Solyanka - a hearty Ukrainian meat soup
A recipe for a rich and delicious soup that will instantly become your favorite.
This post is a part of the series of family recipes that are cherished, loved, and passed through generations in my Belarusian and Ukrainian families. I cook each recipe in my kitchen and include detailed descriptions and photos of each step, as well as cooking secrets and tips. View all family recipes from Eastern Europe.
Solyanka is one of my Ukrainian husband's favorite dishes. This soup is relatively easy to cook and very hearty and delicious. The original recipe includes smoked meat that sometimes hard to find in the U.S. I substituted it with the ingredients that are easy to find at a regular grocery store. After trying the result, my husband closed his eyes and nodded, saying that it tasted just like home. I will share the names of the smoked meat from the original recipe my mother-in-law shared with me, and if you could find it where you live – definitely add it to the soup to get even more authentic flavor.
When my Ukrainian husband (then boyfriend) and I just started to live together, I cooked solyanka for the first time in my life to impress him. I know it’s hard to believe right now, but in the past, I didn’t like to cook at all. So, the fact that I researched the recipe, and spent hours at the grocery store and in the kitchen was a sign of true love. It’s important to add that we were both students at that time, and our budget was incredibly modest. I felt enormous pressure not to spoil the recipe because I spent a lot buying all sorts of meats and ingredients. The kitchen where I cooked was so tiny it barely fit two people. It had a window with broken blinds that was too close to the neighbor’s house. It overlooked a back entrance and a lemon tree from which I picked a lemon for the soup. Solyanka turned out to be so good that it was truly the feast of the year for two students who were used to eating $3 frozen pizza. When I eat solyanka right now, it transfers me to those good times when we didn’t have anything except for each other, but it was all we ever needed to be happy.
I hope you’ll try cooking solyanka this month!
Below, you will find the step-by-step recipe instructions and photos of each step, which are available for paid subscribers. By upgrading to paid, you won’t only receive access to all previously posted family recipes from Eastern Europe, but will also allow me to continue my work and support both of my families who became refugees and whose recipes I share with you..