Polish Tomato-Rice Soup (Zupa Pomidorowa Ryzu)

Bowl of tomato soup and rice on chopping board
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Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 70 mins
Total: 100 mins
Servings: 6 servings

This recipe for Polish tomato-rice soup or zupa pomidorowa ryżu (ZOO-pah paw-mee-daw-RRAW-vah RRIH-zhoo) is a thick, hearty affair with carrots, celery, and onions. It can be puréed and creamed, if desired, but you may prefer it left chunky. It's a meal in a bowl. Polish tomato-rice soup will be more savory than the typical canned tomato soup, and less sweet. This recipe has no added sugar as you will find in many canned tomato soups.

You can use chicken stock, but it can be made with vegetable stock to make this a truly vegetarian offering. If you are going the traditional route, you would first make your stock. This would be the only time-consuming step. If you prepare a chicken as a meal one day (or even buy a chicken already roasted), making your own stock is a great way to use what would otherwise be discarded.

However, you may like the convenience of buying stock. In a pinch, you also can use bouillion, but be sure to check the equivalents to liquid stock on the package.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 large onion (chopped)
  • 2 ribs celery (sliced)
  • 2 large carrots (peeled and sliced)
  • 1 clove garlic (minced)
  • 6 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
  • 2 pounds tomatoes (peeled, seeded, and chopped)
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme (crushed)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup cooked rice (cooled)
  • Optional: 1/2 cup sweet or sour cream
  • Optional: Dill or parsley for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, sauté onion, celery, carrots, and garlic until the onion is translucent.

  2. Add stock, tomatoes, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered 1 hour or until carrots are tender and soup has reduced somewhat.

  3. If you need to cook the rice and allow it to cool, do so while the soup is cooking for an hour.

  4. Once the soup has cooked for an hour, it can be puréed, if desired.

  5. Add the rice and heat through.

  6. If desired, sweet cream or sour cream can be added.

  7. Garnish with dill or parsley, optional.

Enjoy tomato-rice soup as a light meal or as a starter for your main meal.

Variations

  • If you prefer, you can use a type of small pasta, such as orzo, instead of rice.

  • If you have some leftover cooked chicken, you can add it to the soup to boost the protein provided.

  • If you don't want to cook the rice separately, you can add it to the soup after it comes to a boil. Use 1/4 to 1/3 cup of uncooked rice.

  • Many Polish tomato soup recipes use tomato paste and may use fewer fresh or canned diced tomatoes. This may be a convenient choice if you don't have fresh tomatoes available.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
290 Calories
9g Fat
46g Carbs
9g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 290
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 11%
Saturated Fat 5g 23%
Cholesterol 21mg 7%
Sodium 819mg 36%
Total Carbohydrate 46g 17%
Dietary Fiber 4g 16%
Protein 9g
Calcium 117mg 9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)