A pickle soup?! Yep. This recipe is for Slavic folks or pregnant ladies:) However, if you’ve never heard of such a bizarre concept as a pickle soup, I would encourage you to give this a try. If you’re Russian, you probably grew up eating this soup, and don’t see anything unusual about it. Rassolnik brings back warm, nostalgic memories for me, and since I like my pickles, it’s one of my favorites.
Rassolnik is very comforting, since it has potatoes and creamy barley in it, but it also doesn’t taste heavy at all. I feel light and happy after I eat a bowl (or two), which is awesome.
When we still lived in Belarus, my Mom was pregnant and had an extreme craving for Rassolnik. There was one problem though. Cooking and all the different smells in the kitchen made her really nauseous. My Dad doesn’t know anything about cooking. He grew up with his Mom bringing the food to the table and then got married and had my Mom waiting on him hand and foot. Even though he had no idea what he was doing, my Dad decided to make the soup for Mom – he’s such a sweet guy!
He had to go into her room for every. single. step. And half step of the process. Mom thought it was really funny, because he really had no clue what he was doing. However, he had plenty of determination and lots of love in him. He finished the soup, served it to my Mom and she absolutely loved it. I’m sure part of it was due to the fact of how touched she was by his hard work but it tasted great too.
Bring the chicken broth to a boil. (You can start this soup by cooking a quick chicken broth using chicken wings, a quartered onion, some garlic cloves, a bay leaf, peppercorns and some salt. Cook until the chicken is cooked and the broth is very flavorful. Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve lined with a cheesecloth or a paper towel.)
You can also use beef broth or pork. Use whichever meat you like for the broth. Or make this soup as a vegetarian option. Omit the meat and use vegetable broth.
Add the potatoes and barley to the soup.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and keep the soup covered as it cooks. Meanwhile, heat 1/2 Tablespoon of butter in a skillet. Add the onion and carrot. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until they are softened. Add to the soup.
Shred the pickles on a box grater and add to the soup.
You can also add a bit of the pickling brine to the soup. It gives the soup a nice zip.
Cook for 30-40 minutes, until the potatoes and barley are cooked through.
Garnish the soup with some finely minced herbs, parsley, dill, scallions, etc. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.
- 8-10 cups chicken broth (you can also use beef, pork or vegetable broth)
- ½ cup cooked meat, chicken, beef, pork (optional, save from making broth or cook in the broth)
- 2-3 potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces
- ¼ cup pearled barley
- ½ Tablespoon butter
- 1 onion, minced
- 1 carrot, shredded
- 1 cup shredded pickles,
- salt, pepper
- serves 6-8
- Bring the chicken broth to a boil.
- Add the potatoes and barley to the soup. Reduce the heat to a simmer and keep the soup covered as it cooks.
- Meanwhile, heat ½ Tablespoon of butter in a skillet. Add the onion and carrot. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until they are softened. Add to the soup.
- Shred the pickles on a box grater and add to the soup. You can also add a bit of the pickling brine to the soup. It gives the soup a nice zip.
- Cook for 30-40 minutes, until the potatoes and barley are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
- Garnish the soup with some finely minced herbs, parsley, dill, scallions, etc. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.
Vkusnyatina! obojzaiu!
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Something my mom and grandma used to make. I always stick to mediterranean cooking, but your recipes are inspiring me to reconnect to the roots
Olga, made this soup for my family… yummmm! Mike loved it so did Savannah!!!!!! Even Dakota did, and he is not really “into this staff”. Very yummy and delishioso! Thank you very much for the recepie!!!
Hi Natalya. Yay! I’m so glad to hear that! Most people would be surprised how good it tastes even though it sounds a little weird.
Hey Olga! I’m a new reader of yours! I ran into your site looking for a russian potato salad. I dated a Russian from Ukraine many years ago, and haven’t gotten that potato salad out of my head! hehe, it’s goooodd! (I don’t remember there being meat or pea’s in it though?) This here Pickle soup has been on my list of things to make since I heard about it a couple months ago. I will be honest and say I haven’t made it, because I thought my family wouldn’t like it, But. . . Since they love pickles and you posted it, I am definitely going to make it this week. Thank you for bringing these recipes back into my life! One Question: I remember being introduced to Russian Hamburgers back in the day – Do you have a recipe for them?
Hi Jessen,
Welcome! So glad you stopped by. Let me know what you think of the Rassolnik:). It really does sound a little weird, but most people surprisingly end up liking it.
The only thing I could think of for Russian hamburgers would be kotleti. Try this version, Chicken Kotleti; you can use beef, pork or turkey instead of chicken if you want.
olga, i dont have barley on hand. Would it be ok to substitute with white rice or orzo?
Yes, Margarita, you can substitute rice or orzo.
Made this soup this past week and absolutely loved everything about it… The simplicity, lightness, the healthy barley, pickle crunchiness
Thanx for another great post
I’m so glad you liked it, Alla. Whenever I make this soup, I can’t stop with just one bowl. I confess to eating at least 3 in one sitting. I love the combination of pickles and barley, and the best part is how light it tastes.
Hi Olya. Thanks for all the wonderful recepes you’ve posted. I have Rossilnil on my menu for tonight. Would like to know what kind of pickles you use for this soup? Brand name? Because there are so much variety.. Sweet, crunchy, Kosher…. I just need to pick the right one so the taste is right. Thank you in advance.
Hi Olga,
I like using dill pickles. My preference are baby dills, since they don’t have as much seeds as the big pickles do.
Try it with duck! I think it’s the best:)
Great recipe…I tried it tonight and it was really good. Thanks.
I need to start making home made chicken broth and I’m sure my soups will taste a 100 % better. For now, I used the chicken bouillon cubes.
Olya! I made this soup yesterday for the first time! See, I have been married for 3 years and have never made it because my husband told me he didn’t like it. Well, I really was craving some yesterday so I went ahead and made it. When my husband came home and I asked him if he wanted to try some Rassolnik – he gave in and tried it! To my surprise he ate the entire bowl!! He said he liked it really much! Yay!! I was so excited! LOVE YOUR RECIPES
Oksana, That is SO funny! When I first got married, my husband told me that he didn’t like Rassolnik either, but when I made it (I couln’t help myself – it’s one of my favorite soups), he loved it and I make it often now. I’m so glad your family enjoyed it too.
Hi Olga! This is the very first recipe I tried from your blog! The soup is delicious. Thank you so much for sharing it. I used a little more barley (about 1/2 cup) & a little less potatos. Also I used the ham instead of chicken to expedite the cooking process! Needless to say, my husband, who is not Russian, ate two bowls of it right away! I will be visiting your blog more often now.
Oh, also, I never thought of shredding the pickles. My mom always cut them into small cutes, so I did the same. When I made Rassolnik your way, I told my mom about shredding pickles and she was like, “That’s a great idea! Why I never thought of it?”
That’s wonderful, Tatyana C. I love this soup. Whenever I make it I can’t stop at just one bowl. Glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks so much for this recipe, Olya! I was craving this soup since I first had it at my husband’s parents’ house. His babushka made it for us long ago when we were first married, but I couldn’t find her recipe; this seems to be it. It’s bubbling on the stove as we speak. I’m sure it’ll be очень вкусный!
With regard to the request for the potato salad: I’m sure she’s speaking about salad olivye. It can be made with or w/out meat of some kind, but must have canned peas (for that Soviet touch) and dill pickles, of course. If meat is added, it is usually chicken. I have a good recipe if anybody wants….
demelzabunny, I would like your recipe, thank you in advance
I love barely, we used to eat plain, when I saw your recipe, I couldn’t believe it, I am just like you, can’t stop at 1 bowl of soup, I eat soups a lot. your blog is the perfect site for soups, thank you for your hard work! God bless you!
I just made this soup last week:).
I really, really like soups of all kinds. I have to make one at least once a week. I’m so glad to hear that you like them too. We must be “kindred spirits”.