Borscht is often served cold, but this version is warm and comforting. It’s perfect for a chilly winter day.

I was delighted to discover pre-cooked, vacuum-sealed beets in the produce section of my market. They’re a great shortcut since roasting beets from scratch can take quite a while. Using these ready-to-eat beets cuts the cooking time dramatically, making this a quick, easy, and satisfying vegetarian meal.

HELPFUL HINTS:

Canned beets can be used instead of packaged cooked beets. Be sure they are not pickled and drain them before use.

Any type of tomato sauce can be used.

COUNTDOWN:

Assemble ingredients.

Start cooking soup.

Mix sour cream and horseradish together.

Complete the recipe.

SHOPPING LIST:

To buy:1 container reduced sodium vegetable broth, 1 bottle tomato sauce, 1 bunch celery, 1 container peeled, baby carrots, 3/4 pound yellow potatoes, 1 containerpre-cooked beets, 1 can reduced sodium kidney beans, 1 small carton sour cream, 1 bottle prepared horseradish, 1 container broken walnuts.

Staples: onion, salt and black peppercorns.

Hearty Borscht Dinner

Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

4 cups reduced sodium vegetable broth

1/4 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/2 cup sliced peeled, baby carrots

1 cup sliced onion

3/4 pound yellow potatoes, cut into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces (about 2 1/2-cups)

1 pound pre-cooked beets cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 1/2-cups)

1/2 cup canned rinsed and drained reduced sodium red kidney beans

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons sour cream

2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

1/4 cup broken walnuts

Add the vegetable broth, tomato sauce, celery, carrots, onion and potato to a large saucepan. Place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cover with a lid. Cook 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add the beets and beans and raise the heat to medium-high and cook, uncovered, 5 more minutes. Meanwhile mix sour cream and horseradish together in a small bowl. Ladle the soup into two bowls. Sprinkle walnuts on top and add a spoonful of the sour cream mixture to each bowl.

Yield 2 servings.

Per serving: 513 calories (27 percent from fat), 15.3 g fat (3.2 g saturated, 3.6 g monounsaturated), 14 mg cholesterol, 20.4 g protein, 83.2 g carbohydrates, 13.5 g fiber, 421 mg sodium.

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