Classic Mixed Meat Soup with Potatoes, Sausage, and Pickles
Rich, fragrant, and full of flavor, perfect for a delicious lunch. Classic mixed meat soup with pickles, sausage, and potatoes is loved by many. The soup turns out hearty, beautiful, and unlike anything else. The meat selection can be varied and generous, for example, in addition to beef you can add tongue, pork, or veal.
Updated : 27 May, 2026
Easy
About 30 min.
Ingredients
3.5 liter
Water
500 grams
Beef
400 grams
Potato
200 grams
Smoked sausage
200 grams
Boiled sausage
4
Salted cucumbers
1
Onion
1
Carrot
2 tablespoon
Tomato paste
2 tablespoon
Vegetable oil
2
Laurel leaf
to taste
Ground black pepper
to taste
Salt
Serving
100 grams
Olive
50 grams
Lemon
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare the necessary ingredients. Beef is the best choice for the meat. If you want a richer broth, use a cut with bone. I used plain boneless meat. You can also choose any sausage you like: cooked-smoked, dry-cured, or boiled sausage. Tomato paste can be replaced with tomatoes in their own juice or tomato juice, fresh tomatoes, or ketchup.
Step 2
Peel and rinse the onion. If you plan to use it in the sauté later, chop it into small cubes. I use a whole onion for cooking the broth and then discard it. To keep onion vapors from irritating your eyes, rinse the onion and the knife with cold water. A cutting board will not absorb the onion smell if you rub it with a piece of lemon before slicing.
Step 3
Rinse the meat thoroughly. Place the beef in a pot as one whole piece together with the whole onion. Pour in 3.5 liters of water, about 14.8 cups. It is best to use filtered or bottled water with a neutral taste. Tap water can give the dish an unpleasant aftertaste.
Step 4
Cook the meat over medium heat for about 1 hour, skimming off the foam with a slotted spoon as it appears.
Step 5
Remove the meat from the broth and cut it into small strips. The size of the meat pieces should be about the same as the sausage and pickle pieces. In any case, you can choose any size and shape of cutting you prefer.
Step 6
Strain the broth and discard the onion. Return the pot to the heat and bring the broth back to a boil.
Step 7
Wash the potatoes, peel them with a knife or vegetable peeler, and cut them into medium cubes. It is better not to cut them too small, because the soup cooks quite a long time and tiny pieces may boil apart, while very large ones are inconvenient to eat.
Step 8
Peel the carrot, rinse it, and grate it on a coarse grater. If you like, you can also simply cut it into pieces with a knife.
Step 9
Cut the pickles into strips. If you prefer pickled cucumbers or fresh cucumbers, you can make the soup with those instead.
Step 10
Cut both kinds of sausage into strips as well. You can also use hot dogs or sausages. It is traditional for this soup to have everything cut into strips rather than the usual cubes. It is believed that the way the ingredients are cut affects the flavor of the whole dish, but of course you can cut them however you like. You can also cut all the vegetables the same way, for example the potatoes and carrots into strips too, or on the contrary, cut everything into cubes.
Step 11
Add the potatoes to the broth and cook over medium heat until the potatoes are done, about 20 minutes. Even if the potatoes are not fully cooked by then, they will finish cooking together with the sauté.
Step 12
Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet. Add the carrot, pickles, smoked sausage, boiled sausage, and cooked beef. Stir everything and fry over medium heat for about 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally. This gives the whole sauté, and later the finished soup, a light smoky flavor and aroma.
Step 13
Add the tomato paste to the skillet, stir, and simmer for about 2 more minutes.
Step 14
Add the sauté from the skillet and the meat you cut earlier to the pot, then stir.
Step 15
Add salt and pepper to taste, and add the bay leaves. Bring the soup back to a boil and cook for about another 10 minutes.
Step 16
For serving, you will need pitted black olives and half a lemon sliced into rounds. These can be added separately to each bowl when serving, or added directly to the pot. Along with its tang, the lemon gives the soup a slight bitterness that beautifully highlights its rich meaty flavor. Instead of black olives, you can use green olives.
Step 17
I add the lemon and black olives directly to the pot right away. If you do not like bitterness in the soup, you can add squeezed lemon juice instead. Always adjust to your own taste. Cover the pot with a lid and let the soup rest for another 10 minutes.
Step 18
Serve the soup with black olives, lemon, and sour cream, that is the classic way. For a restaurant-style touch, add chopped herbs and capers. To highlight the Eastern European character, rye bread and a crunchy pickle on the side will be perfect. Store the soup in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to 3-4 days. The flavor becomes even better on the second day. Enjoy your meal!
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