Shchi Cabbage Soup

Name: Shchi Cabbage Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 95 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Russian
Ingredients: 1 lb beef chuck roast, cubed; 6 cups beef broth; 2 bay leaves; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 yellow onion, diced; 2 carrot, grated; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 4 cups green cabbage, shredded; 2 russet potato, diced; 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

A traditional Russian soup combining slow-simmered beef, sour cabbage, and root vegetables in a flavorful broth.

95 minMediumServes 4340 cal/serving

RussianSoupStovetopStandardHigh FiberHigh ProteinGluten-FreeNut-FreeDairy-FreeSoy-FreeEgg-FreeShellfish-FreeSesame-FreeAlcohol-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

1 lb beef chuck roast, cubed
6 cups beef broth
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 carrot, grated
2 tbsp tomato paste
4 cups green cabbage, shredded
2 russet potato, diced
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

Instructions

1

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat and brown 1 lb cubed beef chuck roast on all sides.
2

Pour in 6 cups beef broth and add 2 bay leaves, then simmer uncovered until the beef reaches an internal temperature of 190°F and becomes tender, about 45 minutes.
3

Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat, then sauté 1 diced yellow onion and 2 grated carrot for 6 minutes.
4

Stir 2 tbsp tomato paste into the skillet and cook for 2 minutes.
5

Transfer the skillet contents to the soup pot along with 4 cups shredded green cabbage and 2 diced russet potato.
6

Simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft, then remove from heat and stir in 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Keep this recipe

Prints the ingredients and method only.

The Russian Kitchen 30 recipes from this kitchen in one printable PDF. $5, no account.

About Shchi Cabbage Soup

Also called: shchi, shchi soup, Russian cabbage soup, schi

Shchi is the Russian cabbage soup: beef or other meat simmered in broth with cabbage, onion, carrot and often potato, finished with dill and served with sour cream. It has been everyday food in Russia for centuries and is as basic to the cuisine as borscht, but it contains no beets.

There are two main types. Fresh shchi uses fresh cabbage, as this recipe does. Sour shchi uses sauerkraut, which gives a sharper, tangier broth; many cooks make shchi with a mix of both. This version browns cubed beef chuck, simmers it until tender, then adds a base of onion, carrot and tomato paste with shredded cabbage and diced potato, so the result is a full meal in one pot.

Serving and keeping

Serve with a spoon of sour cream and dark rye bread. Shchi is widely held to taste better the next day; it keeps 4 days refrigerated.

Variations

Sour shchi

Replace half or all of the fresh cabbage with drained sauerkraut, and simmer it 30 minutes longer.

Vegetarian

Leave out the beef, use vegetable broth, and add mushrooms with the onion.

With pork

Use pork shoulder or smoked pork ribs instead of beef chuck.

If it goes wrong

The beef is still tough

Keep simmering in step 2 until a fork goes in easily; chuck needs time past done to soften, and 45 minutes is the minimum.

The soup tastes bland

Cook the tomato paste the full 2 minutes in step 4, then season with salt after the vegetables are soft. A spoon of sauerkraut brine adds sourness.

The cabbage is mushy

Add it in step 5 and simmer only until soft, about 20 minutes, not longer.

Substitutions

green cabbage: sauerkraut, drained. Makes sour shchi; add more water or broth as it is saltier.
beef chuck roast: bone-in beef shank. Richer broth; simmer about 30 minutes longer.
fresh dill: flat-leaf parsley. Milder and less traditional.

Questions

What is Shchi Cabbage Soup?

A traditional Russian soup combining slow-simmered beef, sour cabbage, and root vegetables in a flavorful broth. This reference files it under Russian soup: made on the stovetop, rated medium and about 95 minutes start to finish.

What internal temperature should Shchi Cabbage Soup reach?

For Shchi Cabbage Soup, the target internal temperature is 190 F (about 90 C), given in step 2. A probe thermometer removes the guesswork.

Is Shchi Cabbage Soup gluten-free?

Yes. As written, nothing in the ingredient list for Shchi Cabbage Soup is wheat, barley or rye. Gluten hides in packaged goods, so read the label on the broth.

How much protein is in Shchi Cabbage Soup?

One serving (the recipe makes 4) has 26 g of protein in about 340 calories, alongside 22 g carbohydrate and 16 g fat, plus 5 g fiber and 680 mg sodium. The figures are estimates computed from the ingredient list. More like it: the high-protein soup collection.

How long does Shchi Cabbage Soup keep?

Refrigerate Shchi Cabbage Soup for up to four days. Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of water or stock to loosen it. The potatoes turn grainy in the freezer, so this one is better kept in the refrigerator.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,544 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.