Meatless Borscht

Ingredients 0/16

Step 1

Warm a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and turns translucent—this should take about 5 minutes. Once done, set it aside for now.

Step 2

Take a large pot and heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Toss in the celery, carrots, bell pepper, beets (including their greens), whole and diced tomatoes, potatoes, Swiss chard, and the onion mixture you just cooked. Stir everything together and cook until the chard starts to wilt, which usually takes about 4 to 8 minutes.

Step 3

Pour in the vegetable broth and water, then add the dill, salt, and pepper. Bring the pot to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer gently for an hour.

Step 4

After that, scoop out about half of the beets from the soup and pop them into a blender—don't fill it more than halfway. To keep things safe, place a folded kitchen towel over the lid and hold it down while you pulse the blender a few times to get things moving. Then blend until smooth. Add the tofu to the blender and puree everything until creamy.

Step 5

Pour this smooth mixture back into the pot and let it simmer some more, stirring occasionally, until the soup reduces by about a third—this will take roughly another hour. You can enjoy it warm or chill it first, whichever you prefer.