Did you cringe when you read that phrase? I did when I saw it on a menu in a cute little restaurant up the street from where I lived. The waiter saw my reaction and we made a bet: if I didn’t like the soup then lunch was on him. Needless to say, I paid for my lunch.

A few years later the restaurant closed, and I went on a quest to try to recreate the experience of dill pickle soup. I hope you love it too.

Makes: About 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 glug (about 1 tbsp) olive oil or canola oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 2 cups shredded potato
• 1 cup shredded dill pickles (see note)
• 2 tbsp pickle juice
• 2 tbsp dill (fresh or freeze-dried)
• 6 cups no salt added veggie broth or chicken broth
• Salt and pepper to taste (see notes)
• 6 tsp whipping cream (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot and add onion
2. Sauté until the onion is transparent
3. Add celery (1 cup) and sauté until it begins to soften
4. Add carrots (1 cup) and potatoes (2 cups) and sauté for 2-3 minutes
5. Add broth, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes
6. Add pickles (1 cup), pickle juice (2 tbsp), and dill (2 tbsp)
7. Add salt and pepper to taste (see note)
8. Before serving, finish with a drizzle of whipping cream

Notes:

• I’ve given you measurements but if you have a little more or less of something, this is not the time to worry, just use what you have. This is soup, my friends.
• I have never successfully shredded a dill pickle without also shredding my fingers. If you prefer to keep your fingers whole, feel free to finely chop the pickles instead.
• Pickles are already really salty. When I say add salt and pepper to taste, make sure you taste the soup before adding any salt at all, you might find you need none.
• You may get a bit of yellow stuff coming to the top of the soup while you are simmering it. Don’t panic, you can either skim it off or, if there isn’t much, just stir it back in.