Even though I’m a believer in enjoying soup all year long, I won’t deny that we are currently in peak soup season (at least in New York City, where it feels like this freezing-cold weather is never going to end). These days, when I find a new soup recipe I’m jumping at the chance to whip up a pot.
One recipe that recently came across my desk was pickle soup. Honestly, I had never heard of this dish before last week. But anything that mentions pickles or soup has my interest. Put them together, and I’m nearly positive I’ll love it.
Turns out, Kristen Bell is famous for preparing the popular Polish dish zupa ogórkowa (aka dill pickle soup) for her family during the holidays. Bell shared her grandmother’s recipe back in 2021 with Good Morning America, and claimed that she had seen many first-timers love it after being a little apprehensive at first.
Even though it’s not the winter holiday season anymore, I’m not turning down a reason to try a new soup. Here’s what I thought of Kristen Bell’s pickle soup.
Get the recipe: Kristen Bell’s Pickle Soup
How to Make Kristen Bell’s Pickle Soup
Start by chopping up a yellow onion, a few stalks of celery, and some carrots. Add all of this to a pan with some oil to sauté for a few minutes. Once your veggies are soft, toss them into a slow cooker with broth (chicken or vegetable), chopped pickles, pickle juice, mixed frozen veggies, and frozen potatoes. Bell recommends adding “Southern-style” diced frozen potatoes, but all I could find were shredded hash browns (and they worked perfectly).
Season everything in the slow cooker with salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook on low until all the veggies are cooked and soft.
Once the time is up, whisk together milk, sour cream, and flour in a bowl. Add a few spoonfuls of the hot broth into the sour cream mixture to temper it. Then, stir it into your slow cooker. Don’t turn the heat up or the milk mixture could start to curdle. Serve with some finely chopped dill and a dollop of sour cream.
My Honest Review of Kristen Bell’s Pickle Soup
My family makes a lot of vegetable soup, and this pickle soup recipe tastes like a cozy, creamy, and slightly elevated version of the kind I had when I was growing up — I loved it! Normally, my parents do a big “clean out the fridge” recipe where you throw in whatever fresh veggies you have and anything you can find in the freezer. Now, I can see myself adding pickles and frozen potatoes every time I’m making a pot of vegetable soup.
The soup is packed with veggies, so there’s tons of crunch and flavor with every spoonful. I really liked knowing I was eating nourishing ingredients, while sipping on something warm that also made me feel good. I used chicken stock, but swapping that with vegetable broth would help make the best vegetarian dinner.
This soup’s creamy base was also a major pro. When I make vegetable soup, it normally has a tomato base, but this creamy one just makes the dish even more comforting and rich. I was not shy with the sour cream, either, so that really packed more tang and creaminess as well.
With ingredients like pickles, hash browns, dill, milk, and sour cream, I was worried that the soup would have a lot of conflicting flavors. But they all seemed to meld well while simmering for so long. Who knew pickles and cream were meant to be?
What surprised me most was how little I tasted the pickle. Because it’s in the name, I was expecting it to be a bit overwhelming — but it was more of a soft, underlying flavor. Next time, I’ll add a bit more.
