Polish Mushroom Soup, aka Zupa Grzybowa

Few soups have as much magical, soul-warming and comforting feeling as Polish mushroom soup, aka zupa grzybowa. If you are craving something really delicious on a cold day, this creamy soup is what you need.

Mushrooms play a huge role in Polish cuisine. We eat them with scrambled eggs, pierogies (with sauerkraut and mushrooms), mushroom and noodle casserole, pickled mushrooms, mushroom sauce (see Mom’s recipe) and mushroom soup.

I like soups. In addition to being delicious, soups are filling dishes and can be prepared quite quickly. In the summer I make cold soups, and on cooler days, I cook rich, full of autumn vegetables soups.

Mushrooms offer a variety of health benefits due to their nutrient content. Mushrooms are low in calories and fat, but high in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They are a good source of potassium, selenium, copper, and vitamin B2. Mushrooms have been linked to lower cholesterol levels and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

Here’s my Mom’s Polish mushroom soup recipe you can try today:

Ingredients:

600g mushrooms, sliced (I like to use Baby bella, brown mushrooms for this recipe)
2 chicken breasts (optional)
300g egg noodles or pasta
1 large carrot
1 large stalk celery, chopped
1 leek
1 parsley root or parsnip
1 large white onion, diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1 liter chicken or vegetable broth
4 cups water
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Vegeta seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Wash and peel all vegetables. Set the mushroom and onions aside.

In a medium size pot pour in chicken or vegetable broth and 4 cups of water. Add the chicken breasts, peeled carrot, peeled parsley root, celery and a leek. Add spices: 1/2 teaspoons of salt, a 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, 2 bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let the soup simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and vegetables are tender. After boiling, use a spoon to collect the white foam from the top of the broth. If you don’t, the soup may turn bitter or sour.

While the broth simmers, cook the noodles in salted water. Strain and set aside.

Meantime, pat dry the baby bella mushrooms and cut them into thin slices. Cut the onion into cubes.

In a large frying pan melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the thinly sliced mushrooms and chopped onion and sauté, stirring frequently, for about 7 – 10 minutes or until the onion is translucent and the mushrooms have released their liquid, are soft and tender, and the liquid evaporates.

I like to use Baby bella (brown) mushrooms for this recipe, but you can use white button mushrooms if you like. To add another layer of flavour to the soup, add fresh wild mushrooms, such as chanterelles, boletus, porcini or similar. This is totally optional, but if you have access to them, it’s worth to try.

When the chicken is cooked and vegetables are tender, remove them from the pot and let it cool. I don’t like parsley root and leek, so I discard them.

Dice the carrots and celery all about the same size and add them back to the soup.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream and all-purpose flour until smooth. Slowly add one cup of the hot soup to the sour cream mixture, whisking constantly. This will help to temper the sour cream and prevent it from curdling when added to the soup.

Slowly pour in the cream mixed with the broth into the pot stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming. The soup should be creamy and silky. This will thicken the soup and add a more intense flavour.

Keep it on simmer but don’t boil the soup after adding sour cream