I love to make soups, even in the heat of the summer. But when the weather starts to cool, my soup-making goes into overdrive.
My husband requested white bean soup a few weekends ago — a good standby for a football Saturday. As I was making it, I had the urge to add a little tang at the end. A little vinegar. As I reached for the hot sauce to do the trick, I noticed that my Grillo’s pickles were still on the counter, and I thought, “What if…?”
So, I added the hot sauce for my husband (he’s on team #nopickle). For my bowl, I added a teaspoon of pickle juice and some chopped pickles on top. As I stirred those pickles into the soup and took my first bite, I knew I had a winner. It’s not for everyone, as pickles are divisive. But, for pickle lovers? This is your next recipe.
My daughter tried another pickle soup recipe, and the one she tried had potatoes. Mine has beans AND potatoes. I based mine on the traditional US Senate Soup recipe; it’s essentially that same recipe with the addition of pickles for a whole new soup. I may just have to try all sorts of pickle soups this winter, as I’m a bit smitten by this one and all the possibilities.
This soup is also super easy to make and super easy to tweak to meet your own desires. Add more beans? Sure. Don’t use ham? Sure. Make it vegetarian without chicken broth? Yes. Serve with shredded cheddar on top? Yum. Make it dairy-free without half and half? Still tasty. Add sausage? Hmmm … okay, now we are talking … I think yes, absolutely. Want to add another potato to make it thicker? Go for it. Be adventurous in the kitchen. If you don’t like the result, chalk it up to learning something and then order a pizza.
Again, have fun with this soup! It’s like nothing you’ve ever had before. And, like all soup, it’s better on day two, so make a lot!
Dill Pickle Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups diced yellow onions
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced Grillo's or Claussen dill pickles
- 2/3 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced ham
- 4 cups chicken broth (if you like your soup thinner, you may want to add another cup of broth)
- 1/2 cup pickle juice
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into large pieces
- 2 cans great northern beans, drained
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup half and half
- salt and pepper to taste
- optional: a pinch of crushed red pepper
Instructions
- Take your peeled potato that has been cut into large chunks and place it with enough water to cover it in a small pot. Salt the water and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook until a fork pierces the potato with ease (about 30 minutes).
- While your potato is cooking, add olive oil to a medium stockpot over medium heat. Once hot, add all chopped vegetables and ham (everything on the ingredient list up until the potato on the list above).
- Cook vegetable combination until soft, about 10 minutes.
- Add two cans of drained great northern beans to the cooked vegetable mix.
- Add broth and pickle juice to the bean/vegetable mix.
- Continue to cook for another 10 minutes.
- When the potato is finished cooking, take the potato pieces and add to a bowl. Take three cups of the vegetable/bean soup mix and add to the bowl as well. Either use an immersion blender to blend or place this into a blender and blend for just a second or two.
- Add the blended potato/bean/vegetable mix back into the soup.
- Add half and half, fresh parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. (Your salt requirements will vary vastly depending on your chicken broth which is why I don't give a measurement here. You can add salt and pepper along the way as well. But, this soup definitely needs a good dose!)
- Serve! I like to add chopped raw onion with chopped raw pickles on top of mine!
Nutrition
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Find more of our favorite soup recipes HERE.
