Yes you can! It’s great with pork, and you can certainly make it with chicken if you wanted to. I love getting a rotisserie chicken and then using the carcass for the broth and the meat to put into the soup later.

It should probably say “instead of meat”.

It takes 45 mins to boil the meat to make meat broth for the soup. So if you use veggie broth instead of water (and obviously no meat), you can save the 45 mins it takes to boil the meat and go directly to step 2, which is sautéing the beets and other veggies, then adding them to the broth. Hope this makes sense!

Also, here is the pasted recipe so you don’t need to use the site:

Ingredients for Borscht with Beef:

• 1 lb Beef: sirloin, stew meat, or whatever kind of beef you like, really

• 14 cups cold water

• 1 Tbsp salt + more to taste

• 2 large or 3 medium beets, washed, peeled and grated

• 4 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 Tbsp vinegar

• 1 Tbsp sugar

• 2 Tbsp tomato sauce, or paste (or 3 Tbsp ketchup)

• 1 Tbsp butter

• 1 medium onion, finely diced

• 2 carrots, grated

• 2 large or 3 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced into bite-sized pieces

• 1/2 head of small cabbage, sliced

• 2 tomatoes, peeled and diced (can use 1 can of petite diced tomatoes)

• 2 bay leaves

• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley + more for garnish

• 2 cloves garlic, pressed

• Garnish: Sour cream and fresh sprigs of parsley or dill.

Instructions

Wash meat in cold water, cut into 1" pieces and place in a large soup pot with 14 cups cold water and 1 Tbsp salt. Bring it to a boil and remove the foam as soon as it boils (if you wait, it will be hard to get rid of foam as it integrates into the broth and you’d have to strain it later). Reduce heat, partially cover and simmer 45 minutes - 1 hr, periodically skimming off any foam that rises to the top.

Grate beets on the large grater holes (a food processor works amazingly well). Place them in a large heavy-bottom skillet with 4 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp vinegar and saute for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to med/low and add 1 Tbsp sugar and 2 Tbsp tomato sauce Mix thoroughly and saute until starting to soften, stirring occasionally (about 10 min). Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same skillet (no need to wash it), Saute onion in 1 Tbsp butter for 2 min. Add grated carrot and sautee another 5 min or until softened, adding more oil if it seems too dry. Once the meat has been cooking at least 45 min, place sliced potatoes into the soup pot and cook 10 min, then add cabbage, sauteed beets, onion & carrot, and chopped tomatoes. Cook another 10 minutes or until potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork.

Add 2 bay leaves, 1/4 tsp pepper, and more salt to taste (I added another 1/2 tsp salt).

Chop parsley and pressed garlic then stir them into the soup pot, immediately cover and remove from heat. Let the pot rest covered for 20 minutes for the flavors to meld.

In this recipe, 1 tablespoon of sugar is added to beets along with some vinegar and tomato paste. This makes them sweeter, but not super sweet. No other sugar is added.

I only just had it for the first time in October, instantly a fan. I don’t get it, I hate beets but this is so delicious

I grew up on it, so it’s the taste of childhood for me. I could also live off this soup!