Lenten Bean Borscht

Name: Lenten Bean Borscht
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: Home cooking
Ingredients: Canned red beans — 120 g; Beetroot — 100 g; White cabbage — 100 g; Potatoes — 120 g; Carrots — 40 g; Onions — 40 g; Tomato paste — 15 g; Garlic — 3 g; Sunflower oil — 10 ml; Bay leaves — 0.3 g; Salt — 2 g

A meatless bean borscht that’s hearty and has a rich beet color from the beets and tomato paste.

Time: 50 min
Serving: 422 kcal
Ingredients: ≈ $1.26
Protein: 16 g

Healthy Soup Meat-free

Ingredients

1 Canned red beanspack 400 g ≈ $1.10 120 g
2 Beetroot≈ $2.50 per kg 100 g
3 White cabbage≈ $1.60 per kg 100 g
4 Potatoes≈ $2.15 per kg 120 g
5 Carrots≈ $1.50 per kg 40 g
6 Onions≈ $1.60 per kg 40 g
7 Tomato pastepack 140 g ≈ $1.00 15 g
8 Garlic≈ $10.00 per kg 3 g
9 Sunflower oil 10 ml
10 Bay leaves to taste
11 Salt 2 g

Grey rows are pantry staples: salt, oil, spices. They are not counted in the serving price.

Method

Wash the beets² and carrots⁵, peel the beets; peel the onion⁶ and dice it into roughly 1 cm cubes; grate the beets and carrots on a coarse grater; set a 3-liter pot on medium heat and add the vegetable oil.
Sauté onion⁶, carrot⁵, and beet² over medium heat for 7 minutes, stirring; at the end, add tomato⁷ paste and continue sautéing for another 2 minutes until fragrant.
Peel the potatoes⁴ and cut them into about 2 cm cubes; finely shred the cabbage.
Add the potatoes⁴ and cabbage to the sautéed vegetables and stir.
Pour in 500 ml of water, bring to a gentle boil, and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes.
Add the beans and the sautéed vegetables, salt to taste, and add a bay leaf; simmer for another 5 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
Remove from heat, add minced garlic⁸ at the end of cooking and stir; let it rest covered for 5 minutes.
Serve hot; garnish with bread or herbs to taste.

Tips

Why it works: Sauté the onion, carrot, and beet for 7 minutes to soften them and release their natural sugars, which deepen the flavor and prevent the soup from tasting raw or bitter. Overcooking turns them mushy; stop when fragrant.
Substitutions: Use 100g frozen peas instead of beans for a milder taste, or swap beet for 100g sweet potato (peeled, grated) to reduce sweetness. Replace tomato paste with 100g crushed tomatoes for acidity.
Common mistakes: If the soup smells sour or the cabbage looks slimy after 15 minutes of simmering, you’ve overcooked it. Keep an eye on the heat—gentle simmering prevents this.
Storing and reheating: Stores for 3 days in the fridge; reheat on medium heat until bubbling, stirring occasionally. Freeze for 1 month if you add 1 tbsp lemon juice per liter before storing.
Serve with: Pair with a slice of rye bread and a side of pickled cucumbers for a balanced lunch. Serve with a dollop of sour cream if you’re not keeping to strict dietary rules.

In short

In the planner this dish is cooked for two days: reheat on day two.
Marked healthy: the planner picks it more often for the goals “lose weight” and “eat well”.

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Nutrition

Per serving and share of 2000 kcal

Calories	422 kcal	21%
Protein	16 g	21%
Fat	11 g	16%
Carbs	64 g	25%
Per 100 g	77 kcal

Cost

≈ $1.26per serving

Average supermarket prices, BLS (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics), August 2026. Your store will differ: products come in packs and each chain sets its own prices. The priciest item here is canned red beans.

You will need

Stove

Plan a week

The planner adds the other meals to fit your budget and goal and builds the shopping list.

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