Laura Pope

This is a delicious and healthy soup that can be served hot or cold. It tastes even better eaten a day or two after it has been made.

Method

  1. Step 1

    Bring a medium pan of water to the boil and add the sliced beetroot, carrots and eggs. Boil for five minutes, then drain and set the boiled eggs aside to cool. Once cooled, remove the shell and slice the eggs ready to use later. Place the parboiled beetroot and carrot into a large saucepan.

  2. Step 2

    Add 500ml cold water to the saucepan, along with the garlic, shallots, bay leaf, coriander seeds, cloves, cayenne pepper, sugar, olive oil and half the vinegar. Cover and bring to the boil, then reduce to a medium-low heat. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the beetroot and carrot are tender.

  3. Step 3

    Remove the bay leaf and then purée the soup in a blender. To make it super smooth, you can strain it through a sieve into a large bowl or jug, but this may not be necessary. Taste to see if it needs any black pepper or any more vinegar added.

  4. Step 4

    This dish can be served hot or cold. If serving hot, reheat over a medium heat in a saucepan. Before serving, whisk in the yoghurt and garnish with the chopped dill or chives, a drizzle of olive oil and the sliced boiled eggs. Serve with a bread roll on the side.

Food facts

The bread rolls are the main source of carbohydrate in this meal. The value has been provided for those who are trained in insulin adjustment.

The main source of potassium in this dish is the beetroot, however the amounts used in the recipe have been kept within a range that ensures the entire meal is low in potassium.

This dish is low in phosphate, but it does still contain some phosphate. If you have been prescribed a phosphate binder ensure you take them with this dish.

This dish is low in protein, which makes it suitable for those advised to follow a reduced protein diet. Therefore, it may not be suitable for those on dialysis. If you have been advised to eat more protein and aren’t on a vegetarian/vegan diet, you could replace the egg with 250g of cooked shredded chicken.

Serve with gluten-free bread rolls.

Use a dairy-free yogurt or vegan sour cream and replace the eggs with a drained tin of chickpeas.

This is already a healthy dish but you could use a low-fat yogurt to keep the fat content low and a wholemeal roll to increase the fibre.

The borscht can be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen for up to three months (before the yogurt is added).