Polish Mushroom Soup (Christmas Recipe)

Polish Mushroom Soup made with porcini mushrooms is traditionally served on Christmas Eve. This vegetarian soup is usually served with pasta, with or without sour cream.

You might also like Polish Christmas borscht.

Polish Mushroom Soup ('zupa grzybowa') with lazanki pasta is a traditional Christmas Eve dish in certain parts of Poland (including central and northern regions). Other regions tend to favour Polish barszcz for Christmas.

This wild mushroom soup is strictly vegetarian (Polish Christmas Eve is meatless) and a little austere in that it contains very few ingredients.

This soup is all about mushrooms!

Polish mushroom soup ingredients and substitutions

• Wild mushrooms: see details below.
• Vegetables: to make the broth I used onion, carrot, celery root/celeriac and fresh parsley (you can use parsley root, but not parsnip, instead if you can get it - it's not widely available outside of Poland).
• Vegetable stock: adds richness and intensity of flavour.
• Butter: as a vegan alternative use plant-based spread instead.
• Pasta: if you can’t get the lazanki pasta use another small pasta variety such as small pasta shells, pipettes, mini farfalle etc. Alternatively use 2 peeled, cubed potatoes (add into the soup in Step 7 and cook until tender).
• Seasoning: because the vegetable stock contains salt you may not need to add any but you can add a generous amount of pepper (highly recommended!).
• Soy sauce: adds more depth of flavour and really complements the mushrooms (also worked amazingly well in stuffed butternut squash and turkey lasagna).
• Sour cream: for serving (optional). For a vegan option add a drop of lemon juice or balsamic vinegar instead.

What mushrooms to use

Polish Christmas mushroom soup is usually made using borowiki (porcini), but can also contain podgrzybki ('boletes' in English). These can be dried, but some people use a combination of dried and frozen wild mushrooms.

It's absolutely fine to just use dried porcini mushrooms. I strongly recommend getting them from a Polish store if possible (they tend to be cheaper).

Step-by-step recipe instructions

1.Prepare mushrooms: soak the mushrooms in a little water for 3 minutes then rub with your fingertips to remove any grit and rinse the mushrooms thoroughly. 

2. Cook mushrooms: Place in a pot and add 250 ml/1 cup of water.  Cover and bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. (In the meantime boil the pasta according to the packet instructions).

3. Strain: Remove from the heat and pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve making sure you reserve the liquid.

4. Fry: Chop the mushrooms finely. In a small pan melt the butter and fry the mushrooms for 4-5 minutes stirring often. Set aside. 

5. Cook broth: While the mushrooms are cooking make the broth.  To the pot add the vegetables, parsley, allspice berries and vegetable stock. Cover and bring to the boil then turn the heat down and simmer for 40 minutes.

6. Remove vegetables: Using a slotted spoon lift the vegetables out of the pot (you won’t need them anymore).

7. Add mushrooms: Using a fine-mesh sieve pour in the liquid from cooking the mushrooms. Add the fried mushrooms, bring the soup to the boil again and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

8. Finish off: Remove from the heat, add the soy sauce, adjust the seasoning if needed and serve with the pasta and sour cream.

Serving suggestions

Polish mushroom soup is traditionally served on Christmas Eve with pasta (lazanki), a dollop of sour cream or splash of cream and freshly chopped parsley. Leftovers can be used to add flavour to soups (such as barley) or stews.

Top tips

• The most affordable porcini mushrooms I’ve ever come across tend to be sold in Polish shops.
• Rinse the mushrooms thoroughly to get rid of any grit before making the soup (see Instructions).
• You can boil the mushrooms in advance and once cooled refrigerate (overnight) until you are ready to make the soup.
• To save time boil the pasta while the mushrooms and vegetable broth are bubbling away.
• Be generous with the seasoning, especially the pepper.
• Best served hot.
• Freeze for up to 3 months.

Storing and freezing

This vegetarian mushroom soup with pasta can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. It is important to refrigerate it without the pasta as it will absorb the liquid and become soggy (cover the pasta and refrigerate separately). Heat the pasta in the microwave or rinse with hot water before serving.

Freeze the soup also without the pasta. Defrost in the fridge overnight, cook the pasta and add into the soup just before serving.

Other types of mushroom soup in Poland

Poles love to eat as well as pick mushrooms and make various types of mushroom soups throughout the year. These include:

Wild mushroom soup made with a medley of wild mushrooms or just one type (such as 'kurki', which are 'chanterelle' mushrooms) and chunky vegetables.

White mushroom soup, called 'zupa pieczarkowa' ('pieczarki' are white mushrooms). This is a hearty, chunky soup typically made also with vegetables and potatoes (or pasta/rice) as well as chicken or beef bones.

Mushroom soup in bread, often served in restaurants.

See also my creamy mushroom soup made with potatoes!

Other Polish recipes with mushrooms to try next

• Porcini Mushroom Dumplings (Uszka)
• Polish Crepes with Mushrooms (Krokiety)
• Authentic Polish Bigos Stew
• Polish Sauerkraut Pierogi (Kapusta) Dumplings

See also these other traditional Polish recipes!

Keep in touch!

If you make this Polish wild mushroom soup recipe I'd love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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