There many, many versions of borscht. This is my mother’s recipe. My father was originally from Ukraine and he loved this version. This can easily be made vegan by using veggie bouillon rather than chicken.
Note, the bunches of dill called for, are large bunches, usually found close to the larger bunches of parsley and cilantro, not the kind in the little clam shells. You would two dozen of those. 
Borscht (Oma’s recipe)
– 10 Beets, with tops
If there are no beet tops available, one bunch of red swiss chard can be substituted
– Small cabbage, shredded and washed
– 2 bunch of dill
– 1 Leek, finely chopped and washed well.
– 5/6 Medium potatoes peeled and cut into 1″ pieces
– 3/4 Carrots, peeled and cut into 1″ pieces
– 3 ribs of celery, finely chopped
– three cloves roasted garlic.
– Theee knorr bouillon cubes (Chicken or Vegetable) or use the stock of your choice
– 2-3 bay leaves
– red wine vinegar to taste
– Hard boiled eggs, quartered
– Sour cream
-First prep all the vegetables by cleaning and chopping as called for. For the beets, this means peeling all, then shredding 1/2 and chopping the other half into a 1″ dice.
-Fill a large stock pot half full of water or stock . Add bouillon cubes if not using stock and shredded cabbage. Bring to a light simmer over medium high heat. Simmer cabbage for about 20 minutes.
-Meanwhile, add 2 T oil to a different pan, sautee carrots, diced beets, celery, and leek until soft.
-When soft, add sauteed veggies to pot with cabbage. Also add potatoes, garlic, bay leaves, shredded beets, beet tops or Swiss chard, chopped dill, and chopped parsley. Bring pot back to a simmer over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Lower heat, cover and very slowly simmer 30-45 minutes until all vegetables are cooked through.
-Add salt and pepper to taste, and finish with a hearty splash of red wine vinegar.
-Serve with a dollop of sour cream, half a hard boiled egg, and more fresh, chopped dill.
