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Russian

Solyanka

Non-vegetarian

Солянка · Solyanka

A hearty Russian soup that is salty, sour and smoky all at once: several cured and cooked meats in a tomato-tinged broth with dill pickles, olives and capers, served with lemon and sour cream.

Solyanka is a Russian soup, ready in about 1 hour 45 minutes and made with dill pickles and kielbasa (smoked polish sausage). It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Bowl of hearty solyanka soup with sour cream, garnished with green onions, served with bread slices.
Photo: Gundula Vogel / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
20 min
Cook
1 h 15 min
Rest
10 min
Total
1 h 45 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
320

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    If the beef is raw, simmer it in the stock until tender (about 1 hour), then lift it out and cut into strips. Otherwise just bring the stock to a simmer.

    Food safety: Wash hands and surfaces after handling raw beef.

  2. Step 2

    In a frying pan or a second pot, soften the onions (opens in a new tab) in the oil, then stir in the tomato paste (opens in a new tab) and the pickles and fry for 5 minutes until the paste darkens.

    • 10 min
    • medium heat
    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the onion (opens in a new tab) mixture, sausage, ham (opens in a new tab), beef, potatoes (opens in a new tab) and bay to the stock and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

    • 15 min
    • medium-low heat

  4. Step 4

    Add the olives, capers (opens in a new tab) and the water or pickle brine and simmer 2 minutes more. Season with pepper (opens in a new tab) — it rarely needs salt. Rest off the heat for 10 minutes.

    • 12 min

  5. Step 5

    Serve each bowl with a slice of lemon (opens in a new tab), a spoonful of sour cream (opens in a new tab) and plenty of dill (opens in a new tab).

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Russia · Well documentedAlso popular in Ukraine, GermanyMore food from Russia
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Soups · Main courses
    Cooking method
    Sautéed, Simmered
    Taste
    sour, salty, smoky, savoury
    Diet
    No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
    All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Uses leftovers · One-pot
    Cook more with
    Dill pickles · Kielbasa (smoked Polish sausage) · Onion · Tomato paste · Beef stock · Ham
    Techniques
    Sautéing · Simmering · Pickling

    Allergens

    • Contains: Milkfrom sour cream
    • May contain: Mustardfrom dill pickles, kielbasa (smoked polish sausage)
    • May contain: Celeryfrom beef stock
    • May contain: Sulphitesfrom kielbasa (smoked polish sausage)

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    320 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 472 g · recipe makes 6

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 26%
    • Carbohydrate 16%
    • Fat 58%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy320 kcal68 kcal
    Protein21.1 g4.5 g
    Carbohydrate13 g2.8 g
    Net carbohydrate10.5 g2.2 g
    Sugars5.5 g1.2 g
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre2.5 g0.5 g
    Fat21.2 g4.5 g
    Saturated fat5.8 g1.2 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol65 mg14 mg
    Sodium1380 mg292 mg
    Salt equivalent3.5 g0.7 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    923 mg
    Calcium
    92 mg
    Iron
    2.5 mg
    Magnesium
    48 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    37 µg
    Vitamin C
    14 mg
    Vitamin D
    0.5 µg
    Vitamin B12
    1.3 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    23 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: potato.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Solyanka is a classic way to use up leftover sausages, ham and roast meat; the more kinds the better.

    Common mistakes

    • Salting before tasting — the pickles, olives, capers and cured meat supply plenty of salt.

    Storage

    • Keeps 3 days chilled and tastes better the next day.

    Reheating

    • Reheat until piping hot; add the lemon and sour cream fresh.

    Variations

    • Fish solyanka: Made with sturgeon, salmon or other fish in fish broth instead of meat.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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