Botwinka is a very famous Polish soup made from young beets, usually served during summer months when young beets are in season.

If you’re just here for the Botwinka recipe, then please click on the “Jump to Recipe” button above.

For those of you interested in the backstory here…let me start by saying that this post is very meaningful to me. So, if you’re a reader of this blog and were wondering what was happening, and why I haven’t posted a new recipe in a while, I’ll clue you in here.

In addition, I’ll also tell you some more details about this very famous Polish soup (e.g., what are the best beets to use, whether you use just the bulbs or also leaves and stems too, how to season it and serve it, etc.). Plus, I’ve also tossed in a couple of process photos in to help you see how the soup should be made. Finally, refer to the printable Recipe card for exact measurements, instructions, and nutritional value.

And if you’re looking for more beets’ recipes, I’d suggest you checking these out: traditional Polish borscht and this amazing beets salad.

What happened?

As I sit here writing this post, we are all just trying to survive the year 2020. As some of you may know, I’m not only the mother of this blog but I also juggle a full-time career and am also trying to raise 2 little men (4 if you count our puppy & my husband). Like many of you, both my husband and I have been working from home since the pandemic hit. In addition, we also had the joy of homeschooling our boys simultaneously. For you veterans of a similar dynamic, I salute you. You know how challenging that was.

And here’s my apology to you my readers: At the end of these days, I was so exhausted that I couldn’t find any strength to feed my blog; so, in the triage, it got back-burnered. Fast forward a couple of quarters, and we’ve now recently welcomed back our nanny back to help out with the boys. Obviously now life has become a little bit easier.

But as if the year 2020 weren’t devastating enough, the bad seemed to compound for me. This past June I also was forced to say goodbye to my mother, who lived in Poland. Given all of the travel restrictions at that time, I wasn’t even able to get back there for several months to get closure. Finally, in August I was granted permission to return back to Poland and attend a memorial service for her.

While there, I found myself walking behind her urn to the place where she will forever rest in peace. In that moment, I promised her two things: (1) that both of my boys will speak Polish and know everything about the country her and I come from, and (2) that I will be cooking and promoting a lot of Polish dishes that she taught me when I was young.

My mother was an amazing cook and first gave me my passion for cooking. You’ve likely heard me say that I’ve learned either a dish from her, or a trick, or a way of preparation.

While my mother will always live in my heart, making her dishes will keep her legacy alive. Thank you, Mama, for teaching me so many great things!

Anyhow, I decided to revive my blog alive with this specific soup, that she taught me how to cook when I was a teenager. We would frequently have it in the summer. Even though the summer is now over here in the US at the time, save it for next year (or try it out of season). It’s really worth it.

What is Botwinka?

As mentioned above, Botwinka is a very famous Polish soup. It’s made from young beets and usually served during summer months when the young beets are in season.

It is always made from the whole veggies, including the beet bulbs, the stems, and the leaves. It has other veggies included, like carrots, celery, leeks, onions, and potatoes. It’s finished with freshly chopped dill and a dollop of the sour cream.

How to choose the best beets for this soup?

The best places to buy beets during the summer are the local farmers’ markets. They are usually the freshest; just picked and brought out for sale.

You’ll want to find the beets that are small to medium in size, with firm stems and green leaves. Anything that looks yellowish and wilted you should avoid.

My mom would always tell me that this soup “builds the blood.” What she meant was that young beets, especially the stems and leaves, are full of iron that is easily absorbed by our bodies. I didn’t do much research into this, but I like how to sounds, and because I really love the taste of this soup I’ll take any additional benefits as an added bonus.

Easy Preparation

Please see the printable recipe below for a full recipe with ingredients and nutritional value.

First, and most importantly….clean your beets! They’re usually very dirty. The best way to do it is to cut off the stems with leaves from the bulbs and place them into a pot of water. They should soak for a couple of minutes to release all the sand. In the meantime, you can peel the beet bulbs. Once your leaves are cleaned, you can pat them dry with paper towels. Cut the beets, stems, and leaves and set aside.
Then you should prep all your veggies. Peel and chop onions, leeks, carrots, and celery.
Heat up clarified butter, or cooking oil (for a vegan version). In your pot, add onions and leeks and cook for a couple of minutes, until softened.
Add celery and carrots and cook for few more minutes.
Add potatoes, beets, stems, and leaves and add broth. Cook for about 30 minutes, until all the veggies are soft.
You should check for seasoning and either add chicken bouillon (which I personally love), or salt and pepper. You can also add a little squeeze of lemon juice to amplify the flavors.
Serve with fresh dill and a dollop of sour cream (you may skip it for the vegan version).

Well, folks, I hope you guys enjoy this one. And in so doing, I love that you’ll be keeping this little bit of my Mom alive. Thanks.

Other famous Polish soups to try: