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This Beet Greens Soup – Polish Botwinka is simple, comforting and packed with nutrition. Made with pantry staples to create a hearty, flavor-packed meal that is equal parts beautiful looking and delicious tasting.
The most important ingredient of this soup are young beets with their stems and leaves attached. Beets give this soup an earthy sweetness, vibrant color, while the acidity of the lemon, fresh herbs keep everything feeling light and balanced.
➥ Share RecipeBeet Greens Soup – Polish Botwinka Soup is a classic seasonal dish eaten during the summer months when young beets are in season in my home country of Poland. It should be served with a boiled egg, sprinkled with some fresh dill to get the true Polish experience.
This delicious, easy to make soup makes for a convenient and delicious main meal for a weeknight. This healthy beet soup taste incredible served warmed or even chilled. Beet Greens Soup is by far, my favorite thing to eat during summer.
WHAT IS BOTWINKA?
Botwinka is a traditional soup hailing from Eastern Europe and very famous soup in Poland. It’s made from young beets and usually served during summer months when the young beets are in season. The stems and leaves are called ‘botwinka’ in the Polish language hence the name of the soup. It is made from the whole beet bulbs, the stems, and the leaves. It has other veggies included like: carrots, celery stalks, parsnips, leeks and potatoes. It’s finished with freshly chopped dill, hard boiled eggs and freshly ground pepper.
BEET GREENS SOUP (BOTWINKA) INGREDIENTS
This recipe comes together beautifully with simple ingredients. Here’s what you will need:
- Beets – Heart-healthy and rich in vitamins and nutrients.
- Bunch young beets – Look for medium beets, with firm deep-colored flesh and stems/greens still attached.
- Potatoes
- Carrots
- Parsnips
- Celery stalks
- Leek
- Sour cream
- Butter
- Fresh dill – this soup just won’t be the same without very fresh herbs.
- Lemon Juice – You’re definitely going to want to use fresh lemon in this recipe. It adds delicious freshness and cuts the bitter notes of the greens.
- Spices and Aromatic: Salt, pepper, allspice and a bay leaves are all you need.
HOW TO MAKE THIS BEET GREEN SOUP
This recipe comes together easily if all your ingredients are pilled, diced and ready to go. You want to use either a large pot or a Dutch oven that comfortably fits all of your ingredients. Please also see the full recipe card at the bottom of this page.
- Prepare beets: Clean beet greens: cut off the stems with leaves from the bulbs and place them into a pot of cold water. Soak them for a couple of minutes to release all the sand. Once the leaves are cleaned, pat them dry with paper towels. Wash the beets and peel using a vegetable peeler (use gloves). Cut the beets, stems, and leaves and set aside.
- Prepare and simmer soup: Prepare all the veggies: peel and cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes, cut the carrots, leeks and parsnips into slices. In a deep skillet, melt 2 tablespoon of butter, add parsnips, leeks, carrots and sautée for about 4-5 minutes. Add water (or vegetable broth) potatoes, 2 bay leaves, whole allspice, pinch of salt and pepper and cook for 15 minutes. Then add beets, beets stems, beetroot leaves and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer (without a lid) for about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. After 30 minutes, try a few vegetables to make sure you like the texture, if the veggies are too firm for your liking, simmer the soup longer.
- Temper the cream: Add the cream and sour cream to a cup together with a few tablespoons of the soups, stir and add back to the pot. Take the pot off the heat and remove the bay leaves.
- Serve with hard-boiled eggs (halved), chopped dill. Finish off with a sprinkle of freshly ground balck pepper. Enjoy!
PRO TIPS: Try to find medium beets, they’re more tender with a nicer flavor. If you can only find large beets, you may need to simmer a little longer for the beets to get tender. Beets take more time to cook than most other vegetables. Also, using fresh dill really makes a big difference in this recipe.
HOW TO SERVE BEET SOUP
To serve, pour the soup into a bowl and make it beautiful with some chopped fresh dill, hard-boiled eggs and cracked black pepper. Also, here are a few other serving suggestions:
- Toasted baguette – Great when slathered in a little butter or olive oil before toasting in the oven and then can be used for dipping.
- Chicken – You can’t go wrong serving this healthy soup alongside some lean protein.
TO PREPARE BEETS
The color of beets will stain your hands and/or white cutting board so I always wear gloves when preparing beets. While I never peel beets before cooking, in this soup they do need to be peeled.
- Wash the beets and peel using a vegetable peeler (use gloves).
- Clean beet greens: cut off the stems with leaves from the bulbs and place them into a pot of cold water. Soak them for a couple of minutes to release all the sand. Once the leaves are cleaned, pat them dry with paper towels. Chop the leaves and cut the stems into thin slices and set aside.
- Cut the beets, stems, and leaves and set aside.
HOW TO REMOVE BEET STAINS?
If stained on your hands:
- Rub lemon juice in between your hands or dip your hands in a bowl of lemon juice.
- Add baking soda and a little bit of water, then rub your hands vigorously.
To prevent stains on your cutting board:
- Spray a little oil on your cutting board before cutting. This helps prevent the beet juice soaking into the wood.
If stained on your clothes:
- Mix 2 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid with 2 cups of water. Dip a towel in this mixture and blot the stain. Make sure to not rub it or it will make worse.
FAQs
How to store this soup?
- If you have any leftover, make sure to refrigerate them in an airtight container. You can keep the soup in the fridge for up to 3 days, it can be warmed up, but it should not boil intensively (cream can curdle).
Can I Freeze Beet Green Soup?
- Yes, this soup can be frozen only before adding the cream.
Is Beet Greens Soup BOWTINKA a healthy soup?
- Aside from common addition of sour cream or heavy cream, beet soup -BOTWINKA- is a very healthy soup. It’s packed with vegetables including the star ingredient BEETS, which are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. This soup recipe includes the beet greens, too, which are chock full of nutrition themselves.
What kind of beets to choose for this soup?
- You’ll want to use the beets that are small to medium size, with firm stems and green leaves.
How to roast beets?
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Wrap beets in aluminum foil and place on a baking dish. Roast until tender, about 30 -40 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into cubes.
How to cook beets:
- Place the beets in a large saucepan and add water to cover. Bring to boil, reduce the heat and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Place pot under running water and let rinse until beets can be handled.
TRADITIONAL POLISH RECIPES
If you love traditional Polish recipes you should also check my Mushroom Soup, Rosół Polish Chicken Soup or Potato and Cheese Pierogi (Pierogi Ruskie)
And, if you’re looking for more beet’s recipes, I’d suggest you checking this out: Beetroot Carpaccio with Feta Cheese.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE AND LOVE IT?
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Happy Baking! -A
The nutritional and calories information shown is an estimated provided by an online nutrition calculator. It does not assert or suggest that readers should or should not count calories, and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s or doctor’s counselling.
BEET GREENS SOUP – POLISH BOTWINKA SOUP
Ingredients
- 2 parsnips chopped
- 1 celery stalks chopped
- 1 leek trimmed of tough green ends and coarsely chopped
- 2 medium carrots chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 6 large young potatoes diced into small cubes
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 3 whole allspice
- 1 large bunch young beets with their stems and leaves attached about 4 medium raw beets with their stems and leaves attached (washed peeled and cut into small squares)
- 1 pre-cooked beet – Optional (shredded) for extra flavour
- 3-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sour cream 14%
- 1/2 cup cream 33%
- 4 cups water or vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped dill
- salt and pepper to taste
Garnish:
- 4 hard-boiled eggs
- fresh chopped dill for garnish
Instructions
Prepare beets:
- Clean beet greens: cut off the stems with leaves from the bulbs and place them into a pot of cold water. Soak them for a couple of minutes to release all the sand. Once the leaves are cleaned, pat them dry with paper towels. Wash the beets and peel using a vegetable peeler (use gloves). Cut the beets, stems, and leaves and set aside.
Prepare and simmer soup:
- Prepare all the veggies: peel and cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes, cut the carrots, leeks and parsnips into slices.In a deep skillet, melt 2 tablespoon of butter, add parsnips, leeks, carrots and sautée for about 4-5 minutes. Add water (or vegetable broth) potatoes, 2 bay leaves, whole allspice, pinch of salt and pepper and cook for 15 minutes. Then add beets, beets stems, beetroot leaves and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer (without a lid) for about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. After 30 minutes, try a few vegetables to make sure you like the texture, if the veggies are too firm for your liking, simmer the soup longer.
Temper the cream:
- Add the cream and sour cream to a cup together with a few tablespoons of the soups, stir and add back to the pot. Take the pot off the heat and remove the bay leaves.
- Serve with hard-boiled eggs (halved), chopped dill. Finish off with a sprinkle of freshly ground balck pepper. Enjoy!