Seven complete recipes inspired by family kitchens from Poland and Ukraine to Hungary, Romania, Czechia and Slovakia

Across Eastern Europe, soup is both practical food and cultural memory. Long winters, seasonal harvests and generations of home cooking have shaped dishes built from cabbage, beetroot, mushrooms, potatoes, barley, preserved vegetables, modest cuts of meat and deeply flavoured broth.

There is no single Eastern European cuisine. Borders have shifted, ingredients have travelled and neighbouring food traditions overlap. Even a famous dish such as borscht, goulash or bigos can change from one household to the next. That variation is not a problem to solve; it is part of what makes these recipes alive.

The versions in this guide are respectful Australian-kitchen adaptations. Each keeps the dish’s recognisable structure while using ingredients that are reasonably easy to find. Prepared bone broth adds savoury depth and convenience, but vegetables, herbs, grains, fermented foods and careful cooking remain the heart of every bowl.

 

Why These Dishes Endure

·   Root vegetables and cabbage store well through colder months.

·   Fermentation preserves vegetables while creating distinctive acidity.

·   Dried mushrooms, paprika, caraway, dill, parsley, bay leaves and pepper build character without requiring long ingredient lists.

·   Beans, grains, potatoes and noodles make broth-based meals substantial.

·   Slow cooking helps tenderise meat and allows flavours to become cohesive.

·   Large pots invite sharing and often taste even better the following day.

For more regional inspiration, explore From Australia to Asia: A Journey Through Traditional Soups, Broths & Nourishing Recipes, Mediterranean Bone Broth Recipes and Healing Soups & Nourishing Broths: Bone Broth Recipes for Recovery.

Before You Begin

·   Prepare powder or concentrate according to the label directions before measuring the broth.

·   Sauerkraut, sausage and prepared broth can all contain salt. Taste before adding more.

·   Add ground paprika gently and avoid scorching it, which can make it bitter.

·   Dried mushrooms may contain grit. Soak, lift them from the liquid and strain the soaking liquid before using it.

·   Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate in covered containers. Reheat until steaming hot.

 

Polish Rosół

A clear, aromatic chicken soup traditionally served with fine noodles and parsley.

Ingredients

·   1 kg bone-in chicken pieces

·   1 litre prepared chicken bone broth

·   750 ml cold water

·   2 carrots, peeled and halved lengthways

·   1 parsley root or parsnip, peeled and halved

·   1 celery stalk, cut into large pieces

·   1 leek, white and pale green part only, washed well

·   1 brown onion, halved, skin left on for colour if clean

·   2 bay leaves

·   5 whole allspice berries

·   8 black peppercorns

·   Sea salt, to taste

·   200 g fine egg noodles

·   ½ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Method

·   Place the chicken in a large pot with the prepared broth and cold water. Bring very slowly to a gentle simmer, skimming foam from the surface. Do not boil vigorously.

·   Add the carrots, parsley root or parsnip, celery, leek, onion, bay leaves, allspice and peppercorns.

·   Simmer uncovered or partially covered over very low heat for 1½–2 hours. The surface should barely move.

·   Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a tray. Strain the broth through a fine sieve. Taste and add salt only if needed.

·   Cook the noodles separately according to packet directions, then drain.

·   Divide noodles between bowls and ladle over the hot broth. Add sliced carrot, picked chicken meat and parsley as desired.

To Serve

·   Fresh parsley

·   Extra black pepper

·   Rye bread, optional

 

 

Ukrainian-Inspired Borscht

A vivid beetroot, cabbage and potato soup balanced with tomato, vinegar and fresh dill.

Ingredients

·   1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

·   1 large brown onion, diced

·   2 carrots, grated or finely diced

·   500 g beetroot, peeled and grated or cut into fine matchsticks

·   2 tablespoons tomato paste

·   1 litre prepared beef bone broth

·   500 ml water

·   2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes

·   300 g green cabbage, finely shredded

·   1 bay leaf

·   1 teaspoon sugar or honey, optional

·   1–2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, to taste

·   Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

·   ½ cup fresh dill, chopped

Method

·   Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion and carrot for 6–8 minutes until softened.

·   Add the beetroot and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute.

·   Pour in the bone broth and water. Add the potatoes and bay leaf, bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

·   Add the cabbage and simmer for another 20–25 minutes, until the beetroot and potatoes are tender.

·   Remove the bay leaf. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar and the optional sugar or honey. Taste, then adjust the acidity, salt and pepper.

·   Stir through half the dill. Rest the soup for 10 minutes before serving, or cool and reheat the next day for a deeper flavour.

To Serve

·   Sour cream or plain yoghurt

·   Remaining fresh dill

·   Rye bread

·   Crushed garlic, optional

 

 

Polish-Inspired Bigos

A slow-cooked hunter’s stew of sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, mushrooms, pork and smoked sausage.

Ingredients

·   15 g dried porcini mushrooms

·   300 ml boiling water

·   1 tablespoon olive oil or butter

·   600 g pork shoulder, cut into 3 cm pieces

·   250 g smoked Polish sausage or kielbasa, sliced

·   1 large brown onion, diced

·   250 g fresh mushrooms, sliced

·   700 g sauerkraut, drained and roughly chopped

·   400 g green cabbage, finely shredded

·   500 ml prepared beef bone broth

·   2 bay leaves

·   6 juniper berries, lightly crushed, optional

·   1 teaspoon dried marjoram

·   4 pitted prunes, chopped, optional

·   Black pepper, to taste

Method

·   Cover the dried mushrooms with the boiling water and soak for 20 minutes. Lift them out, chop finely and strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter or fine cloth.

·   Heat the oil or butter in a large heavy-based pot. Brown the pork in batches and transfer to a plate.

·   Cook the sausage for 3–4 minutes until lightly coloured, then add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the fresh and soaked mushrooms.

·   Return the pork to the pot. Add the sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, bone broth, strained mushroom liquid, bay leaves, juniper, marjoram and prunes.

·   Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook over low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of hot water if the stew becomes dry.

·   Uncover and cook for a final 20–30 minutes until rich and cohesive. Remove the bay leaves, add black pepper and taste before adding any salt.

To Serve

·   Rye bread

·   Boiled potatoes

·   Fresh parsley, optional

 

 

Hungarian Gulyás

A paprika-rich beef soup with potatoes, capsicum and caraway.

Ingredients

·   2 tablespoons olive oil or lard

·   2 large brown onions, finely diced

·   700 g beef chuck, cut into 3 cm pieces

·   3 garlic cloves, minced

·   2 tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika

·   ½ teaspoon hot paprika, optional

·   1 teaspoon caraway seeds, lightly crushed

·   1 red capsicum, diced

·   2 carrots, cut into thick rounds

·   2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 3 cm pieces

·   1 litre prepared beef bone broth

·   500 ml water

·   1 bay leaf

·   Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

·   Heat the oil or lard in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onions slowly for 10–12 minutes until soft and golden.

·   Add the beef and cook until lightly browned. Stir in the garlic and caraway for 30 seconds.

·   Take the pot off the heat, add the sweet and hot paprika and stir well. Returning paprika immediately to high heat can scorch it.

·   Add the capsicum, carrots, bone broth, water and bay leaf. Return to the heat and bring to a gentle simmer.

·   Cover partially and cook for 75 minutes, stirring occasionally.

·   Add the potatoes and simmer for another 30–35 minutes, until the beef and potatoes are tender.

·   Remove the bay leaf. Taste and season, then rest for 10 minutes before serving.

To Serve

·   Fresh parsley

·   Crusty bread

·   Sour cream, optional

  

Romanian-Inspired Ciorbă de Perișoare

A bright vegetable soup with tender rice meatballs and a pleasantly sour finish.

Ingredients

·   500 g beef and pork mince, or beef mince

·   1 small egg

·   ¼ cup (50 g) long-grain rice, rinsed

·   2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

·   ½ teaspoon sea salt

·   ¼ teaspoon black pepper

·   1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

·   1 brown onion, finely diced

·   2 carrots, finely diced

·   1 celery stalk, finely diced

·   1 red capsicum, finely diced

·   1.25 litres prepared beef or chicken bone broth

·   400 g can diced tomatoes

·   Juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste

·   ½ cup lovage or flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Method

·   Combine the mince, egg, rice, parsley, salt and pepper. With damp hands, shape into small meatballs about the size of a walnut. Refrigerate while starting the soup.

·   Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion, carrot, celery and capsicum for 7–8 minutes until softened.

·   Add the bone broth and tomatoes and bring to a gentle simmer.

·   Lower the meatballs into the broth one at a time. Simmer gently for 25–30 minutes, without vigorous boiling, until the meatballs are cooked and the rice is tender.

·   Add the lemon juice gradually, tasting until the soup is pleasantly sour rather than sharp.

·   Stir through the lovage or parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

To Serve

·   Extra herbs

·   Sour cream, optional

·   Bread

 

Czech-Inspired Kulajda

A creamy mushroom, potato and dill soup with gentle acidity and optional poached eggs.

Ingredients

·   10 g dried porcini mushrooms

·   250 ml boiling water

·   1 tablespoon butter

·   1 brown onion, finely diced

·   300 g fresh mushrooms, sliced

·   500 g potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes

·   750 ml prepared chicken or neutral bone broth

·   1 teaspoon caraway seeds

·   1 bay leaf

·   200 ml pouring cream

·   2 tablespoons plain flour

·   2–3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped

·   1–2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, to taste

·   1 teaspoon sugar, optional

·   Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

·   4 eggs, optional

Method

·   Cover the dried mushrooms with the boiling water and soak for 20 minutes. Lift out, chop and strain the soaking liquid.

·   Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion for 5 minutes, then add the fresh and soaked mushrooms and cook for another 6–8 minutes.

·   Add the potatoes, bone broth, strained mushroom liquid, caraway and bay leaf. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

·   Whisk the cream and flour together until smooth. Gradually stir in a ladle of hot soup, then pour the mixture back into the pot.

·   Simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring, until lightly thickened. Do not boil hard.

·   Add the dill, 1 tablespoon vinegar and the optional sugar. Taste and adjust the acidity, salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaf.

·   If serving with eggs, poach them separately and place one in each bowl before ladling over the soup.

To Serve

·   Extra dill

·   Poached eggs

·   Rye bread

 

 

Slovak-Inspired Kapustnica

A smoky sauerkraut soup with sausage, mushrooms, paprika and caraway.

Ingredients

·   15 g dried porcini mushrooms

·   300 ml boiling water

·   1 tablespoon olive oil or lard

·   250 g smoked sausage, sliced

·   1 large brown onion, diced

·   2 garlic cloves, minced

·   1 tablespoon sweet paprika

·   ½ teaspoon caraway seeds

·   700 g sauerkraut, drained and roughly chopped

·   1 litre prepared beef or chicken bone broth

·   2 bay leaves

·   4 pitted prunes, chopped, optional

·   2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes, optional

·   Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

·   Cover the dried mushrooms with the boiling water and soak for 20 minutes. Lift out, chop and strain the soaking liquid.

·   Heat the oil or lard in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the sausage for 4–5 minutes until lightly coloured, then transfer to a plate.

·   Add the onion and cook for 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and caraway for 30 seconds. Remove the pot briefly from the heat, add the paprika and stir.

·   Add the sauerkraut, chopped mushrooms, strained soaking liquid, bone broth, bay leaves, prunes and potatoes, if using.

·   Return the sausage to the pot. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover partially and cook for 55–65 minutes.

·   Remove the bay leaves. Taste before adding salt and finish with black pepper. Add hot water if the soup is stronger or thicker than you prefer.

To Serve

·   Sour cream, optional

·   Fresh parsley

·   Rye bread

 

Why Bone Broth Fits These Recipes

Broth is not background liquid in these dishes; it is the space in which all the ingredients meet. It carries pepper, bay, paprika, mushroom and herbs, while root vegetables, cabbage, grains and meat give the bowl substance.

Broth & Co bone broth contributes savoury flavour and naturally occurring protein. It works best as one part of the complete meal—not as a replacement for the vegetables, grains, legumes, meat, fish, eggs or dairy that give traditional cooking its variety.

For more on nutrition and everyday use, read Bone Broth Benefits: The Complete Guide to Gut Health, Protein, Recovery & Healthy Ageing.

To make broth from scratch, use Bone Broth Recipe: How to make & More; for a convenient powder option, explore Broth & Co Beef Bone Broth Powder.

Build Your Own Eastern European-Inspired Comfort Bowl

 

·   Polish-inspired: chicken, noodles, root vegetables and parsley.

·   Ukrainian-inspired: beetroot, cabbage, potato, tomato and dill.

·   Hungarian-inspired: beef, onion, paprika, caraway and potatoes.

·   Romanian-inspired: rice meatballs, vegetables, herbs and a sour finish.

·   Czech-inspired: mushrooms, potato, cream, dill and vinegar.

·   Slovak-inspired: sauerkraut, smoked sausage, mushrooms and paprika.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these the only traditional versions?

No. Every dish has regional, seasonal and family variations. These recipes preserve recognisable structures while adapting some ingredients for Australian home kitchens.

Can I make the soups ahead?

Yes. Borscht, bigos, gulyás and kapustnica often become more cohesive after resting. Cool promptly, refrigerate and reheat until steaming hot. Add fresh dill, parsley, cream or lemon when serving.

Can I reduce the salt?

Use lower-salt broth where available, rinse or drain sauerkraut according to taste and remember that smoked sausage may already be salty. Season only after simmering.

Can I make vegetarian versions?

Borscht, mushroom soup and sauerkraut soup adapt particularly well. Use a flavourful vegetable broth, increase mushrooms or beans and choose smoked paprika or dried mushrooms for depth.

Where can I find more recipes?

Browse the collection of nourishing recipes or continue with Vegetable Forward Soups and Broths, How to Flavour Bone Broth: Herbs, Spices & Gut-Friendly Ingredients and A Well-Stocked Kitchen Is the Secret to Healthy Eating: Effortless Hacks, Smart Staples & Bone Broth Recipes.

Final Thoughts

Rosół, borscht, bigos, gulyás, ciorbă, kulajda and kapustnica are not simply cold-weather meals. They are records of how families used what was available, preserved seasonal abundance and made one pot generous enough to share.

Their most memorable lesson is not that comfort requires heaviness. It is that contrast creates satisfaction: sweet beetroot with vinegar, rich mushrooms with dill, smoky sausage with sauerkraut, clear chicken broth with fresh parsley, or paprika-warmed beef with simple potatoes.

Start with good ingredients, season carefully and give the pot time. The result is the kind of food that warms the kitchen before it ever reaches the table.