Vegetarian / Vegan Instant Pot Borscht
This brilliantly coloured vegetable-based soup is great for a cold winter day - or as part of Sviata Vecheria, the Ukrainian Christmas Eve meal.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped onions cooked
- 3 large carrots
- 2 large beets preferably with leaves
- 2 celery stalks sliced
- 1 large garlic clove chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 quarts or litres of water
- 2 cups chopped julienne beet leaves or Swiss chard
- 1 cup chopped dill
- 1 ½ cups cooked navy beans optional
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
- 1 can 355 mL tomato or V8 juice (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the beets under water and detach the stems and leaves (if any). Set aside the leaves. Place in the Instant Pot on the rack insert along with 2 cups of water.
- Seal the Instant Pot and set to cook on Manual with High Pressure for 10 minutes. Do a quick release when the time is up.
- Remove the beets from the Instant Pot. Discard the water. Slice the celery and grate the carrots while the beets cool.
- Wearing latex gloves, remove the skin from the beets by rubbing it off. Slice the beets to fit your grater or food processor.
- Add the beets and carrots to the Instant Pot along with 3 quarts of water, sliced celery, chopped garlic, cooked onions, salt and bay leaves.
- Set the Instant Pot to cook for 5 minutes using the Manual setting with High Pressure. When the time is up, do a quick release.
- Add the cooked beans, lemon juice, beet leaves or Swiss chard, and dill. Add optional tomato juice.
- Stir to combine and heat through. Smachnoho!