Vegan Pickle Soup

Recipe from Sarah’s Vegan Kitchen

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Here’s a vegan version of Polish pickle soup, or zupa ogórkowa. Savory, sour, and full of flavor, pickle lovers will rejoice for this cozy soup.  Be sure to use good quality pickles, preferably fermented for this soup.  I’m thinking that next time, I’ll add some white beans to the soup to bulk it up a bit.

2 tablespoons olive oil or vegan butter divided

1 small white onion diced

2 stalks celery diced

2 medium carrots peeled and diced

4 medium-sized Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cut into 1" cubes

5 cups vegetable broth or more if you prefer a thinner soup

1 cup grated dill pickles

1/2 cup pickle brine

1/2 cup vegan sour cream see notes for recommendations

2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill plus extra to garnish

salt and pepper to preference

In a heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoons olive oil or vegan butter.

Add diced onion and celery and sauté 3-5 minutes, until onion is translucent.

Add in carrot and sauté for an additional minute.

Add in cubed potatoes and cover with vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low or medium-low to establish a gentle simmer. Let the soup simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are very soft and easily pierced with a fork.

In the meantime, heat a small skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegan butter. Add in the grated pickles and pan-fry, stirring regularly, for about 3-5 minutes. I pull mine off the heat when the extra moisture in the pan cooks off.

Once the potatoes are very tender, add the cooked pickles to the soup, along with the pickle brine. (Make sure you aren't adding the brine before the potatoes are soft, as the acidity will interfere with the potatoes cooking.)

Measure the vegan sour cream into a small heat-proof bowl. Add a few ladles of the hot broth from the soup into the bowl and whisk it together in order to temper it. (This will help prevent the cream from curdling once you add it into the hot soup.) Pour the mixture back into the pot of soup and stir to combine.

Stir in the chopped fresh dill. Give the soup a taste and add more salt if needed. (Each brand of veggie broth varies a little in terms of sodium content.)

Add extra fresh dill to serve, if you like! Enjoy this with a slice of sourdough bread.

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