Instant Pot Vegetarian Borscht Recipe

There are as many recipes of borscht as Ukrainian homes. 

Here's how I cook it in Instant Pot on Fleet St:

Ingredients:

• 1 beet
• 1 carrot
• 1 onion
• 3 potatoes
• 100g green cabbage
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 parsnip
• 25g white kidney beans
• 1/2 bell pepper
• 2tbsp cooking oil
• 100ml tomato paste
• salt
• black pepper
• bay leave
• ~1l cold water
• 1tbsp sour cream
• a pinch of fresh parsley 
  
  

Instructions:

1. Soak the beans in advance (at least half an hour) in water.
2. Finely chop the beet, carrot, onion, parsnip and cabbage (I personally use a food processor, it saves many lifetimes).
3. Cut potatoes, celery and bell pepper into pieces.
4. Press "Saute" on Instant Pot.
5. Once it's "hot", pour the cooking oil (I use avocado oil, but any like sunflower/olive etc. works) into the Pot.
6. Add all the chopped and cut vegetables and saute them stirring often for 5-7 minutes.
7. Salt and pepper to your taste.
8. Add the tomato paste, bay leave and beans on top.
9. Fill with water to cover vegetables.
10. Close lid and pressure cook at "Soup" setting with high pressure for 8 minutes.
11. Release pressure once it's ready.
    

Borscht always tastes better after steeping overnight, but you can give it a try right away, why not!

To serve with sour cream and a pinch of fresh parsley! Smachnoho!

P.S. Should also try cooking a carnivorous version with beef with bone - but you'll probably need to cook the meat separately and use broth instead of water.