Make Shchi (Russian Cabbage Soup) tonight ⏤ made with broth, potatoes, cabbage, sauteed veggies & meat (optional), and topped with a dollop of tangy sour cream, this traditional Russian soup is healthy, cozy, and deliciously hearty! Perfect for those cold winter nights!
Shchi Russian Cabbage Soup
Hey babes, I made you Shchi today! If you’re not familiar with this dish, it’s basically a super healthy soup made with broth, potatoes, cabbage, sauteed veggies (onions, carrots, garlic), tomato paste, and meat (unless you’re vegetarian).
So basically what you do is you cook the potatoes, meat, and cabbage in broth, and sautee the onions, carrots, garlic, and tomato paste in butter (or oil). Then you add the sauteed veggies to the broth and cook for another 5 minutes and that’s your Shchi!
Important!! Shchi is *ALWAYS* topped with a dollop of sour cream because you want some tang in your cabbage soup (and ya know… Russia and sour cream go hand in hand lol). This dish is very easy to make and super filling, cozy and hearty. I’m usually not a big fan of soups but a big bowl of Shchi and a dark Russian movie… anytime!!
+ More Context!
Shchi is a staple food in Russia, just like Borshch, and it became popular after cabbage was introduced from Byzantium (now Turkey, so this happened back in the 9th century).
Food wasn’t very exciting back then because the majority of people didn’t have access to many ingredients but Shchi was cheap and easy to prepare & cozy and hearty at the same time! So it quickly became very popular, so popular, in fact, that there’s a saying that goes “Shchi da kasha — pishcha nasha” or “Shchi and kasha are our food” (kasha usually stands for buckwheat/a type of porridge).
Shchi is traditionally eaten with sour cream (“smetana” in Russian) and rye bread! So I recommend you try it that way 🙂
Shchi Pronunciation – How do you say Shchi?
Free Russian lesson for u luvs <3. So, Shchi is a two-letter word in Russian: “щи” where the letter “щ” is pronounced “shch” and the letter “и” is basically just a regular “ee”.
To pronounce the letter “щ” or “shch” correctly, say “Welsh sheep” ⏤ that’s exactly the kind of sound that you need to pronounce “щи” like a Russian 🙂
Ingredients for Shchi Soup
- Broth. Any will work: beef, lamb, pork, chicken, or vegetable but the most authentic would be beef. You can use storebought broth or make your own at home (more on that later!).
- Meat. Beef, lamb, pork, chicken or go meatless if you’re vegetarian!
- Potatoes.
- Butter or vegetable oil for sauteeing, I like using butter.
- Onions.
- Garlic.
- Carrots.
- Tomato paste. Some people like to use fresh tomatoes but I find that tomato paste makes the soup more flavorful!
- Black pepper. I recommend using whole peppercorns but freshly grated or ground black pepper will work too.
- Bay leaf.
- Salt.
- Sour cream. Don’t skip this! Sour cream is added right before serving and it’s essential, it adds that fun tang that really takes your Shchi to the next level!
1 tip for success
When making Shchi, it’s important to not overcook the veggies or the soup will be mushy!
HAPPY COOKING BABES!! I hope you’ll love my Shchi soup as much as I do!
PS: Please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ⭐️ if you make it! I LOVE hearing from you! 💘
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Shchi Russian Cabbage Soup
Ingredients
For The Broth (skip if using storebought)
- 4 cups water
- 1/2 lb beef, pork, lamb, or chicken
- 1/2 large onion quartered
- 1/2 carrot halved
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
For the Shchi Soup
- 4 cups broth homemade or storebought (meat or vegetable)
- 2 large potatoes peeled and diced
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter or vegetable oil
- 1 large onion thinly sliced or minced
- 2 carrots peeled and grated
- 2 tbsp tomato sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 and 1/2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
- Salt and pepper to taste
For Serving
- Sour cream
- Fresh parsley optional
- Rye bread optional
Instructions
For The Broth (skip if using storebought)
- Add the water, meat, onion, carrot, peppercorns, and bay leaf to a large stock pot, bring to a boil and cook on medium-low heat for 1 hour, then transfer the meat to a clean plate and discard the vegetables and spices. Sift the broth through a fine-mesh sieve.
For the Shchi
- Add the broth to a large soup pot over medium-high heat, then add in the diced potatoes and meat and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the butter (or oil) to a medium skillet over medium heat. Allow the butter to melt and sizzle, then add in the onions and sautee for 4-5 minutes, then add in the carrot, garlic, and tomato paste, season with salt and pepper to taste, and sautee until the onion is translucent, then turn off the heat.
- After the soup boils, add in the cabbage and cook for 2 minutes, then immediately add in the sauteed veggies and cook for 5 minutes, taste and adjust seasonings if desired (you may need more salt). It's important to not overcook Shchi or the veggies will be mushy! Turn off the heat, cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream and rye bread! Add fresh parsley if desired.
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