Looking for a hearty soup that serves like a meal? While it is traditionally served as a meal on Easter Sunday morning, this Polish white borscht has is the complete package for a filling, stick-to-your-ribs meal to keep you warm on a cold day. The combination of pork rib ends to make the soup base with smoked Polish kielbasa sausage and bacon creates a rich flavour base with sour flavours from sauerkraut juice and sour cream to cut through the fattiness, while the sturdy veggies like leeks, rutabaga (replacing the usual potatoes) and celery root absorb all the herbs and spices infused in the rich, meaty base.
Keto Polish White Borscht
Ingredients:
- 500g pork rib ends (bone-in)
- 6 cups water
- ¼ cup raw cider vinegar
- 150g celery root, peeled and chopped
- 150g rutabaga, peeled and chopped
- 1 leek, white part only, sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 allspice berries
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 teaspoons dried marjoram
- 5 black peppercorns
- 500g uncooked smoked kielbasa sausage, pierced with a fork in several places
- 1½ cups thick sour cream
- ½ cup sauerkraut juice (*May sub with probiotic pickle juice.)
- 2 tablespoons oat fibre
- 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
- 140g uncut smoked bacon, cut into “½ pieces (around 4-5 slices)
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or ghee (*Or vegan butter for dairy-free.)
- Kosher sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1⁄4 cup fresh dill, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 3 boiled eggs, peeled and halved lengthwise
Directions:
Add pork rib ends to Instant Pot with water and cider vinegar and set to sealing mode then set for 120 minutes on the ‘Soup’ setting. Allow to depressurize naturally or use the quick release method.
Open the Instant Pot and add leeks, celery root, rutabaga, garlic, all-spice berries, bay leaves, salt and black peppercorns. Set the Instant Pot to sealing mode once again then set for 5 minutes on ‘Soup’ setting.
While the veggies are cooking, cook the chopped bacon in the butter and avocado oil over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, or until lightly golden.
De-pressurize the Instant Pot using the quick release method then stir in the horseradish. Strain out the bones from the pork hock, reserving any meat from the hock that you would like to add to the soup. Add to the bacon and drippings to the soup along with the sausages. Set Instant Pot to ‘Soup’ at high pressure setting for another 5 minutes.
De-pressurize the Instant Pot using the quick release method. Spoon about 1 cup of the soup into the bowl or Pyrex measuring cup with the coconut flour mixture. Whisk together than add back to pot.
Stir in dried marjoram and bring to a boil on the sauté setting. Allow to cook 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Turn off the heat. Remove sausages and cut into smaller pieces if desired then add back into soup, along with meat from pork hock.
Pour the sour cream into a medium bowl or large Pyrex measuring cup. Gradually add some hot soup in (around ½ cup total), spoonful by spoonful, whisking as you go. Gradually stir sour cream mixture into the soup.
Ladle soup into bowls, garnishing with halved boiled eggs, dill and parsley. Serve hot with a side of keto bread if desired.
Did you make this keto Polish white borscht recipe? If so, please let me know how it turned out in the comments. Or if you share pics of your creations on Instagram, please tag me so I can see them. Enjoy! :)
