Polish Style Mushroom and Noodle Soup (Zupa Grzybowa)

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On cold days, this Polish mushroom soup recipe always hits the spot. It's creamy, comforting, and not too heavy, and the umami flavor of the mushrooms makes it a great meatless meal option.

I also love that it's an easy recipe that's ready in under an hour. Finally, it also uses inexpensive produce and pantry items so it's great if you're on a budget.

Two blue-rimmed white bowls of Polish Style Mushroom and Noodle Soup with a wooden handled spoon, salt and pepper shaker, yellow bowl of chopped dill, and a blue checked napkin.

In Poland, this creamy soup is served for Christmas Eve dinner or Christmas dinner but instead of beef stock, vegetable stock is used since the entire meal is meant to be vegetarian. I admit that I am not an expert of Polish cuisine nor do I have any Polish relatives.

However, I am a mushroom lover and a soup lover so this is my take on the traditional Polish soup recipe. (For authentic Polish recipes, I recommend checking out the Polish Your Kitchen and The Polish Housewife blogs.)

In the mood for more soup recipes? You'll love my Loaded Baked Potato Soup, Chicken and Dumplings, and Vegetable Hash and Sausage Stew recipes. Or if you're in the mood for more pasta and mushrooms, be sure to check out this chanterelle pasta. It's comfort food to the max!

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Tasty tip
Frequently asked questions
Related
Even more
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Recipe guidelines and test kitchen tips
Food safety

Ingredients

Before we get started, let’s gather the ingredients we need for this recipe.

sliced baby bella mushrooms
beef stock
wide egg noodles
sour cream
lemon juice
yellow onion
Worcestershire sauce
fresh dill
salted butter
garlic cloves
all-purpose flour
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

(See printable recipe card at the end of this post for quantities.)

Instructions

Now that we’ve got our ingredients, it’s time to get cooking!

Browning the sliced mushrooms in a Dutch oven.

First, melt the butter in a Dutch oven and add the mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms release their liquid and begin to brown.

Adding the onion and garlic to the mushrooms in the Dutch oven.

Next, add the onion and garlic to the mushrooms and cook until tender. Add 6 cups of the beef stock and simmer.

Whisking the stock, sour cream, and flour in a medium tan bowl.

Then, whisk together the remaining beef stock, flour, and sour cream in a medium bowl. Add to the soup and cook until slightly thickened.

Adding egg noodles to the mushroom soup.

Finally, add the egg noodles and Worcestershire sauce to the soup and cook until the noodles are tender. Stir in the lemon juice and dill.

Hint: Let the mushrooms release their liquid before adding the stock. First, they'll soften and then they'll get watery. Let that liquid evaporate and then the mushrooms will begin to brown and deepen in flavor.

Substitutions

There are so many ways to make adjustments to this recipe. Here are a few suggestions:

Gluten-free - make this recipe gluten-free by using cornstarch instead of flour and gluten-free egg noodles.
Dairy-free - use dairy-free sour cream and olive oil instead of butter to make this dairy-free.
Beef Stock - use chicken stock or chicken broth in place of the beef stock for a lighter soup.
Mushrooms - I like to use cremini (baby bella) mushrooms for this recipe because of their rich mushroom flavor but feel free to use any fresh mushrooms you like. White button mushrooms are a great alternative. You can also use dry porcini mushrooms and soak them in hot water. Look for dried mushrooms in the produce department or soup aisle of your grocery store.
Worcestershire sauce - this gives an extra bump of umami flavor to the soup. You can also use soy sauce instead.

Variations

Looking for other ways to adjust this recipe? I've got you covered.

Spicy - add a little crushed red pepper flakes to the mushrooms to add some spice.
Vegetarian - to make this polish mushroom soup recipe vegetarian, use vegetable broth or vegetable stock.
Beef Stroganoff Soup - this soup reminds me a lot of beef stroganoff with mushrooms, onion, and egg noodles. It's the perfect base to stir in ground beef, leftover sliced steak, or shredded pot roast.
Cream of Mushroom Soup - if you like a super creamy soup, remove half of the soup from the Dutch oven and puree with a hand blender until it's smooth. Or, blend the whole soup instead. I recommend omitting the pasta in the original recipe if you do this.

Equipment

Here's what you'll need to make this mushroom soup recipe:

liquid measuring cup
measuring spoons
juicer
large Dutch oven
whisk
medium bowl
ladle

Storage

If you have any leftover soup, let it come to room temperature and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The noodles will soak up the liquid so you'll end up with soupy noodles instead of noodle soup.

This recipe does not freeze well.

Tasty tip

Add the noodles just before you intend to serve the soup. As it stands, the noodles will soak up the broth.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make mushroom soup thicker?

For this recipe, I use flour, but cornstarch is a great option if you want something gluten-free. Just remember that cornstarch has double the thickening power that flour does, so reduce the amount of the cornstarch to half of the flour amount called for. And, be sure to dissolve the flour or cornstarch in cold or room temperature liquid before adding it to the soup. That will prevent lumps.

Why is my mushroom soup so watery?

The probable culprit is that you didn't cook the fresh mushrooms long enough before adding the liquid. Mushrooms hold a ton of liquid, so it's important to let them get golden brown after releasing water. Sprinkle a little salt onto the sliced mushrooms as they cook and that'll help the process go faster.

Is it better to thicken soup with flour or cornstarch?

This is a preference thing. Both work great.

What is the best mushroom for soup?

This is also a preference thing, but for me, I like to use baby portabella mushrooms (also known as cremini mushrooms). I find that they have a more intense mushroom flavor, aka umami. Feel free to use your favorite mushroom though.

White button mushrooms, shiitake, oyster...you name it. They're all good options. You could also use regular large portabella mushrooms and cut them into small pieces. If mushroom foraging is your thing, then this is a great recipe for using wild mushrooms. (Just be sure you know what you've foraged before eating them.)

What pairs well with mushroom soup?

This soup is super hearty so you don't need much to round out the meal. I recommend serving a simple green salad and a crusty baguette on the side.

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