Chilled Blender Borscht

0 Smart Points

 

From Poland to Lithuania, chilled borscht is a popular earthy, sweet and not-so-sour Eastern European refresher. With a base of good beets and thick Greek yogurt garnishes vary from fragrant wisps of dill to golden-yolked hard cooked eggs, spicy radishes, and bright spritzes of lemon. Let this make-ahead wonder marinate in your fridge for a few hours before the crowd arrives for a sunny afternoon pool party.

 

Chilled Blender Borscht
Adapted from Ina Garten
Makes 8 cups, serving 6
Per 1½ cup serving: 0 Smart Points

2 15-ounce cans “original cut” beets, juices strained and reserved
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 6-ounce containers 0% fat Greek yogurt
2 lemons
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½ to 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 English cucumber, seeds removed, ¼-inch dice (2 cups)
3 scallions, whites and greens, very thinly sliced (½ cup)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus more for serving
Radishes, optional for serving
Hard cooked eggs, optional for serving

 

 

Place 1 cup of the beets, the reserved beet juice(about 1½ cups,) chicken broth, 2 containers of the yogurt, the juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons,) vinegar, salt and pepper in the jar of a blender. Blend slowly at first working up to a full purée.

Meanwhile, chop the remaining beets into ¼-inch pieces.

Empty the blended mixture into a large mixing bowl or Tupperware able to fit easily into your fridge. Add the cucumber, scallions, dill and chopped beets.

Allow to chill in fridge for several hours up to overnight. Will keep in refrigerator for a few days, but should be stirred before serving to re-incorporate.

Serve in bowls garnished with the remaining Greek yogurt, sliced radish, dill, hard cooked eggs, and lemon wedges.