Green Borscht (Ukrainian Spinach Soup)

Such a delicious Green Borscht with Spinach. Classic Ukrainian recipe your whole family will enjoy. Ready to be served in 30 minutes. Also try Ukrainian Red Beet Borscht, Cauliflower Borscht and Crockpot Borsch.

Spinach Borscht

It's not like I planned to post two Borscht recipes in a row.

But let me tell you, my husband is obsessed with Green Borscht.

And since my parents are now living with us and my mom helps me with cooking, she happened to make this classic Ukrainian soup for lunch, which I couldn't help but make photos for.

I hope you don't mind, because it's a really great recipe which every Ukrainian homemaker has in frequent rotation.

When I was growing up we had fresh vegetables on the table only in summer. And I'm not talking about potatoes or carrots. We had plenty of those all year round.

Such veggies as tomatoes, cucumbers or sorrel or herbs were almost impossible to find in winter.

And even when we were lucky to find those, they tasted like grass. 

That's why this soup is also called Ukrainian summer borscht. It's made with seasonal ingredients that back in the days were available only in summer. 

Of course, now in the US you can find fresh spinach, green onions and dill at any time of the year.

So please, do yourself a favor, prepare this soup this summer and I'm sure it will soon become a favorite in your house even during cold winter months.

Traditionally, Green Borscht is cooked with Sorrel. It's a tart salad vegetable that is fairly easy to get in Ukraine. Many people also grow it at home.

Thanks to Sorrel, soup has a specific, slightly sour taste which usually disappears when sour cream is added.

But this sour-ish taste is what makes Green Borscht so delicious. Once you take the first sip, you just won't get enough of it.

Although, we Ukrainians always treat Green Borscht as a classic Ukrainian recipe, other Eastern European countries have their own variations of this delicious soup. 

Despite that once cooking with Sorrel has been popular in North America, nowadays it is rarely used, hence it's difficult to find it in regular grocery stores. 

How to make Green Borscht without sorrel?

Simple solution to this problem is to use spinach in combination with lemon or lime juice.

I've been substituting with spinach for years and no one could tell a difference. It's yummy, nutritious and so easy to make.

Just like Holodnik, which is Belarusian cold Borscht, Ukrainian Green Borscht tastes especially great during summer months. It's packed with greens, easy on digestion and refreshingly delicious. 

That being said, there's nothing wrong with making this soup in fall or winter. It's delicious at any time of the year.

In the recipe you can use vegetable or meat broth. And if you make your own meat broth, go ahead and add cooked shredded meat into each bowl for even more satisfying and complete meal.

How to make Green Borscht with Spinach?

• Bring 64 oz of chicken broth to a boil and add potatoes. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 15 minutes.
• At the same time, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium non-stick skillet and on a medium heat. Add minced onion and carrot and cook stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.
• Stir in sautéed onion, carrot, cubed zucchini and spinach to a pot with potatoes and continue cooking for 5-7 minutes. Add salt and pepper to a taste.
• Add lemon juice, cubed hard-boiled eggs and parsley. Remove from the heat and serve with a generous dollop of sour cream.

Do I have to use Dutch Oven?

In this recipe you can use any type of soup pot. 

I personally love making soups and stews in my Dutch Oven. It evenly distributes and retains heat, durable, super versatile and great for any type of recipes.

Can I make this Borscht Low Carb or Keto-friendly?

If you're following Low Carb or Ketogenic diet, simply replace potatoes with cauliflower, cut into small florets. 

How do you hard-boil eggs so that they peel easily?

My favorite way to cook the eggs is to bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add eggs. Then I cook the eggs on a medium heat for 10 minutes.

Now all you have to do is drain water and immediately fill the pot with a cold water. Once eggs are cooled off, you should be able to easily peel them and chop.

Can I freeze Green Borscht?

Yes, you can certainly freeze it. Green Borscht will freeze up to 3 months. There are few things to keep in mind though:

1. dairy doesn't generally freeze well, so I recommend holding back on adding sour cream. You can always do so once you defrost the soup
2. hard-boiled egg whites become tough and rubbery when frozen. So if you plan to freeze this soup, make sure to do this without adding eggs and sour cream. 

For freezing I recommend using these double zipper Freezer Bags. They are made with 100% polyethylene and are BPA-free.

To defrost Green Borscht, remove it from the freezer bag and add it into a pot. Bring a soup to a gentle simmer and add hard-boiled eggs and sour cream.

How do you serve Borscht?

Just like any Ukrainian or Russian Borscht, this Green Borscht is usually served with a generous dollop of sour cream and a slice of yeast bread (see my Savory Pumpkin Bread). 

In addition, you can boil a few more eggs, peel them, slice in half and place into each bowl.

Need more yummy soups for summer? Try my favorite recipes.

• French Soup Au Pistou
• Cauliflower And Beans Soup
• Spanish Tomato Gazpacho

If you want to learn more, please check out my Green Borscht web story.

If you make this recipe, please leave me a comment below and rate it. I always appreciate the feedback. Also, you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

Recipe

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