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Rassolnik is a strange and classic soup made with barley, beef, pow-taters, carrots, and… pickles? You mean cucumbers, right? Nope, pickles as in dill pickles in a jar. That’s right! I just devoured a large bowl of this pickle soup goodness. It’s hearty and the beef was tender and oh so satisfying. It’s strangely good with the pickles.
Did you know Rassolnik has existed for more than 500 years :-O! And more than a few of you love it since you’ve been hammering me about posting a good rossolnik recipe for the past couple years. I finally caved and I’m glad I did!
Everyone except the little guy enjoyed this, but he also doesn’t like sorrel soup. Something about the sour in soups doesn’t mesh well with him so he ate vareniki instead ;). I tell you what, this pickle soup is definitely a comfort food; my Mom’s favorite.
Ingredients for Rassolnik Pickle Soup:
12 cups water
1 lb lean Beef, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup barley, rinsed
1/2 Tbsp salt + more to taste
3 medium potatoes, diced
1 carrot thinly sliced into rings
6 baby pickles (about 1 1/2 cups diced)
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 carrot grated
1 onion, finely diced
2 celery sticks, finel sliced
1 Tbsp tomato paste or Ketchup
2 Tbsp dill, optional, but very nice
2 Bay leaves
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Sour cream and extra dill to serve
How To Make Rassolnik Pickle Soup:
1. In a large pot, partially cover with lid and cook 12 cups water, beef and barley with 1/2 Tbsp salt (30 min). Skim off any impurities that rise to the top to keep your soup clear.
2. Sautee pickles with 1 Tbsp oil for a few minutes on medium/high heat. Add pickles, potatoes and sliced carrots to the pot and cook for an additional 10 min while making your Mirepoix “zazharka” in step 3.
3. Mirepoix/Zazharka: Add 3 Tbsp olive oil to a large skillet and sauté onion (2 min), then add grated carrot and sliced celery and continue to saute until carrots are soft (5 min). Stir 1 Tbsp tomato paste or ketchup into the pan and add this mixture to the soup pot.
5. Toss in 2 bay leaves, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 2 Tbsp dill and more salt to taste. Continue to simmer for another 2 minutes or until your potatoes are fully cooked and can be easily pieced with a fork.
Enjoy! Some people eat it with a dollop of sour cream, but I didn’t think it needed it. I’ve tried both ways and I like the lighter taste without the sour cream. I hope you love it!!
Beef, Barley and Pickle Soup (Rassolnik)
Ingredients
- 12 cups water
- 1 lb lean Beef, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/4 cup barley, rinsed
- 1/2 Tbsp salt + more to taste
- 3 medium potatoes, diced
- 1 carrot thinly sliced
- 6 baby pickles/ 3 adult pickles, or 1 1/2 cups diced
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 carrot grated
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 celery sticks, finel sliced
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste or Ketchup
- 2 Tbsp dill, optional, but very nice
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Sour cream, optional and extra dill to serve
Instructions
- In a large pot, partially cover with lid and cook 12 cups water, beef and barley with 1/2 Tbsp salt (30 min at a light boil). Skim off any impurities that rise to the top to keep your soup clear.
- Sautee pickles with 1 Tbsp oil for a few minutes on medium/high heat. Add pickles, potatoes and sliced carrots to the pot and cook for an additional 10 min while making your Mirepoix a.k.a. "zazharka" (step 3).
- Zazharka: Add 3 Tbsp olive oil to a large skillet and sauté onion (2 min), then add grated carrot and sliced celery and continue to saute until carrots are soft (5 min). Stir 1 Tbsp tomato paste or ketchup into the pan and add this mixture to the soup pot.
- Toss in 2 bay leaves, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 2 Tbsp dill and more salt to taste (I added another 1/2 Tbsp salt). Continue to simmer for another 2 minutes or until your potatoes are fully cooked and can be easily pieced with a fork.
Notes
hi Natasha! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I have been looking for it for a long time! One question. Do I add all 12 cups of water with the beef and barley in the beginning? I couldn’t quite see where the water came in, in the process. Do I need to saute’ meat first?
Thank you!
All of the 12 cups of water go in at the beginning with the beef. I’ll clarify that. Thanks for asking 🙂 No need to saute the meat first 🙂
yey! my request has been granted! Thank you Natasha! I gotta try your version.
You’re welcome 🙂 I hope you love it!
I don’t like rassolnik, but the huge chunks of meat might make me try it one day. Your soup looks so good!)))
By the way, zazharka can also be called “Mirepoix”, you can probably google it 🙂
Oh I had no idea it was called Mirepoix!! Thanks so much 🙂
It’s so interesting, I make same recipe except my kiddos don’t like celery in it.
This is our family favorite soup. I should make it this week thank you for the idea.
I don’t like raw celery in soups either that’s why I saute celery first and then you can’t even notice them (it’s the texture that bothers me), but they sure do enhance the flavor of soups. 🙂 Have you tried sautéing it first?
This is one of my favorite soups! Thank you for the recipe Natasha! 🙂
You’re welcome 🙂
My “rassolnik” recipe is very similar to yours. Its one good and hearty soup, but…. I stopped making it because kids refuse to eat it. I tried and tried… anything with pickles is no go. =(
Looks like my son isn’t the only kiddo who isn’t a fan of sour soups. Oh well.
I make this soup exactly as you do. The only thing I add graTed pickles (not diced). That way you don’t taste them as much. My cousin’s husband never tried that soup and he did not like the name of it 🙂 But he asked for more soup when he tried mine.
I think the grated pickles would make for a nice texture too. I’ll have to give it a whirl next time. Thanks Galina! 🙂
Cooked rassolnik yesterday. yeah kids are not big fans of it. your recipe sounds good.
Thanks Nadia 🙂 Yeah, mine either, but I’m hopeful he’ll change his mind in the future 😉
I can’t wait to make this soup. Love soups with beef. Totally off subject, but I was going to ask you if you happened to find out the tomato juice recipe for your canned marinated bell peppers recipe? https://natashaskitchen.com/2013/09/16/marinated-bell-peppers-recipe/
I am wanting to can these really soon, been itching to can something in the winter and these look delish. Thanks!
I haven’t since it’s way past tomato season, but you can use any good store-bought version such as V8 or Campbell’s and it will work great 🙂
Love IT! i was driving home from college today, was thinking man i was rasolnik so bad, but i never make it before. so i went on your blog, and guess what?!!! on the first top page tadam recipe for rasolnik, thank u so much for sharing and easy steps!!! What would i do without u natasha,
thank u so much !!
Ha ha that’s fantastic!! I’m happy for you. 🙂
Oh, lovely soup! But as I remember it should have rice instead, bell pepper and lots of pepper! Isn’t it?
The barley is a little healthier and has a better texture. It can be made with rice, but I think the original is made with barley. I bet bell pepper would taste good in this.
nope, the original rassolnik has barley in it and no bell pepper, it would change the flavor
I make this recipe often but do not use pickles, I use pickle juice like from hamburger dill pickles. I use to taste. We live this soup
I guess that’s a great way to use the juice which would get poured down the sink otherwise. Thank you for sharing!! 🙂
Yum! Your recipe is a little different then mine. Mine have mushrooms and kolbasa. I really did not like rassolnik when I was growing up. Now I love it. 🙂
Mushrooms and kielbasa sound really good too!! Any specific kind of Kielbasa you like to use?
For this recipe ham works well. But my favorite kolbasa is “Alex Meat German Brand Vologna” in red cover. I use it in all my recipes. 🙂 It’s picture here http://leascooking.blogspot.com/2012/04/ditalini-macaroni-salad.html .
Oh I love ham! Its something I’d be sneaking out of the fridge 😉 Thanks so much for sharing!
Hey Natasha, thx for this soup recipe i wanna try making it, and i have all the ingredience except beef meat, can i use pork instead? cause thats the only thing i have in the fridge? i think it should be ok, what do u think? if not then i’ll have to wait till i go to the store:) lol
I think it would well with pork. I hope you love it!
Thank you for posting this recipe. I have been looking for one and will be making it this weekend.
Oh I hope you LOVE it and I hope it makes your Rassolnik dreams come true 😉
HAHA Your first sentence is exactly what I was thinking when I saw the title. I got your email and saw Barley… Yum… Beef… Nice… Pickle… EHHH? LOL I love pickles but I don’t know that I would like them in my soup, I think I have to try this out one day just to find out 😉
I think you’d be pleasantly surprised. If you have had sorrel soup (schavel soup), it has a similar effect of giving the soup a little sour kick. It’s nice 🙂 If it’s been made for over 500 years, there must be something to it! 😉
Totally agree!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe!! Do you have the recipe for Kapustnyak by any chance?? I am craving this soup and do not know how to make it. It is so good!
I don’t have one posted yet but it’s on my to-do list. It’s one of those classics that my hubby keeps reminding me about 😉
Looks great! It used to be my favourite when I was little so there is still hope for your little one. I completely agree on “no sour cream” deal, it’s flavourful on its own and the clear broth is so beautiful so why make it mirky. 😉
Yeah, and it just didn’t add anything to the soup at all. My hubby agreed. 🙂 no sour cream required.
Do you add the barley in the beginning?
Sorry I missed it, see it
No worries 🙂 I hope you love the soup!
Thank you for posting it. I was actually thinking about making this soup, but was going to bother my mom for the recipe, now I don’t have to!
Something about sour soup is very hearty and comforting. I really like kapustnyak (saurkraut soup), the sorrel soup, and the rassolnik. Especially when it’s served super hot on a cold day.
This is totally off the subject of soup, but my husband’s coworker treated him to a snack that sounded kind of weird, but when he recreated it at home, it was actually good (it’s sourish too, that’s what made me think of it now)
Pickled asparagus (we bought ours at Winco, but Costco has bigger jars)
Cream cheese
Sliced deli ham
–Take 1 slice of the ham, spread a small amount of cream cheese on it, put 2 asparagus sticks in the middle and just roll it up. If making a lot of them for large group for an appetizer, just stick a toothpick to hold the snack together.
Enjoy! (You’d be surprised, I was for sure)
That sounds like something I’d crave in the middle of the night! 😉 Thanks so much for sharing. I’ll have to add it to my shopping list.