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Shchavel Borscht (Sorrel Soup)

A white bowl of shchavel borshct, sorrel soup

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Schavel (Sorrel) re-grows year after year. In Russia and Ukraine, sorrel is called shchavel’ (щавель). Shchaveloviy borscht or Green borsch is a classic Ukrainian sorrel soup – we serve it hot with a dollop of sour cream or mayo.

You can make this sorrel soup with pork or vegetarian using a good broth. It also freezes well so you can enjoy this soup in winter. My mom grows Shchavel in her yard and it’s currently flourishing – time to make soup! If you have a yummy recipe with sorrel, I’d love to hear from you!

Sorell Soup

Ingredients for Sorrel Soup:

14 cups water
(if not using pork, you will need 8 cups water plus 6 cups chicken broth)
2 large Pork Loin Chops or 1 pound chicken breasts, sliced or diced
1 Tbsp salt
4-5 medium potatoes (any kind will work), diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten with a fork
2 Bay Leaves
3 Tbsp Dill (fresh or frozen)
4 cups fresh Schavel, packed, rinsed and chopped (or use 3 cups chopped, frozen Shchavel)
Sour cream or mayo to serve

Sorrel Soup-7

How to Make Sorrel Borscht:

1. Fill a large pot with 14 cups water (or water plus chicken broth if not using pork) and bring it to a boil. Next, add the meat, 1 Tbsp of salt and simmer pork partially covered for 30 minutes (or chopped chicken for 10 minutes – I used chicken this time). Use a spoon to skim off any impurities that rise to the top.

Sorrel Soup

2. After meat is done cooking,  add diced potatoes, 2 bay leaves and lightly boil 15 minutes or until potatoes can be pierced with a fork.

Sorrel Soup-3

3. While potatoes are cooking, saute 1 diced onion in 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat until golden brown and add to the pot with the soup.

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4. Next, lightly beat 2 eggs together and stir them in to the pot.

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5. When potatoes are cooked through, stir in Shchavel (Sorrel) and Dill. Return pot to a boil and simmer additional 3-5 minutes or until sorrel is soft. Adding more sorrel (щавель) will make your soup/borscht more sour.

Sorrel Soup-4
Sorrel Soup-11

Serve hot with an optional dollop of sour cream or mayo.

Sorrel Soup-8

 

Shchavel Borscht (Sorrel Soup)

4.97 from 29 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
A white bowl of shchavel borshct, sorrel soup
Schavel (Sorrel) re-grows year after year. In Russia and Ukraine, sorrel is called shchavel' (щавель). Shchaveloviy borscht or Green borsch is a classic Ukrainian soup - we serve it hot with a dollop of sour cream or mayo. You can make it with pork or vegetarian using a good broth. It also freezes well so you can enjoy this soup in winter. My mom grows Shchavel in her yard and it's currently flourishing - time to make soup! If you have a yummy recipe with sorrel, I'd love to hear from you!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 8
  • 14 cups water
  • if not using pork, you will need 8 cups water plus 6 cups chicken broth
  • 2 large Pork Loin Chops or 1 pound chicken breasts, sliced or diced
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • 4-5 medium potatoes, any kind will work, diced
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten with a fork
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 3 Tbsp Dill, fresh or frozen
  • 4 cups fresh Schavel, packed, rinsed and chopped (or use 3 cups chopped, frozen Shchavel)
  • Sour cream or mayo to serve

Instructions

  • Fill a soup pot with 14 cups water (or water plus chicken broth if not using meat ). Bring to a boil. Then, add meat, 1 Tbsp of salt and simmer pork partially covered for 30 minutes (or chicken for 10 minutes). Use a spoon to skim off any impurities that rise to the top.
  • When the timer goes off on your meat, add diced potatoes, 2 bay leaves and lightly boil 15 minutes or until potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork.
  • While potatoes are cooking, saute 1 diced onion in 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat until golden brown and add to the pot with the soup.
  • Next, lightly beat 2 eggs together and stir them into the pot.
  • When potatoes are cooked through, stir in Shchavel (Sorrel) and Dill. Return pot to a boil and simmer additional 3-5 minutes or until sorrel is soft. P.S. Adding more sorrel (шавель) will make your soup/borscht more sour.
  • Serve hot with optional dollop of sour cream or mayo.
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Russian, Ukrainian
Keyword: Shchavel Borscht (Sorrel Soup)
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $10

Final Final Picmonkey Hashtag bannerSorrel Soup-10

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Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

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Read comments/reviewsAdd comment/review

  • Diana
    September 20, 2023

    Hey Natasha! I want to make this but I have a question – if I use chicken, do I still need to add the chicken broth?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      September 21, 2023

      Hi Diana, I would – otherwise it will be a little bland. If you were boiling the chicken with bones for several hours first to extract flavor then maybe, but just adding chicken won’t be enough.

      Reply

  • S
    January 11, 2023

    I made this tonight with pork and used spinach + lemon juice since I can’t get sorrel where I live. I served it with toast, sour cream, and chopped hard-boiled eggs rather than stirring in the eggs. It was delicious! My son and I both went back for seconds. I had to add a lot more salt than the recipe called for but I’ll definitely be making it again!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      January 11, 2023

      I’m glad you loved the recipe, thank you for the feedback!

      Reply

  • L Luciuk
    June 9, 2021

    One of the great Ukrainian soups. A neighbour grows sorrel so I can make it just like it is traditionally enjoyed in Ukraine.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      June 9, 2021

      Yum! That’s so great! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.

      Reply

  • Liz
    June 8, 2021

    I have been looking to make this soup for a long time but could never find sorrel. My friend actually was growing sorrel and I was able to use this for the recipe! I made pork broth in the instant pot the night before. Didn’t make too many changes, just some minced garlic and added more fresh dill. But, this soup was so good. I love how the sorrel melts in your mouth with that tangy sour taste. Best part, the soup was easy to make!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      June 9, 2021

      Hello Liz, thank you so much for your great review! I’m happy to know that you loved this recipe.

      Reply

  • Matthew a.k.a NightBroom
    February 14, 2021

    Hey Natasha it’s the guy on yt and I see raw chicken in a super large aluminum stock pot is that a super large aluminum stock pot

    Reply

  • Walter
    July 18, 2020

    Hi Natasha, love your recipes!
    I just had some Schavel Green Borscht soup. What an amazing flavor. Terrific cold summer soup. Problem is finding sorrel that grows anywhere in southern Delaware. Can dried sorrel work?
    Walter

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      July 19, 2020

      Hi Walter, I haven’t tried that yet but I imagine that should also work. A couple of our readers have reported great results with using spinach and lemon juice also but I haven’t tried it myself. If you test it out, let me know how you liked it! 🙂

      Reply

    • Darlene
      September 23, 2020

      As far as I know per Mother-in -Law from Prussia. They grew their own Sorrel. She really made the best. Six cups of Fresh cut Sorrel. Adding raw bacon at the very end. So so good good. Add other ingredients as desired. The very best. Took some to a workplace and gave some to a client. She could not believe it! Had not had “SHIVAS” in such a long time. Main ingredient would be Sorrel Chopped and cooked light with bacon. May be served cold. Ummmmm

      Reply

      • Natashas Kitchen
        September 23, 2020

        Thank you so much for sharing that with us! I hope you enjoy our version!

        Reply

  • Cham
    December 8, 2019

    This is delicious. I have tasted shchavel soup before but this is my first time cooking it myself and it is a success! Thank you Natasha for this recipe.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      December 9, 2019

      You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Cham!

      Reply

    • Jenya
      March 19, 2020

      Hi Natasha can I make this soup with no chicken or any meat in it ? I will make the chicken broth but can I omit breast or pork. I hate meat in my soup

      Thank you!

      Reply

      • Natasha
        March 19, 2020

        Hi Jenya, it does add good flavor but should still work to omit.

        Reply

      • Darlene
        September 23, 2020

        Try raw bacon at the very end chopped just like the six cups of Sorrel.

        Reply

  • Becky
    November 4, 2019

    Fabulous! Another way to get daily greens in our diet, but with a refreshingly different flavor. First time tasting щавель. Вкусный суп! (I’m a beginning Russian language студентка.) I stumbled across it our our local farmer’s market, being sold by a former Russian with proceeds going to her church. She told me soup was made from sorrel. YUM! Thanks for posting!!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 4, 2019

      You’re welcome, Becky! Thank you for that awesome review!

      Reply

  • stefan karpov
    September 15, 2019

    This spring, I ordered sorrel seeds from Russia and Ukraine via Amazon. And currently enjoying a great bowl of soup product of those seeds.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      September 16, 2019

      Thank you so much for sharing that with me. That’s so great.

      Reply

  • Diana
    July 19, 2019

    Hi Natasha,
    Thank you so much for identifying this soup for me. My Ukrainian mother-in-law always made it in summer and I always loved it but she could never explain in English what the ingredients were – and my husband did not know either.
    At first i thought it was your other summer soup recipe – the one for the cold soup with ham and cucumbers – but then I saw this one and I know this it it! It has a distinct flavour from the sorrel leaves. I always wondered what they were.
    Thanks you!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 19, 2019

      I’m so happy you discovered our recipe!! I hope you love it! Thank you for sharing that with me

      Reply

  • Natalie
    February 17, 2019

    I am Russian but born here. My mom, God rest her soul made the BEST Schav soup.Both hot and cold…. She used Mother`s Schav in a glass jar as a shortcut for fresh sorrel as a base for the soup, but now it is not available anywhere anymore it seems. Can using spinach and some lemon juice be used instead as a substitute?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      February 17, 2019

      Hi Natalie, thank you so much for sharing that with me! Yes, spinach and lemon juice are great substitutes. Several of our readers have reported great results!

      Reply

  • Nicole gallo
    May 28, 2018

    Made this soup tonight. It was delicious!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      May 29, 2018

      I’m glad you love the recipe Nicole! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply

  • Amanda
    January 2, 2018

    This is such a delicious soup. I’ve made it three times now and we love it. Even the kids eat love it! Is it okay to freeze it?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      January 2, 2018

      Hi Amanda, I’m so glad you loved it!! I haven’t tried freezing it but I think that would work. Thank you for the wonderful review!

      Reply

  • Iryna
    December 5, 2017

    Great recipe! I buy canned sorrel in local Ukrainian store. Unfortunately, it is impossible to find fresh sorrel in America. I never stir beaten eggs in the soup. Serve with sour cream and chopped hard boiled eggs.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      December 6, 2017

      I’m glad you enjoy it Iryna! Thanks for sharing your review with other readers!

      Reply

    • bri
      April 29, 2018

      It’s pretty easy to grow, even if you have limited space!

      Reply

    • Kristin
      January 6, 2019

      I found fresh sorrel at our local farmers market last summer. I bought enough to use and freeze, so now I’m making the soup again in the middle of the winter. Yum!

      Reply

    • Olga
      March 14, 2021

      I also use hard boiled eggs cut in circles, it just looks so much better this way than raw egg added into the soup.
      Also, smb just told me Whole Foods has sorrell sometimes.
      Natasha, we love your recipes! Thank you!

      Reply

      • Natasha's Kitchen
        March 14, 2021

        I’m glad to hear that, Olga. Thank you for your good comments and feedback!

        Reply

  • Nonna
    October 26, 2017

    I have been looking for this recipe. Mom made it, sorrel grew in our garden. The difference was she used chopped hard boiled eggs. Thanks. Looks easy enough!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      October 26, 2017

      You’re welcome Nonna! I hope you love it! Please let me know what you think!

      Reply

  • virginia markewych
    October 15, 2017

    looks great…..I use beef (chuck or flank steak) for my broth, I cheat and add a container of Campbells tomato soup, but to get “green borscht” I just add more and more beet leaves until it turns green….will try yours

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      October 15, 2017

      Great suggestions Virginia! Please let me know what you think of the recipe when you decide to make it!

      Reply

  • Yelena
    September 10, 2017

    Can I use spinach instead of sorrel?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      September 11, 2017

      Hi Yelena, A couple of our readers have reported great results with using spinach and lemon juice but I haven’t tried it myself. If you test it out, let me know how you liked it! 🙂

      Reply

      • Kate
        December 19, 2018

        Hello. Since I don’t like canned sorrel, I am using fresh spinach and fresh lemon juice. It turns out great!

        Reply

        • Natashas Kitchen
          December 19, 2018

          Those are great substitutes! Thank you for sharing that with me!!

          Reply

  • marilyn turner
    July 19, 2017

    love this soup.Can I freeze my sorrel? If so how… Thanks Marilyn

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      July 19, 2017

      Hi Marilyn, yes sorrel freezes really well! Rinse, dry and chop then store in containers or freezer safe ziploc bags in the freezer. Put them into your soup frozen – no need to thaw 🙂

      Reply

      • marilyn Turner
        July 21, 2017

        Thanks, I will do that.just found sorrel at my local farmer’s market.

        Reply

  • Gail
    April 30, 2017

    Madee the sorrel soup with chicken, I also made and added dumplings. Loved it with the sour cream addition too!! Yummy

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 30, 2017

      Gail, thank you for such a nice review 😬

      Reply

    • marina
      October 9, 2017

      Gail, where did you buy sorrel?

      Reply

    • marina
      October 9, 2017

      Gail, where did you buy sorrel?

      Reply

  • regina
    February 8, 2017

    hmm, Ive never heard or tried this soup using chicken. Its always beef, and the boiled egg in the end.. Do you prefer the chicken? even over pork?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      February 8, 2017

      I’ve never tried it with beef but my Mom does frequently make it with pork and it tastes great that way also. A few of my readers said they added egg at the end, but we just add it as an egg drop rather than adding boiled egg.

      Reply

      • margaret winnipeg mb
        May 24, 2017

        My sister inn law made this borsch and I got some schevel from a friend. Made it today with pork hocks but never again too much fat will use chickenn ext time. my sister in law added diced hard boiled egg at the end. have no sour cream may try low fat mayo see how that works thankx

        Reply

        • Natasha
          natashaskitchen
          May 24, 2017

          I do enjoy a leaner borscht also. Thanks for sharing!!

          Reply

  • Kalynn (Katya)
    November 5, 2016

    Natasha,
    Runny egg? Hm interesting! My mother in law (Belarusian) always uses boiled eggs. Will try runny next time ;). Also- does shchavel freeze well?! The last batch is still growing in the garden. Would love to freeze it! Great thinking!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 5, 2016

      Hi Kalynn, yes sorrel freezes really well! Rinse, dry and chop then store in containers or freezer safe ziploc bags in the freezer. Put them into your soup frozen – no need to thaw 🙂

      Reply

  • Natalie
    September 3, 2016

    Wow my soup came out so healthy and amazing ! Thank you Natasha ! And by the way my name is also Natasha and I am also a nurse 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      September 3, 2016

      So nice to meet you fellow nurse Natasha! 🙂 🙂 🙂 That’s awesome! I’m so happy you enjoyed the soup 🙂

      Reply

  • Lisa
    July 14, 2016

    Russian Mennonites call this somma borsch.the eggs look different and we use beet greens instead of sorrel or some real old fashioned use Zurump plant leaves(not sure what its in english) and we add green onions.also we add cream and vinegar instead of sour cream.and some use mayo or butter sandwich on side.yum

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      July 14, 2016

      It sure sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing 🙂

      Reply

  • Lydia S
    July 8, 2016

    I made this with pork, and instead of the runny eggs, I used diced hard boiled eggs. Oh and I threw the onions in raw after the pork was cooked because my husband likes it more that way. It’s also one less pan to clean 😉 Very yummy recipe

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      July 8, 2016

      Lydia, thank you for the nice review and great job improvising 😀.

      Reply

  • Ksenia
    April 17, 2016

    I made this recipe exactly as you have it except I used half a can of canned shavel from the Russian store. It was very yummy! Will definitely make again. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 17, 2016

      You just gave me a great idea! Freezing shavel! We need to do that while it’s so plentiful in my Mom’s garden. We absolutely love sorrel soup!

      Reply

  • Ella
    April 6, 2016

    Hello Natasha,
    Have you heard of lovage? Do you think I could replace the schavel with lovage in this recipe?
    Thank you!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 6, 2016

      I haven’t heard of it or tested it. My readers have reported great results with using spinach and lemon juice but I haven’t tried anything else.

      Reply

  • Sophie
    January 5, 2016

    In the past I tried making this for our Unrainian host child, using spinach. She was used to having hers with hard boiled egg and mayonnaise. I didn’t have any sorrel handy so I used spinach, but without the lemon. She said it was close to what she was used to, but it definitely was not sour. Anyway, I recently had this soup in Kyiv and thought the sorrel reminded me of turnip greens without the stem.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      January 5, 2016

      Hi Sophie, was the one you tried in Kiev sour or mild?

      Reply

      • Sophie
        January 5, 2016

        It was on the sour side for sure. So delicious!

        Reply

      • Sophie
        January 5, 2016

        It had a sour taste to it. So yummy!

        Reply

  • Natalie Chodan
    November 24, 2015

    Most interesting reading a different version of schavel soup, thank you. Mama used to make it with chicken and heaps of chavel leaves with potato and carrot, fried onions, garlic and of course, the beaten eggs added to the mix at the end of cooking…I use quality chicken stock cubes or chicken broth I have made. I deleted making soups with meat content as I found it too filling before a main meal. I enjoy this soup with and without a dollop of sour cream 🙂 A Ukrainian cook told me cooking comes from the heart, not necessarily from a recipe………

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 25, 2015

      Thank you for sharing your Mama’s method. I’m always curious how different people make theirs.

      Reply

  • Natalia Bilash
    October 10, 2015

    My father makes a sorrel soup a bit differently – here is the recipe:
    2.5 quarts of water
    7 chicken or vegetable bullion cubes
    half pound of sorrel leaves when available, or package of 8 oz frozen chopped spinach
    5 oz. rice
    3 hard-boiled eggs
    some chicken for stock

    1. Dissolve cubes in water.
    2. Cook 2 chicken thighs for additional flavor in this water (when cooked, take the meat off the thighs and
    chop it into the liquid).
    3. Cook sorrel or thawed spinach in a little water + tbs butter, Add the greens and rice to liquid and cook for about 20 minutes on low flame. If using spinach, add sour salt (citric acid powder or lemon juice) to taste 4. Before serving add chopped hardboiled eggs.

    Смачного!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 10, 2015

      I bet it tastes great cooking the chicken thighs into the soup Yum!!! I’ve never tried with spinach but it sounds like a great alternative with the lemon juice. Thanks Natalia! 🙂 I will have to try your father’s version.

      Reply

  • jessica
    September 24, 2015

    Do you know how to freeze it so it can be used during winter time? Thanks

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      September 24, 2015

      Yes, rinse, thoroughly dry on paper-towels or in a salad spinner and coarsely chop as you would for soup then transfer to freezer safe bags and pop them in your freezer.

      Reply

  • Hayley
    April 17, 2015

    Wow – this was delicious!!!! I made the chicken version. Thanks so much for this recipe – really good! 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 17, 2015

      I’m so happy you loved it! I’ve made it with chicken before too when I didn’t want to go to the grocery store 🙂

      Reply

  • Helen
    November 8, 2014

    I just want to say addition of sautéed onions gives such a good flavor. I used to make without. I love your way, reminds borscht we ate in Ukraine 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 8, 2014

      I’m so glad it reminds you of Ukraine :). I love how food brings back memories 🙂

      Reply

  • Yana
    October 31, 2014

    You can use spinach as we’ll. chop spinach and squeeze fresh lemon juice mix it and let it sit for about 20 min the add to you’re borsch. The best. In my opinion better then schavel and spinach has more health benefits. 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 31, 2014

      Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂

      Reply

  • Natalie
    August 18, 2014

    I make shchavel soup with spinach here, just add some lemon juice for sourness. Delicious!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      August 18, 2014

      I’ve heard of people making it that way with good results. I will have to give it a try! Thanks Natalie 🙂

      Reply

  • Cristina
    August 18, 2014

    Hi Natasha .. Have u ever tired doing pho soup? Do u like it?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      August 18, 2014

      I haven’t tried it. Have you? I’m actually making this sorrel soup for lunch today though 😉

      Reply

      • Cristina
        August 19, 2014

        oh yes many times, its one of my favorite soup. I just can not make it at home. Nice, it looks good, i need to try it!

        Reply

        • Natasha
          natashaskitchen
          August 19, 2014

          Do you not have the sorrel available? It’s one of my favorites too. I love the sourness; so satisfying! 🙂

          Reply

          • Cristina
            August 19, 2014

            no i don’t have the sorrel available, i need to buy it. i think my mom used to do this kind of soup except a little different. ohh i bet, i love sour stuff. i add all the times to my borsh lemon and to my uha. I love ur uha btw, especially with the shrimp and tilapia, yummm i still have some..

  • Kseniya
    September 26, 2013

    Natasha,
    Can you use pork riblets for the meat or is it too fatty? What do you prefer?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      September 26, 2013

      You can use pork riblets; my mom does all the time! I don’t like picking at it to get the meat off in the end so I use pork loin chops or chicken breast. 🙂

      Reply

      • Olya
        April 25, 2014

        Can I use sorrel in a jar as cannot grow it and cannot find any where I live?

        Reply

        • Natasha
          natashaskitchen
          April 25, 2014

          To be honest I haven’t tried any in a jar; I don’t think I’ve ever even seen it. I know some folks have even used spinach but I imagine you’d need some lemon juice to give it that sour kick. It might work from a jar but I just haven’t tested it. My mom grows a bunch in summer and then freezes it so we use her stash to make the borscht. Sorry I’m not too helpful.

          Reply

          • Val Parylak
            July 21, 2018

            I’m old now, when I was young my grandma made soup with sorrel and I could still feel the taste. I spoke to my mom and she says she has it in her garden many miles away. She did say she would give me seeds.

            My husband just went to Poland after 62 years. I asked him to buy me some, thinking it might be dry leaves. He could only find some in jars that he brought back. I still need to try it. I will also look it up on the internet for seeds.

  • Julia
    May 31, 2013

    Thank you for posting all the loved Ukrainian recipes! I always refer back to your website when making something that I don’t do regularly! This blog helped me when I was a newlywed and my husband wanted me to make some foods that my mom never made 🙂 Keep up the great work and God bless!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      May 31, 2013

      Thanks Julia. God bless you too and I’m so glad you’ve found this site useful and helpful 🙂

      Reply

  • Mark
    April 27, 2013

    I also use wild sorrel which is a weed here growing wherever there’s been a fire (it likes less acidic soil) but here’s one place you can get the seeds. It’s a hardy perennial AND it will self seed. It comes up early in the spring and then will give you good crops in the fall. Don’t let it get too hot or too dry in the summer. http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6104-sorrel.aspx At one point I was growing so much of it that I began selling through our on line farmers market and everyone was going wild over it.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 27, 2013

      Thank you for sharing it with us Mark :).

      Reply

  • Alina
    April 20, 2013

    Natasha, delicious recipe! How do you make your kid eat sorrel or any rejected veggie for that matter. I just can’t seem to приучит mine. Encouraging it doesn’t seem to help.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 20, 2013

      He doesn’t usually like sorrel, but I try to make eating fun. I first got him to eat broccoli by laughing together and pretending we were eating trees. 🙂 Also, dipping into ranch for green beans, or carrots, or broccoli work really well!

      Reply

  • Oksana
    April 4, 2013

    What can replace sorrel? They don’t sell it here in Philadelphia.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 4, 2013

      I would use fresh spinach or kale. Let me know how it will turn out :).

      Reply

  • Olga M.
    January 7, 2013

    Before my mom moved closer to me and started supplying shavel, I was using spinach and some lemon juice. Not the same, but works somewhat. Or get shavel in a can fron russian food store.

    For my recipe I use a lot more eggs and I boil and cut them. Also, I add a little bit of ketchup to onions, but this recipe sounds like what my mom made…….

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      January 7, 2013

      I haven’t tried with spinach. My mom always grows loads of shavel and we rinse, dry, chop and freeze it so we can still make the soup in winter and frozen works just as well as fresh.

      Reply

  • wiolakk
    December 11, 2012

    Natasha, I have just started my adventure with food blogging, published my Polish Sorrel Soup and found out that you are eating the soup as well with the beaten egg 🙂
    Ok, Polish and Ukrainians have many almost the same recipes because of our history, so it will be nice to deep dive into your blog.

    In Polish cookery books you can find a soup as a mixture of sorrel and spinach, although I have never done it. Maybe I need to try. I did however with spinach and with Swiss chard, and the taste is totally different. To those ones I am using a white wine to taste.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 11, 2012

      I’ve heard that spinach works too but haven’t tried it either.

      Reply

  • Felicia
    October 25, 2012

    FYI: Chicken broth – NOT vegetarian………………………….

    Reply

  • laura
    October 22, 2012

    I’ve had Shchavel once and dream of it ever since. I’m so excited to try this recipe. Thanks so much!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 22, 2012

      You’re welcome Laura. I love this too. I wish my son felt the same way 🙂

      Reply

  • Yuliya I
    July 31, 2012

    This is one of my favorite Borsh., but instead of adding eggs non cook to the borsh. I usually cook the eggs than peel them off and cut them into small pieces. I love this way a lot better:)) u should try if u havent yet.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      July 31, 2012

      I will definitely try that next time I make this soup! Thank you!

      Reply

  • Petra
    May 14, 2012

    Hi, I just made this soup, although I followed a French recipe that was essentially the same but blended. Looked up yours as my DH is Russian and prefers his soup unblended. I was interested to see if the French and Ukraine versions were different, but the only difference was the lack of blending and addition of dill!

    A tip to those that can’t find the sorrel pictured. It has a very different flavour to spinach and silver beet/Swiss chard so those would not be the same recipe but you can get sorrel for free very easily as it grows as a weed. It is very very common in Australia and all over US and Europe too, but it doesn’t look exactly the same as the picture. It’s called wood sorrel, oxalis, sour grass or sourob depending on where you live and it is a rampant and very common weed.

    That’s why I’m cooking it… The soursob has taken over my whole garden!!

    Reply

  • a
    May 3, 2012

    I have used Swiss Chard in place of sorrel and it is also tart and very good. It got it free from a farmer that wanted to give away some. I love this site.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      May 3, 2012

      Hmmm, I’ve never tried that before! Thanks for the tip!

      Reply

  • Nat
    March 9, 2012

    I am unable to get sorrel, can I use baby spinach instead?:)

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      March 9, 2012

      It won’t be the same because sorrel is tart and I haven’t tried spinach and lemon to see if that would taste ok.

      Reply

  • Alla
    August 7, 2011

    I have sorrel growing in my garden in my garden and it grows all year long. And i also use about 7 boiled eggs in my soup. I love your blog Natasha .

    Reply

  • Ilona
    June 29, 2011

    i love sorrel soup after my mom introduced me to it. They sell sorrel at russian stores and for a whole bunch i believe its around $2 or even less. The only difference that i make and i see that others commented above, i boil 3 eggs, cut them in cubes and add to the soup close to the end. And also, i add 1/2 pint of heavy whipping cream at end, garnish it with chopped dill and italian parsley. Its delish, except don’t know if it will go with pork, i use chicken instead. I will have to try your version because i love pork, sorrel, and trying new soup versions. Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply

  • Erica
    May 15, 2011

    This is how I make it.. and its my favorite soup..
    i pre boil and cut up 7 eggs and put in soup..
    als i add some carrots..
    another thing before serving i add some green onion and cut up cucumber and eat with sour crem 🙂 YUM YUM

    Reply

    • Natasha
      May 15, 2011

      That does sound good! Do you bring the soup to a boil again after green onion and cucumber or is it more of a garnish?

      Reply

      • Erica
        May 30, 2011

        dont bring it to a boil..just garnish at the end but it makes the soup SO GOOD 🙂

        Reply

    • Jeff
      May 4, 2013

      Erica, is yours served hot or cold?

      Reply

  • irina
    April 30, 2011

    Hi Natasha…..
    I haven’t had this soup in years. My Mom and Aunt use to grow “щавель” in their garden and every week we would have this soup. This year I’m going to go to the Garden Nursery and get some to plant some in my veggie garden. I love how they pop up every year in the garden.
    This recipe is so similar to my families recipe.

    Thanks again for posting one of your graet recipes. Have a great weekend. 🙂

    Reply

  • Marina
    April 29, 2011

    I never knew the correct name for it either, I always thought it was ‘spinach’. This soup is really good, I use chicken though since we are not that fond of pork. You gave me a good idea how to use up my left over Easter eggs:) It will be served at my table at the end of the week for sure!

    Reply

  • Olga
    April 28, 2011

    Hi Natasha,

    Love your site! Good job girlie! This might seem funny, but in my 25 years of living and making this borscht many times I finally know the English name for щавель thanks to you!! 😀

    Thanks for the many great recipes! Keep it up!

    -Olga-

    Reply

  • Dina
    April 28, 2011

    Alot of people put chopped boiled eggs in schavel..i serve it with chopped eggs and sour cream and its delicious! you should try it, im sure you’ll like it! 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha
      April 28, 2011

      That’s what I can do with all the eggs left over from Easter. Thank you! 🙂

      Reply

  • viktoriya
    April 27, 2011

    For some reason I thought “schavel soup” was with spinach? Or do you use spinach with the soup with the boiled eggs?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      April 27, 2011

      Schavel is sorrel and it has a sour taste. I don’t use spinach in any of my soups.

      Reply

    • Natasha
      April 27, 2011

      What kind of soup are you referring to with boiled eggs?

      Reply

      • Anna
        January 21, 2012

        I make a soup with boiled eggs and spinach. We call it green borscht too though. I know that it is sorrel here but it was hard to find so we always just used spinach. My DH is Ukranian and it is his recipe so i think it is just a highly different variant of the schavel borscht you make… a recipe for every cook 🙂
        We do it with meat+potatoes+spinach+eggs+parsley+dill
        its like : 3lb beef chuck, 5-6 potatoes, 4boxes frozen chopped spinach, 6-8 eggs, 1 bunch dill, 1/2 bunch parsley.
        Make broth with the beef, use carrots, onions, etc. Remove everything add thawed spinach, boil 10 min, add chopped eggs and greens, add back the meat. Serve with sour cream.

        Reply

        • Anna
          January 21, 2012

          Ohh i forgot to add the green onions- 3-4 bunches

          Reply

        • Natasha
          natashaskitchen
          January 21, 2012

          Sounds really healthy and tasty! I printed your instructions. I will have to try that too. Thanks again Anna!

          Reply

  • Nella
    April 27, 2011

    This soup is one of my favorites! That’s alot of shchavel your mom grows! Where did she get seeds from?

    Reply

  • Natasha
    April 27, 2011

    Thanks!

    Reply

  • Natasha
    April 27, 2011

    Can you buy sorrel at a store?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      April 27, 2011

      I saw it at Albertsons but it’s not cheap considering how much you need for the soup. Try a farmers market or planting it- it re-grows every year 🙂

      Reply

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