Souper Jenny’s Hungarian Mushroom Soup

All this cold weather and the snow days we’ve been having have made me crave soup. So I dug out some old Souper Jenny recipes and this Hungarian mushroom soup jumped out at me.

Souper Jenny is an Atlanta (Buckhead, to be specific) institution. The owner and her staff have been serving healthy, fresh soups, sandwiches, and salads to crowds often backing out the door for over 15 years.

A while back a few co-workers and I got to do a cooking class with the head chef, where she walked us through making five of their awesome soups in a couple hours.

When perusing the recipes initially, I was least excited about mushroom soup (I’m not a huge mushroom person). So I was shocked when we were tasting everything later and this may have been my favorite—or right up there with the lamb & Guinness stew.

The flavors were so much more complex than I expected, the scent was amazing, and the creaminess really hit the spot. It was also super easy, a win in my book.

So let’s get started.  Slice up the mushrooms—size will depend on how much you love mushrooms.  Dice up the onion as well.

Saute onions in 2 tablespoons of stock, salting lightly, for a few minutes.

Then add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon of dill, 1/2 cup of stock or water, soy sauce, and paprika.

Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

To make the thickening agent (a roux), melt the butter in a large saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for a couple minutes.

Add the milk a little at a time and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. It should thicken up nicely (coat the back of a spoon) but will still be fairly liquid.

Stir the thickened milk and remaining stock into the mushroom mixture. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes.

Just before serving, add the salt, pepper, lemon juice, sour cream, and, if desired, 1 teaspoon of extra dill. The recipe says to serve garnished with parsley—for me, it didn’t taste good but photographed well, so it’s totally up to you.

This soup is super unique and really delicious (and I say that as a person who really does NOT love mushrooms).  It’s a perfect vegetarian meal idea any time of year, but would be especially great in the fall and winter!

Other soup recipes you’ll love:

• Turkish Red Lentil Soup (Corba)
• Souper Jenny’s Broccoli Corn Chowder
• Roasted Cauliflower & Aged White Cheddar Soup
• Mom’s Amazing Crockpot Baked Potato Soup

Hungarian Mushroom Soup from Souper Jenny

• 12 ounces of mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups of onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 1 cup of milk
• 2 teaspoons of dill weed
• 1 tablespoon of Hungarian paprika (I didn’t have, so used regular)
• 1 tablespoon of tamari soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
• Fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup of sour cream
• Optional garnish: 1/4 cup of parsley, chopped

1. Saute onions in 2 tablespoons of stock, salt lightly. A few minutes later, add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon of dill, 1/2 cup of stock or water, soy sauce, and paprika. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.
2. Melt butter in large saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking, a few minutes. Add milk and cook, stirring frequently, over low heat about 10 minutes – until thick.
3. Stir in mushroom mixture and remaining stock. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes.
4. Just before serving, add salt, pepper, lemon juice, sour cream, and, if desired, 1 teaspoon of extra dill. Serve garnished with parsley.

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