I have never had Borscht. I will fully admit I don’t love beets. It’s one of those vegetables that I can eat, but if I have a choice, I prefer to skip them. I have a lot of things in this category. Well, Tony was juicing for quite a while and used beets and apples. He found out that garlic would do the same thing without all the mess. Now I have beets that I need to use. A good excuse to try something new. Borscht is a Ukranian beef stew with lots of beets. It’s probably a dish that most of you can identify. I can also make this in my Instant Pot, which is a lifesaver for me right now while I am busy working on our new house. I am starting with a recipe from Wholesomelicious for Borscht. They also use an Instant Pot, so I am excited to adapt it and maybe find something new to love. Here are the original stats:

Here’s what I changed:

• I increased the servings from 6 to 11 to lower the calories
• I used a low sodium beef broth.
• I removed the added salt to reduce the sodium.
• I added more cabbage and red bell pepper to increase the vitamin C.
• I replaced the tomato paste with umeboshi paste to remove the tomato.
• I deleted the sour cream to make this dairy free.

Here are the final stats:

Here is the final recipe:

Instant Pot Borscht 

Serves 11

• 1 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
• 1/2 large white onion (diced)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1.5 lbs top sirloin steak (cut into bite sized pieces)
• 2 medium red beets (peeled and grated)
• 3 cups diced Yukon gold potatoes
• 2 large carrots (peeled and diced)
• 4 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 medium head of cabbage, sliced and chopped cabbage (red or green)
• 4 cups beef or vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp umeboshi paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh dill (for serving)

1. Select the sauté function on the Instant Pot. Once hot, coat the with oil. Sauté the onion and garlic for 2 minutes, then add in the beef sirloin. Continue to sauté for another 3-5 minutes until browned. Select cancel.

2. Top the mixture with the remaining vegetables: beets, potatoes, carrots, red bell pepper, and cabbage. Pour in the broth, vinegar, and umeboshi paste. Add the bay leaf. Secure the lid. Select manual (or high pressure), for 12 minutes.

3. Use a quick release. Once steam has released, open the lid.

4. Serve with fresh dill to taste.