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Beef Soup Kharcho (pronounced harcho), is a hearty beef soup in tomato broth with a wonderful blend of spices and plenty of fresh herbs. The beef is fall-apart tender and just melts in your mouth – delicious! All it needs is a thick slice of fresh crusty bread.
This beef stew also reheats really well and I was pleasantly surprised that my 1-year old loved it! This recipe also made a soup Kharcho lover out of my husband.
Kharcho is Georgian in origin but has been adopted and well loved by Ukrainians for many years. This recipe was loosely adapted from The New Ukrainian Cookbook.
Ingredients for Beef and Tomato Soup (Kharcho):
3 lb beef stew meat
3 tsp salt (I used fine sea salt)
4 Tbsp light olive oil (or any cooking oil), divided
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
4 cups beef broth + 4 cup filtered water
28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 dry bay leaves
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 cup uncooked white rice (I used Jasmine)
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (from 1 medium lemon)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, plus more to serve
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped, plus more to serve
How to Make Beef Soup (Kharcho):
1. Sprinkle meat with 3 tsp salt and stir. Heat a dutch oven or soup pot over medium/high heat and add 2 Tbsp oil. Once oil is hot, add beef in 2 batches, sautéing until browned on all sides (don’t worry about cooking it through). Remove from pot and set aside.
2. Add chopped onion and celery with more oil as needed. Saute 5 minutes until softened.
3. Add canned tomatoes with their juice, 4 cups broth, 4 cups water, 2 bay leaves and browned beef. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until beef is tender.
4. Add 1/2 cup white rice, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 pressed garlic cloves, 1 tsp coriander, 1 tsp paprika. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
5. Remove from heat and add 1/4 cup parsley and 1/4 cup dill then cover and let sit off heat another 10 minutes before serving. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed and serve with more fresh herbs as desired.
Beef Soup (Kharcho)
Ingredients
- 3 lb beef stew meat
- 3 tsp salt
- 4 Tbsp light olive oil, or any cooking oil, divided
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
- 4 cups beef broth + 4 cup filtered water
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 2 dry bay leaves
- 1 tsp ground coriander seeds
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1/2 cup uncooked white rice, I used Jasmine
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, from 1 medium lemon
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, plus more to serve
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped, plus more to serve
Instructions
- Sprinkle meat with 3 tsp salt and stir. Heat dutch oven or soup pot over medium/high heat and add 2 Tbsp oil. Once oil is hot, add beef in 2 batches, sautéing until browned on all sides. Remove from pot and set aside. Don't worry about cooking it through.
- Add chopped onion and celery with more oil as needed. Saute 5 min until softened.
- Add canned tomatoes with their juice, 4 cups broth, 4 cups water, 2 bay leaves and browned beef. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until beef is tender.
- Add 1/2 cup white rice, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 pressed garlic cloves, 1 tsp coriander, 1 tsp paprika. Cover and simmer 20 min or until rice is tender.
- Remove from heat and add 1/4 cup parsley and 1/4 cup dill then cover and let sit off heat another 10 min before serving. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with more fresh herbs as desired.
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Delicious! The flavors are amazing. Will definitely make again!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Katie!
This reminds me of a Columbian pot roast I made a couple of days ago. Except for the rice and lemon, the ingredients are the same–though I used a chuck roast. Rice was served on the side. I could probably cut the leftover roast up and make this soup.
Wow! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, BB!
Could you use cauliflower rice? We’re doing low carb and rice isn’t on the low carb diet?
Hi Cheryl, while I haven’t tried that, one of our readers has. Here’s what they said: “LOVED THIS! Great leftovers too. I’m watching my sugar/starch intake for health reasons, so replaced the rice with cauliflower rice. My family couldn’t tell the difference and scarfed it down!” I hope this is helpful!
I was wondering if I wanted to store the soup in the fridge for a few days if it would turn into a ‘stoup’ because the rice would suck up the broth?
Hi Paula, if you don’t add too much and don’t overcook the rice, it will work out fine. It loosens up with heating. If that is a concern, I would recommend just using a little less rice.
Natasha! Your Kharcho is to die for! I made it with barley instead of rice, but otherwise stuck to the recipe and my family loved it! Do you have a good recipe for a solyanka?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
For some reason this soup was to sour? Everyone complained of it during dinner time. I also didn’t use lemon because I realized I didn’t have it. Wonder if that would’ve helped with the acidity. But I believe it’s the amount of tomato that made it sour.
Hi Olga, I haven’t had that complaint about it being sour. Were the tomatoes expired possibly? Or was there anything else in the tomatoes besides just plain tomatoes? There are several varieties in the grocery store. I’m not sure what else it could have been? That amount of tomatoes shouldn’t make the soup sour. Also, make sure you don’t skip the rice which helps balance out the flavors in the soup.
A nice tomato / beef soup – but not kharcho as one would expect as there are no walnuts or tkemali in it.
I hope you try and like our version soon, Paul!
I thought this recipe had walnuts in it. The other ones that i have seen do.
I just happen to have a Khomli Georgian spice Packet I bought for beef stew, which has fenuGreek blue, fennel, coriander, celery, parsley, saffron, Bay leaf, red pepper, and black pepper. I was searching for a recipe to use it in and founds yours, which looks delicious. I’ll try your main recipe and then use the spice packet at the right point. But then later I’ll try your recipe as written. Thank you.
Sounds like a great plan, Holly. Please share with us how it goes if you try both versions!
Khmeli Suneli, you can’t make good kharcho without it.
Heaven in a bowl !!!
Like Ludmila said, Kharcho (ხარჩო) is cuisine is from the country of Georgia, not Russia. 🙂 Very good soup which is connected close to the Georgian culture. Great also with the spices Marigold and Fenugreek.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Natasha, I just had to let you know how much my family and I enjoy this soup. After discovering the recipe, I’ve made this soup 3 times over the winter! I’m secretly hoping for one more super cold day here in Illinois so I can make this soup one last time before it gets too warm out! Thank you for the delicious recipe!❤️
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Allison! I’m happy you enjoyed this recipe.
I must have made this soup a million times. Although it’s not the authentic harcho recipe, nevertheless we love it as is with beef. It’s a lot less fat than with lamb and always tastes delicious. Today, I added diced tomatoes with green chilies (medium). All I have to say is Wow! It always tasted amazing but today the soup had a little kick that made the soup scrumptious. Enjoy!!!
Hi Angela, I’m so glad you enjoyed this soup! Thank you for your wonderful review.
I have made this soup numerous times and me and my husband love it! Tonight I added kale, leftover that I didn’t want to throw out. Tasted wonderful!
Nice to know that! Thanks for sharing that with us, I’m glad you loved it with kale too.
So sorry but my husband and I did not enjoy this soup. Soon found out that neither one of us like coriander !
Looking forward to trying another one of your recipes.
Hi Debbie, the coriander is normally not easily detected. I wonder if maybe too much was used or if you have an aversion to cilantro then coriander is the seed of cilantro and maybe just doesn’t agree with you.
Hi, it’s not Russian it is Georgian 🙂
“Kharcho is Georgian in origin” that’s exactly what she wrote! No one said it was Russian 🙂
The recipe card has the cuisine listed as Russian, not Georgian. Perhaps that’s what the comment is referring to.
This is truly an amazing soup with so many wonderful flavors. The only change I make is I take out the meat once it’s cooked, shred it and put it back in. The whole family gets very excited when I tell them I’m making kharcho!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha
Can I substitute quinoa for the rice?
Hi Rosie, I haven’t tried that substitution to advise. If you happen to experiment, I would love to know how you like that.
Hi Natasha!
Made this delicious soup today. My goodness, love the flavors!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review.