The boyfriend had some cabbage and beets in the fridge, and when I googled these two words, a Cabbage and Beet Russian soup called Borsch came up. At first it didn’t look too appetizing, but after a day, this low calorie soup was actually very tasty.

Borsch – Cabbage and Beet Soup

Ingredients:

1 head of cabbage – cored and chopped

3 beets – peeled and grated

1 onion – chopped

4 cloves garlic – minced

2 medium carrots – chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (traditionally, dill)

6 cups of water (or more)

1 Knorr chicken stock cube

1 cup pasta sauce

Preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap the beets in a large sheet of foil, place on a baking sheet, and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes. Let the beets sit until cool enough to handle. Grate them on the large-hole side of a box grater. Set aside. (Note: next time I’ll try grating raw beets, since they will cook in the soup later anyway.)

In a large pot over medium-high heat add oil and onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the cabbage, stir to combine, and cook, stirring occasionally, until cabbage wilts, about 5 minutes (or more if you have a lot of cabbage like I did). Add the beets, carrots, tomato sauce, and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine and add chicken broth or water with the Knorr cube. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer, and cook until vegetables are tender and flavors blend, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot, with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream and a sprinkle of dill, if you like (which I didn’t).

Makes 8 servings of 100 calories each.

Borsch