Barszcz Wigilijny (Polish Christmas Eve Beet Soup) Recipe

By
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek is a former chef who became a cooking school instructor and award-winning food writer.
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Updated on 11/30/21
Polish Christmas eve beet soup recipe

The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Ferment: 72 hrs
Total: 73 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 6 servings

This recipe for Polish Christmas Eve beet soup (barszcz wigilijny) is from chef Marek (Mark) Widomski, founder and director of the Culinary Institute in Crakow, Poland.

While many beet soup recipes call for beef stock, meat or bones, since this is a Polish Christmas Eve supper (wigilia) recipe, it must be meatless.

The soup is made with a beet sour (kwas) that must ferment for at least three days before using and vegetable stock. The traditional way to eat barszcz wigilijny is with mushroom uszka or paszteciki.

At the Culinary Institute in Crakow, Chef Mark and his staff offer classes in everything from peasant food to gourmet cuisine, tailoring them to the individual's needs, in Polish, English and other languages.

Ingredients

For the Beet Sour (Kwas):

  • 3 1/2 pounds beets, peeled, rinsed, and sliced

  • 1 slice rye bread

For the Beet Soup:

  • 1 pound beets, peeled, rinsed, and sliced

  • 1/2 pound vegetables, such as carrot, parsnip, celery root, leeks, peeled and sliced

  • 2 teaspoons unsalted butter

  • 1 clove garlic, mashed with a little salt

  • 2 cups beet sour (kwas)

  • 1 dried mushroom, soaked, 1/4 cup soaking liquid reserved

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste

  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Steps to Make It

Make the Beet Sour (Kwas)

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for sour
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

  2. Place the beets in a large crock or ceramic bowl.

    Beets
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

  3. Cover with pre-boiled lukewarm water. Add the bread with the crust, pushing it under the water.

    Cover with water
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

  4. Cover the crock or bowl with cheesecloth and let stand at room temperature for three days.

    Cover
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

  5. Strain through cheesecloth, pour into a glass jar and seal it. Store in the fridge. You may eat the strained beets or discard them.

    Beets in jar
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

Make the Beet Soup

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for soup
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

  2. Place the beets, Polish soup vegetables (włoszczna) in a large stockpot.

    Place vegetables in pot
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

  3. Add 6 cups cold water and 1 teaspoon of the butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are tender.

    Add water
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

  4. Strain, pressing on vegetables to extract every last ounce of liquid.

    Strain
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

  5. Return the strained liquid to the pot and add mashed garlic with a little salt, the beet sour (kwas), strained mushroom soaking liquid, salt, pepper, and sugar to taste.

    Add garlic
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

  6. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

    Bring to boil
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

  7. Before serving, stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon of butter and parsley.

    Add herbs
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

  8. Ladle into hot bowls and serve with mushroom uszka.

    Polish Christmas eve beet soup
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
212 Calories
2g Fat
44g Carbs
8g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 212
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g 3%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 3mg 1%
Sodium 398mg 17%
Total Carbohydrate 44g 16%
Dietary Fiber 9g 34%
Total Sugars 30g
Protein 8g
Vitamin C 14mg 72%
Calcium 70mg 5%
Iron 3mg 18%
Potassium 1176mg 25%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)