Lighter Solyanka (Pickle Soup with Beef and Chicken)

By swapping processed deli meats for lean beef and chicken, this traditional soup delivers high protein with significantly reduced saturated fat.

Ingredients

Calories next to each ingredient are for that ingredient across the whole recipe (4 servings), not per serving.

• 300 g (10.5 oz) chicken breast, finely diced · 336 kcal in the whole recipe
• 300 g (10.5 oz) lean beef cubes, finely diced · 423 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 tbsp (13 g) olive oil · 115 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 medium onion (150 g), chopped · 60 kcal in the whole recipe
• 2 tbsp (34 g) tomato paste · 33 kcal in the whole recipe
• 150 g (5.3 oz) dill pickles, diced · 18 kcal in the whole recipe
• 30 g (1 oz) black olives, sliced · 34 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 liter (1000 g) beef broth · 70 kcal in the whole recipe
• 2 tbsp (30 g) lemon juice · 7 kcal in the whole recipe
• 60 g (2.1 oz) light sour cream (instead of smetana) · 82 kcal in the whole recipe
• 15 g fresh dill, chopped · 7 kcal in the whole recipe

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot and sauté chopped onion until translucent, then add finely diced beef cubes and chicken breast, searing until browned.

   

2. Stir in tomato paste and diced dill pickles, sautéing for 2 minutes, then pour in the beef broth.

   

3. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat at 100°C (212°F) for 25 minutes until the meats are tender, then stir in sliced black olives and lemon juice, cooking for 5 more minutes.

   

4. Ladle the soup into 4 bowls and top each serving with light sour cream (instead of smetana) and fresh chopped dill before serving hot.

   

A Besly kitchen recipe — portions, macros and step photos by Besly.