Hungarian mushroom soup | kelly’s kitchen

Hello friends, Happy Halloween! Welcome to Kelly’s Kitchen. It’s great you’re here today. I have an old favorite to share with you; plus, this week I am sharing a holiday gift guide with items perfect for the home cook. Today we are making Hungarian Mushroom Soup. My good friend Heidi reminded me of this recipe last week and I couldn’t help but be transported back to when I lived in Alaska. 

Many years ago when I lived in Homer, Alaska, I worked at a cafe called Two Sisters Bakery. Hungarian Mushroom Soup was on a regular rotation; it was my favorite soup and I always looked forward to when it was on the menu. One Saturday, I was distracted while ladling a serving into a to-go cup and it overflowed, giving me second degree burns on my left hand. Even still, it remained my favorite and I learned a valuable lesson: PAY ATTENTION. 😉

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

I used 1 package of white button mushrooms, plus 2 small/medium sized portobello mushrooms. This yielded about 4 cups of mushrooms for this recipe, even though it only calls for 12 ounces (which is about one package of mushrooms).  I like a lot of mushrooms! Also, I like to slice them pretty thick so they’re meaty and don’t shrink up too much in the cooking process. Start with the prep and then everything goes pretty quick. 

* A note on the paprika: Traditional Hungarian paprika has several levels of flavor from mild to spicy. It’s fine to use regular ol’ paprika if you can’t procure a Hungarian variety of paprika. Or try smoked paprika – which is what I used. 

You will start by cooking your 2 cups of onions in about 2 tablespoons of the stock. I am using chicken bone broth, but you can use whatever you like, make it vegetarian by using veggie stock if you like! Cook your onions just until they’re translucent. Then add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon of the dill, 1/2 cup of your stock, the tablespoon of paprika and the soy sauce. Stir to combine, cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes.

While that is simmering, in a separate skillet, over low heat, melt your butter. Whisk in the flour. We are making a roux. When all the flour is incorporated and a paste forms, whisk in the cup of milk and keep whisking over low heat until a thick and smooth gravy forms. I scraped this roux into a separate bowl to get it out of my cast iron so it would be easier to pour into my mushroom mixture. 

By now the mushroom mixture is cooked down a bit and has created more moisture. Stir in your roux until it’s all incorporated. Then add in the remaining stock. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. 

Just before serving, stir in the 1/2 cup sour cream, parsley, remaining dill, lemon juice, salt and pepper. 

Plate it up!

Top with more dill and parsley if you like. I happened to have crusty sourdough I made last week, so I toasted that up in the oven to go alongside. This soup is so so good! It’s hearty and really hits the spot on a cool fall day. Although, with Hurricane Zeta blowing though Athens, we haven’t exactly been having a cool fall days! Nevertheless, this is an easy weeknight dish. 

The recipe is below, and be sure to read on for my Holiday Gift Guide! If you’re looking for another hearty soup, try my Potato and Corn Soup. Thank you all so much for stopping by today. I do hope you make this Hungarian Mushroom Soup, it’s a great one to keep on file. Take care, be well and have a happy Halloween!

kelly’s kitchen gift guide

About The Author

Kelly Djalali

Kelly is our 40s+ fashion & food contributor. She posts a Daily Look on Tuesdays, writes about Fashion on Thursdays, joins Beth for Fridays with Oscar and shares a new recipe on Sunday.

She’s 48, 5’0, and a petite 0/XS.

Kelly also has a food blog called Djalali Cooks, which you can find by clicking the world icon below.

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