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Cold Beet Soup

This delicious and refreshing cold soup (also known as Holodnik) is packed with nutritious vegetables, like beets, cucumbers, green onions, and dill. It will be a great lunch meal on a hot Summer day!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Dinner, lunch, Soup
Cuisine: Russian/Ukrainian
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 100kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 medium red beets or 4 small beets
  • 14 cups water
  • 1 cup kefir
  • 4 small cucumbers finely diced
  • 6 large eggs diced
  • 3 bunches green onions chopped
  • 1 bunch dill chopped
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Wash and peel the beets. Put them in a large pot and pour 14 cups of water. Bring it to boil and cook for about 40-50 minutes, or until the beets are cooked through.
  • While it's cooking, you can boil the eggs (check my recipe for Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs).
  • When done, take the beets out of the liquid and set aside to cool off. Let the liquid cool off for about an hour.
  • When the liquid is cooled off, add a cup of kefir and stir.
  • Grate the beets and add them to the pot. Also add diced cucumbers, eggs, green onion, and dill.
  • Season everything with salt and stir.
  • Cover with a lid and refrigerate for at least 6-8 hours or overnight.

Notes

  • Use red beets to get a classic red color for this recipe. Also, golden beets have quite a different taste.
  • Always refrigerate Holodnik before serving. It doesn’t taste as good when it’s warm.
Can I substitute Kefir?
If you can’t find kefir in your local food store, you can use buttermilk. Although, it won’t taste like an authentic Holodnik.
Do you peel beets before cooking?
Yes, I like to peel them with a vegetable peeler before boiling. This way you will make sure to remove any dirt from the skin, so you won’t have it in the soup.

Nutrition

Calories: 100kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 112mg | Potassium: 374mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 457IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 1mg