I grew up in Russia (obligatory fuck Putin), and my mom would make borscht every couple of weeks. While I never had the exact recipe, and I don’t measure things anymore, this recipe is as close as it gets to my mom’s soup. The only difference is she would add a green bell pepper instead of the tomatoes.
It’s a bit involved (and your kitchen will look like you murdered someone because of the beets), but it’s worth the effort!
I always find borscht tastes better to me the next day. The flavors seem to blend better. Great with sour cream and some black bread.