Beef Soup (Kharcho) Recipe
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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
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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.
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Add chopped onion and celery with more oil as needed. Saute 5 min until softened.
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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.
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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.
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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.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Natasha Kravchuk
Beef Stew Recipe (VIDEO) 
Beef Plov (Beef Rice Pilaf) Recipe 
Lamb Stew Recipe 
Borscht Recipe with Meat 
Beef Stuffed Bell Peppers 
Slow-Cooked Beef Stroganoff 
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Hi, I would like know what brand of herb do you use mostly?
Have a good day
Hi Yumna, we get most of our herbs from our and my Mom’s garden. Otherwise, we will purchase what the store has in the organic section. If you take a look at our video of our kitchen tour I did show our spice drawer and I quickly realized McCormick was the majority
Just made this soup. It is so good and looks exactly as pictured. Definitely, it goes on my family’s favs list.
Natasha, I would like to thank you for your recipes and for your blog. Six years ago, I’ve moved to the US. I was really lost. It was so difficult to learn all those new names and products. I missed many of my favorite Slavic flavors. By chance, I’ve found this blog, and it changed my cooking completely. I’ve found out that all of my lovely recipes are absolutely easy to make with local products, and make them even tastier. I’ve learned so many new amazing cooking tips. I felt in love with Mexican food and I am not afraid to try something new (chicken enchiladas – OMG – so good!!) Thank you so much! I’ve tried many recipes from the blog, and they all are win. My family’s menu consists 100% from your recipes. Tomorrow, it’s gonna be cheeseburger sliders and baked potato wedges day. Can’t wait to make them
Sorry for mistakes, Russian is still my first language.
That’s just awesome Irina! Thank you so much for that wonderful review. I’m so glad you’re enjoying our recipes!
Hi,do you think homemade beef bone broth will be good for this recipe?
Thank you
Hi Alina, that would be great.
This soup is incredibly delicious. All the wonderful flavors meld so well together. It’s easy and mostly hands off, which I love. Thank you for another recipe. It’s a keeper!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Irene! Thank you for sharing that with us!
Best recipe for soup Kharcho!!!!!
Thank you so much for giving this recipe an excellent review!
I came back to give this soup 5 stars. I have made the soup many times now and it’s still my favorite to eat. I had some for breakfast today 🙂
This is one for the recipe book. Thank you for a lovely recipe.
Hello Ava, thank you for this excellent feedback. I’m so happy that this is one of your favorites!
Can you provide instructions to make this in a instapot?
Hi Sabrina, I think this beef soup could be adapted to an instant pot but I haven’t tried it personally so I won’t be able to say if any modifications need to be made.
Have you ever tried this with ground beef instead? Would it not give off as much flavor? I have ground beef and just trying to find good use for it
Hi Alina, I haven’t tested that with ground beef to advise. If you experiment, please let me know how you like that recipe.
I have made this soup twice now, it is so delicious and so full of flavor!! I always have 2 servings at a time.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Hi Natasha! I have made this recipe 3 times now and my hubby and I loooove it. However this weekend I am having 13 people over my house and I want to make this soup along with other dishes. How many servings would you say this recipe makes? I am just wondering if I need to double the batch. Thank you!!
Hi Tanya, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Recipes like this generally serve 8 people depending on your portion size.
I made your Rassolnik last week and thought I’d try Kharcho this week. The Rassolnik was so good, and the Kharcho is almost finished, a quick taste test and there are so many flavors, I can’t wait to add the dill. I am going to use barley instead of rice, as I think it fits the heartiness better, and definitely going to add a scoop of sour cream in my bowl.
Mmm I bet your home smells so good right now!! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I really want to try this but my husband hates coriander. Will the flavor be affected much if I leave it out?
Hi Tiffine, Using cilantro is a great substitute because coriander is the seed of cilantro. Several of our readers have used that with great results.
Delicious! This soup came out amazing. Was my first time making beef soup so very happy with outcome. Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it
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! This will become a part of our meal rotation. Thanks, Natasha — once again, you’re a rock star!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Gina!
From the pix it appears you did not rinse the rice; I just wanted to confirm since you usually specify.
thx,
Bill
Hi Bill, I did not rinse it for this recipe. You can rinse if you prefer, but the soup will be just slightly thinner since the starch on the rice makes the soup a little thicker
That’s what I figured. It’s rainy and chilly here in the mtns of NC and I was looking something to de-gloom the day. This recipe seemed to be waving its arms hollerin’ pick me. I had a 4.5lb chuck eye roast in the freezer that needed doin’ so it’s in the sink thawing as we speak. I think this and a cake of good southern cornbread is all a body will need to make this a better day…and maybe a good bourbon while it’s cookin’.
Wanting to make this tomorrow but had a quick question. Is ground coriander seed the same thing as ground coriander? Thank you!
Yes, that is correct. Coriander is the seed of cilantro and ground coriander is the same as ground coriander seed.
Could you skip the Dill or add something else. Neither my son nor I like dill.
We love it with Dill but you are welcome to omit or substitute that.
Delicious!
Thank you for that great review, Donna!
I want to make this in the crock pot, how long would you suggest
Hi Sarah, Honestly, I have not tried that but I think that could work in a crockpot. If you experiment and figure out the time we would love to know.
I love this soup so much! I made this recipe for the first time when I was staying in Russia with my boyfriend, and we are making it for the first time tonight now that we are back in Canada. So good!
It’s a classic! Thank you for the great review!
Hi Natasha! What great recipes you have. I enjoy watching your videos, you have such a bubbly and cheerful spirit. I made Kharcho today for the first time, and it was a big hit! I love cooking and I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review Annesha!
What a fantastic recipe. Just made a huge pot of this, my go too from now on for soups. Thank you so much.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Oh my gosh. I’m 5 months pregnant and this looked so good. I made it today and was able to down 2 bowls of this delishesness. I haven’t been able to eat that much in one sitting in at least 2 weeks. This is so yummy!!!
This comment just made my day! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for that awesome feedback.
Made this again last night -SO GOOD! Used San Marzano tomatoes from a can – maybe that contributed? Thanks, Natasha!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that! Thank you for sharing that awesome review!
Love your recipes. Can you add some pressure cooker conversion info
I love making soup in a pressure cooker
Hi Pattie, I haven’t tested this in a pressure cooker but I love the idea! If I come up with a conversion, I will be sure to share it. If you beat me to it, please share your results here and thank you in advance!
Natasha, Do you know how this recipe could be adapted to Instant Pot? It seems like it would do well. Thanks!
Hi Carolyn, I think this beef soup could be adapted to an instant pot but I haven’t tried it personally so I won’t be able to say if any modifications need to be made.
I have heard that it is often made with sour plums and pomegranate juice.
Is that true?
Hi Russell, I’ve never seen that version before.
You can use sour plums but with green onions and no rice. That’s totaly another thing
For how many persons is thuis recipe
Hi Karin, recipes like this generally serve 8 people depending on your portion size.
Hi i have not tried this recipe but it looks great and reviews tell me that it’s a hit.
I have acid reflux issue that come strong if i consume canned tomatoes. Is there any alternative to 4 cans of tomatoes? Cut it down or something else?
Hi Muzzie, I haven’t tried a substitution since that is one of the main ingredients in the soup. I think it would be worth an experiment if you do find a substitute.
I finally tried this recipe today. I made half since there are only two of us and it was the first time. It was a big hit! I did substitute cumin as I didn’t have coriander. I also added another cup beef stock after 1.5 hours of simmering. Will definitely make this again as the full recipe! Thank you for sharing. Love your recipes.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Made this for 3rd time last night, added tbsp worchestershire plus 6 oz red wine. Made potato rolls to accompany. We were in the:
GARDEN OF EATIN!!!!!!!!
That’s so great, Jerry! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Would you be able to do the soup using a slow cooker if you browned the beef first?
Hi Bonnie! Honestly, I have not tried that but I think that could work!
This looks like it will be great to make and share! It is impossible for me to make “a little bit of soup”, so I make it, then take some to my mom in law and also to our 94 year old neighbor! Sharing food is my love language!
Yes! We always make a full pot! I love that food is shareable and bring families together!
I recommend this recipe so very much as a staple dish , not only does it fill your home with a amazing smell of home cooked happiness but it just tastes amazing 😉
Thank you so much Natasha my cooking has been changed for the best xx
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Oh. My. YUM! Comfort food just got real up in here! This will now be my go-to recipe for beef stew. (I added potatoes and carrots because it just didn’t make sense not to.) My husband and I were still eating this a week after I made it and we didn’t get sick of it. Yes, it’s THAT good! Спасибо, Наташа!
You’re so welcome! Thank you for the great review!
This soup is absolutely awesome. Made it as per directions but only used 2.3 lbs of beef tips which was plenty. It froze beautifully. Never had used fresh dull nor fresh parsley before but that addition was a real taste treat. Thank you Natasha for another great recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Just got an Instanpot and was wondering if I could make this soup there instead of dutch oven? Thanks!!
HI Inga, I think this beef soup could be adapted to an instant pot but I haven’t tried it personally so I won’t be able to say if any modifications need to be made.
We often make this in our old fashioned pressure cooker and it turns out beautifully. In our model, in step three I cook at high pressure for 15 minutes, then release pressure and continue on with the recipe as written.
Thank you so much for sharing your pressure cooker beef soup method!
Wonderful, thanks! I will absolutely be trying this with mine.
You’re so welcome! Enjoy!
So instead of cooking the for an hour and a half you do it for 15 minutes then you add the rice and cook it for. 20 minutes in the pressure cooker?
My mother-in-law was of Polish descent and this soup looks exactly like her “Tomato Rice” soup that she used to make. Sadly, I never got the recipe from her before she passed away. I am excited to try this recipe in hopes of recreating her delicious soup in my own kitchen. Wish me luck!
I hope this is what you remember it to be! Thank you for sharing this with us!
It’s cold outside so I made this soup today. I used some leftover ribeye, crushed tomatoes because I didn’t have diced, and a little bit more rice. It was delicious!! Even the persnikkity 14 year old liked it! Definitely will be repeated!
Sounds like you found a favorite! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
Would you be able to make this in an instant pot? If you can, how long would you cook it for. Sounds delicious.
That is an excellent question, Terri! I haven’t tried that, however. If you experiment please let me know how you like it!
Your recipes are so good! First time trying this and it is great. I couldn’t help myself tweaking it just a little. I added carrots partly because of the color (they look so good with the green of the celery and white of the onions) and partly because I try to eat a little more vegetables. To that end I also added cabbage because I figured it would go so well with this. I added it after an hour of simmering and a little before the rice. One thing I didn’t try but thought about was a splash of red wine. Though I halved the water I doubled the rice and yet it was not too thick or have too much rice. And the suggestion of crusty bread to serve it with was perfect.
We love this with bread! Thanks for sharing this with us Alex!
Could I use left over roast beef…or is the extra flavour from the stewing beef necessary
The stewing is pretty important to distribute that flavor. I would probably use a broth of some sort if choosing to use left over pot roast
Yes, I thought so…it look so good I wanted to make it now..and I have left over roast..Thank you
You’re welcome!
Greetings from a cold and gloomy London. Thanks so much for this recipe which is super-delicious and super-adaptable according to what is in the pantry and how spicy you like it. I make it when we’ve had a lamb shank supper the night before which means I can simmer the bones together with the the celery and onion at the initial stage and I add the lamb meat leftovers near the end.
We never have left overs with this! Thank you for the wonderful review, Rosemary!
Just excellent! It’s a rainy Sunday and I so enjoyed this wonderful soup.I immediately sent the recipe to a dear friend. It’s a keeper. I also enjoy your sausage, kale and white bean soup and make that regularly. Thank you so much!
Thank you for the wonderful review, Della! I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Loved this recipe! The only thing that I changed was use pearled barley instead of rice and added some zucchini at the end just because I had so many from the garden, it was perfect!
That’s awesome Nadia! Thank you for the great review and sharing that with us!
First and foremost, I must say, I absolutely love this recipe. I have made it at least 5 times already, and it always tastes just as good as when I first tasted it when on a trip to Russia.
I was wondering what you think of using pearled barley instead of rice? I find the rice tends to fall apart when I make it. Maybe it’s just the brand of jasmine rice I’ve been using…
Hi Anthony, Thank you! 🙂 I haven’t tried with pearl barley, but keep in mind that barley will take longer to cook so you would want to add it sooner and cook longer.
How important is it to cook the rice in the soup? I want to make the soup a couple of hours ahead of serving as think the rice might be better added in later. Also, if I freeze leftovers, rice doesn’t usually freeze well.
That sounds like a great idea, especially if you plan on freezing it! The rice will miss its flavor, however. The rice takes on a lot of the flavor of the broth. If you experiment I would love to know the results
I made this soup without rice and then added the rice for leftovers. We didn’t end up freezing any. It was really tasty both ways but definitely better with the rice, because it gave it more bulk. I cooked the rice in some of the extra broth from the soup. Yum!!
Thank you for getting back to use with your results! I’m happy you enjoyed that!
Could you add carrots and potatoes to this with the same amount of liquids or would you need to add more?
Hi Lauren, it depends on how much carrots and potatoes you add but you would have to add more liquid and adjust seasonings proportionately unless you removed some of the rice. The rice absorbs quite a bit of liquid and the soup is hearty and not too liquidy.
Very helpful … thank you!
You’re welcome Lauren!
This was so delicious. My whole family loved it. I used my trusty pressure cooker to cook the meat and saved a couple of hours. Also I used basmati instead of jasmine rice. Thanks Natasha!
You’re welcome Yuri! I’m glad your family enjoys the recipe as much as mine does. Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
My wife and I are traveling to Tbilisi next weekend for our first trip to Georgia so I thought I’d give us a little preview and make some kharcho. What a fantastic recipe. With every bite you can close your eyes and taste every element – tangy lemon, herbal dill, smoky paprika, peppery parsley all wrapped around the rich beef and tomato base. Thank you and keep the recipes coming!
I’m happy to hear how much you enjoy the flavors of this recipe. Thank YOU for sharing your fantastic review!
Hi Natasha, thank you so much for all these amazing recipes. You are THE BEST!!
have you tried to do this again now you have an Instant pot? If yes, would you share your settings please?
Thank you
Ana
Hi Ana, I haven’t tried this one in an instant pot, but I think it might be worth a test! I’ll add it to my list and if I come up with a great instant pot version, I’ll let you know. If you beat me to it, let me know how it goes! 🙂
looking forward to your Instant Pot version…..
Natasha, can I substitute chicken?
Hi Veena, I haven’t tried that substitution but if you do try, I think chicken thighs (dark meat) would work better than chicken breast.
Ooo my what can I say except WOW WOW WOW!!!! This taste amazing. So yummy 😋. The only thing I did different was I added carrots and kidney beans. I think it’s safe to say that this is the best soup I ever tried! Thank you so much for all your hard work and god bless.
My pleasure Diana! I’m happy to hear how much you love the recipe. Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
This soup was amazingly delicious and easy to make. The flavors were such an interesting blend and the meat, as you said, melts in your mouth. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
You’re welcome Mary! I’m happy to hear how much you enjoy the recipe. Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
How do i print this recipe? Beef soup Kharcho
Here is the direct link to the recipe: https://natashaskitchen.com/2016/03/29/beef-soup-kharcho/. Where you find the recipe instructions, on the top right, you will see an icon to “print”. I hope this helps Florence!
Can you use brown rice for this recipe?
Hi Alicja, I haven’t tested it with brown rice, but if I did, I would add it while the meat is cooking since that is a lengthy cooking time and brown rice takes almost 3 times longer to cook than white rice. With some modifications, I think you could make it work, I just haven’t tested it that way to give you specific instructions.
This soup is amazing, better than I thought. I am not a huge meat fan and I love it. I made the recipe for my meat loving peeps. The quantities/ratios is great just added slightly more rice. I am wondering if it okay to freeze this soup with rice in it? It makes a lot. Oh calculated calories it is around 400 for 2 cups.
Hi Janine, thank you for the wonderful review! I’m so happy you love the recipe :). I haven’t tried freezing this soup but I think it would work well to freeze with rice in it.
Is it okay to freeze this soup or should I freeze it without rice? Not sure if cooking the rice in the soup is kind of essential. It is cooking right now I haven’t tasted it yet but it smells great. I will add a review later
Thank you for that wonderful recipe. My husband and I loved it. I added a little bit of cayenne pepper to the soup at the end so it was spicy. I will absolutely make it again. Maybe I will try it with lamb next time!
You’re welcome Daria! I’m glad to hear you both enjoy the recipe so much! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
My husband and I loved this recipe. We doubled the rice and added a dollop of sour cream to the finished product. Delicious.
I’m glad you both enjoy the recipe Lorrie! Thanks for sharing!
I found your website through Pinterest and i’m so glad I did. This dish was really wonderful. My husband was gushing over how soft the meat was and enjoyed the dill seasoning. I look forward to trying more of your recipes. But this one will be made again and again. Thank you!!
You’re welcome Shana! I’m happy to hear how much you both enjoy the recipe! Thanks for following and sharing your wonderful review!
Perfect recipe and I really like it. I just would like to suggest couple more ingredients. First substitute beef with lamb and when you fry it add one cup of red dry wine. Also add crashed walnuts about 1/2 cup and of course half bunch of cilantro. Almost all Georgian recipes go with cilantro.
I’m glad you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your helpful review with other readers!
Just finished a big ol’ bowl of kharcho and I am completely smitten!
I tried kharcho as a child once and I remember hating it. Fortunately I got older and wiser since then:)
I didn’t add any coriander, replaced smoked paprika (since I don’t like the taste of it) with sweet paprika, and omitted the lemon juice completely, which would have made it too sour for my taste. I also poured in 8 cups of homemade beef bone stock and made it in the Instant Pot. I think it was perfectly delicious and so comforting on a cold winter’s night!
Thank you for sharing and I hope to see Instant Pot recipes on your blog in the near future!
I love that you made this in the instant pot!! What settings did you use on the pot?
I browned the meat right in it using the sauté button, then deglazed the pot with onions and celery, added the meat back in and everything else you wrote in step 3 and set it on “manual” 30 minutes. I suppose I could have used the “soup” function, I’m just so used to using “manual” I forget I have other buttons on the pot:)
Fifteen minutes after it beeped, I released the pressure, added the rest of the ingredients and once again, set it on “manual” for 10 more minutes, and that’s that! I love how anything you cook in the IP stays whole and doesn’t fall apart.
You mentioned in another post that you planned on getting this magical appliance – have you gotten it yet? I know you’re just going to love it! My recent fav is steel cut oats in the IP, I have those for breakfast a few times a week!:)
Marina, thanks for sharing that with me. There is a big box under Christmas tree so I have a feeling my husband got one for me 👏🏻. We make steel cut oats few times a week and it takes 30 min every time so IP should speed up the cooking time.
I am assuming you are talking about a Pressure Cooker? So are you saying that instead of 1 1/2 hours to cook it took 20 minutes?
What size pressure cooker?
Have you made this with dry dill and if so was it lots different? I know fresh herbs can’t be beat, just wondering if it’s a must to use fresh to keep the integrity of the recipe.
Hi Cindy, I think dried dill would still be ok even though I do love the flavor of fresh. If you do substitute, keep in mind you only need about 1/3 of dried dill versus fresh dill. I would start with 2 to 3 teaspoons and add more to taste. Also, I would not recommend garnishing at the end with dried dill since dried dill needs some time to soften and release it’s flavor.
Can I use fresh tomatoes instead of canned?
Hi Irina, I haven’t tried that substitutution. I think it would be worth an experiment but keep in mind the canned tomatoes also add juice and flavor from the juice. If experimenting, I would probably blanch and peel the tomatoes before dicing and adding them.
I’ve never tried Kharcho before, so I don’t have anything to compare this to, but I made it just the way you said and it was delicious! Thank you!
You’re welcome Nicole! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing!
I’m a giant kharcho fan and can’t tell you how happy I am that this surprisingly easy recipe turned out so delicious. Thank you very much Natasha.
You’re welcome Jay! I’m so glad you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Used to make this soup with lamb rather than beef, as it is of Mid-Eastern origins, I believe. Lamb enriches it’s taste, but you might consider adding a bit more of garlic. And serve with black kalamata olives in the bowl 🙂
Thanks for sharing your great tips with other readers Elena!
Just finished it.
It’s really good 🙂
Instead of rice , I’ve put barley 😛
Thank you again for saving from “what do I cook today?!”
You’re welcome Ildi! Thanks for following and sharing your great review! 🙂
I cooked it for the first time and it was so good, i couldn’t stop eating it! 🙂
Awesome, I’m glad you love it! Thanks for sharing Irina! 🙂
Made this soup second time already. So delicious. I do add 1/2 cup more rice and 1 1/2 more cup of water because my husband loves it so much so that way I get a little more quantity of this soup. I did omit lemon this time since it tastes a little more sour the next day.
But otherwise such a tasty soup. I used to look at this soup and it looked ok to me but i kept going to this recipe and decided to give it a try. I’m so glad I did. Now I’ll be making this soup very often.
That’s great! I’m glad you enjoy it! Thanks for sharing your review and tips for other readers!
We’ve made this 3 times now and they were all just outstanding. The 1st time we followed the original recipe and used rice. The 2nd time using barley and lastly with buckwheat groats (kasha). Loved all 3 versions and your recipe reminds me in many ways of my Grandma Wallace’s Scot Broth which has been a favorite since I was in my highchair. Bottom line is this recipe is a Total Keeper and thank you for it. In fact I’d give it 10 Stars fi I could 🙂
10 STARS! That’s awesome! I’m so happy you love the recipe! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review Brandon! 😀
Just made this soup tonite. Absolutely delicious !! Just added 1/4 cup more rice. It tasted excellent.
Just one thing : 3 Tsp of salt might be a little heavy for people who must not have salt in their food.
Thank you, I can’t wait to finish it tomorrow !!
You’re welcome Axel! i’m happy to hear you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your suggestion!
Eating this as I type. Very yummy. I also added shredded carrots to the celery and onion and then some potatoes along with the rice since I have kiddos and wanted it more hearty.
Yum! That sounds great! Thanks for sharing Valentina 😀
Hi Natasha,
I was wondering if I could replace the rice with buckwheat? Thanks so much for the delicious looking recipe!
Hi Kelly, I haven’t tried it that way but I think it could work. You would want to rinse it first and maybe add a little less so the flavor doesn’t overwhelm the soup. Buckwheat adds a nutty flavor and expands a little more than rice.
Hi! Not sure if this was asked already, but do you rinse the rice before adding? Thanks! Can’t wait for it to finish cooking to try it. 😋
Hi Juana, I did not rinse it for this recipe. You can rinse if you prefer, but the soup will be just slightly thinner since the starch on the rice makes the soup a little thicker.
Thank you sooo much for this recipe! My whole family loves it, its my 5th time making it 🙂
That’s great to hear! I’m glad your family enjoys it as much as mine does! 🙂
Hi, Natasha, Thank you for sharing this delicious food recipe, I am going to make it for a Ukrainian friend. May I ask is rice necessary? This guy is not a rice lover. And what can be the replacement of rice? Or the soup will be watery.
Hi Samuel, the rice is pretty classic to this soup, but I do think the soup would still work without it. You could try bulking it up with potatoes or something else. There will be substantially more liquid without rice since the rice absorbs a good amount. Enjoy! 🙂
My sister and I made this tonight for dinner and it was absolutely delicious! Super easy to make as well. I’ll definitely be making it again soon 🙂
Eliza, thank you for such a nice review, looks like you found a new favorite soup recipe 😬.
I used whole coriander seeds, realized the recipe called for ground AFTER I added them. Will that be an issue? I’ve never used coriander before.
Hi Karina, the taste will be fine, but you will have coriander seeds floating in your soup. You can spoon them out in the end if the texture of them bothers you 🙂
Soup is done and tastes great. Not quit my mama’s Georgian harcho but definitely close enough to remind me of my mom’s cooking. As always, keep doing what you’re doing and thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes.
I”m so happy you liked it!! Thank you for your wonderful review 🙂
I have made this a couple of times. It is delicious!
Lydia, thank you for the nice review, I’m glad to hear that 😁.
I was really looking forward to this soup as it sounded divine. I made it and it had a rich flavor, but was sour. Is it supposed to be bitter? No one has mentioned that in the comments thus far.
Hi Lee, it definitley should not have been bitter – there isn’t anything in the ingredients that would cause it to be bitter. Did you change any of the ingredients? I would suspect maybe one of your ingredients was not fresh? Did you maybe use a different kind of tomato product?
I think it was the lemon juice. It’s ok, maybe my taste buds are more sensitive to sour tastes. Everyone else here seemed to enjoy it.
I read your comment about the bitter aftertaste and was puzzled about what might the cause of that…….until I had the same experience! After some reading and experimentation (same result with a beef barley soup), I am pretty convinced that the most likely problem is the garlic. Onto a new batch with new garlic!
That really could be it if the garlic is old. Thank you for sharing that with us!! I have found that old garlic (especially when it starts getting green in the center with the stem starting to grow), also starts tasting a little bitter.
This looks and sounds so yummy! Im just wondering, wouldn’t the vegetables get mushy if they are being boiled for 1.5 hours with the meat in broth? I would imagine that they would become too soft? Is this the case? Please advise as i would like to make this soup very soon
Hi Tina, the soup does not get mushy if cooked as directed. The vegetables that stew for a long time are the ones you want to get soft and meld with the soup but they never get mushy. I hope you love it! 🙂
Made this recipe last night and it turned out amazing, very easy to make and such a cosy bowl of soup!
I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂 Thanks for the awesome review!
Love this rice soup recipe! Yum! I made it twice already, and will definitely make it again! Kids love this soup as well. 😋 To make it even more healthy I add carrots😀
To be honest, I was surprised when my 1-year old loved it! Your idea to add carrots is great! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I made this dish and turned it into a cottage pie here is my recipe. If you want to try it you can make any changes that you want.
cottage pie
Ingredients
ground pork 1 pound
Simply potato sour cream chive 1 container
frozen peas and carrots 1 bag
onion pre cut 1 pack
sunflower oil 2 tbsp.
tomato paste 3 tbsp.
paprika 1 tsp.
coriander 3/4 tsp.
garlic paste 2 tsp.
lemon 1
chicken stock 2 cups
Worcestershire sauce 2 tbsp.
salt 2 tsp.
Directions
1. Add sunflower oil to pan cook pork, onion and frozen peas and carrots.
2. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, Worcestershire, paprika and coriander simmer
for 5 minutes.
3. Add chicken broth and lemon juice mix together on medium heat cook until most of the
liquid is absorbed.
4. Put meat mixture in a cake pan and put potatoes on top bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Hi and thank you so much for sharing that with us! Do you think a seasoned mashed potato mixture would work well on top instead of the simply potato product? I’m not familiar with that product. Thanks again. You’re awesome!! 🙂
Yes it would it I just use premade mash
potato to be lazy.
I do love a good shortcut. No judgments here! lol.
This sounds good. can you maybe post a pic of how it looks next time you make it? and does it actually taste close to this soup? I assume its a casserole like look?
Thanks for sharing.
Sounds delish, planning to give it a try this weekend.
Natasha, is there a specific reason to use dutch oven for this soup?
Hi Irina, you can use a heavy-bottomed soup pot (or any good quality soup pot). I love using the dutch oven because I can saute the meat and make all of the soup in one pot.
I ended up making the same twice in a row! Super yummy, my son (very picky eater and won’t eat soups in general) demanded another pot soon after we run out of the first. Amazing – simple and so flavorful. Definitely a keeper! Thank you for the great recipe and a wonderful site, Natasha! Keep up the great work – you’re an inspiration for me when I crave food from childhood.
Irina I’m so happy to hear that! That’s the best when picky eaters love what we Mama’s make for them 🙂
Hi, Natasha
My family and I love xarcho and I tried different recipes over the years. Yours is very good, I just don’t think we liked the paprika in it. In my opinion the key to good xarcho is base (boullion) and spices. in my recipe I make my own boulion with either beef or lamb bones (whatever I have in a fridge), onion, celery, carrots, cilantro, parsley,salt, bay leaves, and leave it on very slow boil for at least 3 hrs.
Chop lots of parsley, cilantro and dill, mix it with chopped garlic and set aside.
Then in a pot I warm a little rendered fat and add chopped onions, after a few minutes I add a little boullion and mix it until boullion evaporates. Then I add tomatoes (either chopped or a sauce), spices (I usually add coriander, cumin, thyme, xmeli-suneli) again a little boullion and mix it for 5-7 minutes or until you think zajarka is ready. Now I add meat from the boullion and pour boullion (trough fine mesh) into the pot. Bring soup to boil, and add very well rinsed rice. Turn temp to low, cover and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until rice is almost ready (it should be tiny bit hard). Last step is to add greens with garlic, adjust salt, turn heat off and leave it covered. It actually tastes betters the next day, but that is true for almost all soups 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your method! It sounds so tasty the way you described it! I agree, soups do tend to taste better the next day after the flavors have had a chance to meld. Thanks again! 🙂
Wow This. is. Good! I didn’t realize that I needed a 28oz can of diced tomatoes so I chopped up some fire roasted bell peppers from TJ instead, and it is DELICIOUS! definitely going to make this more often! Thank you for posting this recipe!
My goodness that addition of fire roasted bell peppers sounds amazing!!! Thanks for sharing that. I just finished reading your comment to my husband. Now we have to add that to our Trader Jo’s list!! 🙂
this is a really nice soup (saying “nice soup” is kind of redundant). i’m a big fan of soup and this one came out quite good, so we’re very happy with it. definitely saving the recipe for future use… after trying out your other soups. 🙂
my wife is (south african) indian, so we substituted the paprika with masala and because we only had brown rice we used that instead.
took ages to get done, but it was well worth the wait.
thanks for the recipe! 😉
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! I love the idea of adding masala and brown rice. I can just imagine how much flavor and texture that would add. Yum!
having it now for lunch at work and i swear it tastes better today. brought some in another container to share with the guys at the office… but i’m thinking i might not share… 😀
I’m so happy you liked it! I don’t blame you about not sharing! 😉
Natasha this was so delicious!! Thank you for another great recipe. I don’t know what I would do without you and your blog! Thank you!
Thank you so much for your sweet comment and awesome review! 🙂
This soup looks so delicious. Such simple ingredients for such a superb dish. Pinned. Thanks for sharing.
You’re awesome! Thank you so much for pinning and sharing 🙂
This soup sounds wonderful Natasha. Thank you
Thank you Liz, you must give it a try 😀.
This was sooo delicious !!!!!!!
Anna, I’m so happy you liked it!! 🙂 Thank you for the awesome review 🙂
I made this tonight but I used “hot paprika” and it smells so weird and bad to me (definitely not like my grandma makes) I wonder if I used the wrong paprika or something. I made a huge batch to last like 3 days and I was looking forward to it so much and now every dinner is going to be meh. Next week I’ll make it again but without any paprika at all 🙂 I don’t think my grandma uses paprika in it, or in much of her cooking anyway. This recipe is great though! And despite the paprika problem it does taste nice.
That could be. Some people prefer this soup even spicier so I would think the hot paprika would be ok. That’s odd that it smells weird – is your paprika fresh?
I have no idea if it’s fresh as my mother in law gave it to me on the day since I had none.. and she usually keeps things for everrr.. I’m making it tonight with no paprika, 🙂
Natasha…I grew up with my mom making this soup for me…I LOVE IT!!! It’s been on my list to make forever for the blog 🙂
Hi Mila! Did she do anything differently? Every family makes theirs a little differently. I’m curious!
Oh I’ve been wanting to make this soup for ever!! It’s been decades since I’ve had in Georgia as a little girl and it was SPICY!! It was a bit of a shock for my little uninitiated tastebuds but not for long, they adjusted and fell in love. I am going to make it very, very soon!! Thank you for posting the recipe, Natasha.
Mine’s spicy but not super spicy. My 1-year old daughter loved it! You can definitely add more spice to your liking 😉
This Beef Soup looks so delicious! I am drooling, I better make this soon caus it looks amazing, pinning to my Soup Recipe Board. Yumm!
Thank you so much for pinning. You’re awesome! 🙂
We love soup kharcho! My mother in law taught me to make it with the addition of cilantro and tiny pieces of walnuts. The cilantro gives it a very different taste that we love!
I haven’t tried it with cilantro but we sure love the stuff. I’ll have to try that next time. Thanks for sharing your version! 🙂
On the subject of the soup. My husband loves it and he is a super picky eater and American so Russian food to him is like eating squid for me (which is sometimes very good) he adored it. Now off the subject a little. I was watching a tv show called Young & Hungry and your website came up (she said that she made so much food from your website that you should get paid for it!) I was so excited I freaked out a little bit.
Ha ha you freaked out a little bit? I freaked out alot a bit! lol. Thank you so much Olga for your support 🙂 It really means alot to me 🙂
My mom taught me hot o cook a little bit I was stubborn but when I got married I realized I should make him happy and I found your website and ever since then your recipes are all I make him! Thank you so much!! You are an amazing chef and amazing mom/wife!! “Role model”
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment. It really means a lot to me. 🙂 I’m so happy to hear you find our blog helpful 🙂
This was the most delicious thing I tried! EVER😋
Awww thank you Vika! Your comment brought a big ‘ol grin to my face this morning. Thank you for the great review 🙂
I’ve never heard the word Kharcho, but I’ve definitely had soup like this growing up, and regularly make something similar, it’s such a great comfort food isn’t it?
The pictures look so good, they are making my mouth water and I can practically taste the soup from looking at my computer screen!
What’s the ** by the Jasmine rice for? I couldn’t find a footnote anywhere for that.
Oh sorry those stars were meant to be removed. Thanks for pointing that out!! 🙂
Hi. This stew looks so delicious. I can’t eat beef though, I know it won’t have the same taste, but do you think it will be still ok to make it with either pork or chicken? Thanks
Hi Oksana, I haven’t tried it that way but I do think if you substitute, pork would provide more flavor than chicken. Let me know how you like it with pork. I’m curious! 🙂
Hi again.
I finally made this stew, using pork since I can’t do beef, and I also substituted the beef broth, and used the chicken broth. It turned out really yummy. And I didn’t have any coriander on hand, but I read up on it and used cilantro instead.
I will make this stew again for sure.
I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for the great review. Using cilantro is a great substitute because coriander is the seed of cilantro 🙂