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January 9, 2011

Hungarian Kohlrabi Soup (Kalarabeleves)

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Kohlrabi – a vegetable I bet most of you have never heard of, let alone eaten. It first started with me when I was reading my always-reliable vegetable cookbook – Greene on Greens. One of the chapters is dedicated to kohlrabi, which I skipped because I’ve never heard of it. Then one day, I was shopping at my local farm when I spotted some kohlrabi for sale. I have a habit of buying new things and figuring out what to do with them later. Remembering the chapter I skipped, I grabbed a bunch and made them for dinner.



That was probably a few years. I really don’t remember what I made with it. Probably just sauted some in a pan with seasoning. Fast forward to last month, I was down in Pittsburgh’s Strip District for the first time. Being a foodie, I was in love (and overwhelmed!) with all of the stores. My main reason for going was to check out Penzey’s Spices, where I spent $25 in spices that I’ve never used (or even heard of). One of the stores was this produce place. I’m sure it had a name but never saw a sign anywhere inside. That’s when I spotted the kohlrabi. All I could remember was I enjoyed eating it, so I bought another bunch.



Kohlrabi translates into “cabbage turnip,” which is the best way to describe this vegetable. Eating it raw reminds me of a radish without such a strong bite. And although it looks rather blah, it turns into a yummy dish. I was going to just saute it as a side when I opened my book and found a soup recipe. Not only are the bulbs edible, so are the leaves, and this soup incorporated both.

The soup originally called for boned-in chicken to be cooked in the broth, but I wasn’t feeling it. Plus I had a sweet potato ready to go rotten, so I added that instead. I also omitted the bacon because I was afraid it would overpower the kohlrabi. To prepare kohlrabi, you break off all the stems until all you have left is a sad, green bulb. Then you peel the bulb until you see its flesh.


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Hungarian Kohlrabi Soup (Kalarabeleves)

Hungarian Kohlrabi Soup (Kalarabeleves)

Yield: 6-8

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1 large carrot, chopped
  • 3 1/2 cups chicken broth (or veg broth to make it vegetarian)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 pound kohlrabi with leaves
  • 1 sweet potato
  • 1 Tbsp flour
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Saute the onion in large skillet with 1 Tbsp butter for 1 minute. Add garlic and carrots. Cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup chicken broth and continue to cook covered for 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a big saucepan.
  2. Meanwhile, boil a small pan of water. Trim, peel, and dice the kohlrabi. Peel and dice the sweet potato. Wash the kohlrabi leaves then boil for 1 minute. Drain, cool, and chop. Set aside.
  3. Once the broth is pureed, add the remaining 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, water, kohlrabi, and sweet potato. Cook until veggies are tender, about 15 minutes.
  4. In a small saucepan, melt 2 Tbsp butter. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in some hot soup. Whisk mixture together then pour back into the rest of the soup. Cook until slightly thickened, 10 minutes. Add kohlrabi leaves. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.

Did you make this recipe?

Let me know what you think! Rate the recipe above, leave a comment below, and/or share a photo on Instagram using #HITKrecipesAll recipes are tested in a U.S. kitchen with U.S. ingredients at normal elevation using a conventional gas oven. Results may vary.

© Carla Cardello


Source: Greene on Greens, page 213

Filed Under: Old Posts Tagged With: kohlrabi

Did you make my recipe?

Please let me know by sharing a photo in my private Facebook group or uploading and tagging me on Instagram using #HITKrecipes (Note: If your Instagram account is private, I won't be able to see your photo)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. K P says

    November 5, 2019 at 11:27 AM

    I don’t know if you’re still out there as it’s now 2019, but I just found this while trying to figure out what to do with some kohlrabi I was given. I already had the bulbs roasting in the oven and was looking for something to do with the leaves. This soup looks delicious! I may get some broth and carrots to try it today and make it with the roasted kohlrabi or just cook the leaves like I would collard greens and try this soup another day :) I can’t decide!

    Reply
    • Carla says

      November 5, 2019 at 11:39 AM

      Yes I’m still here! You can see my latest posts on my home page :) Let me know what you think of the soup if you try it!

      Reply
  2. Janine says

    June 16, 2020 at 2:07 PM

    I just made this soup since I had Kohlrabi and always wanted to use the leaves too. Omg, it is sooooo good!!! Thank you for this!
    Oh and I also live in Pittsburgh ????

    Reply
  3. Dinah Gleed-Owen says

    June 25, 2020 at 5:42 PM

    I’m UK based and have grown kohlrabi for the first time. Have lots of them ready to go. The soup looks lovely, & perfect for a vegetarian family like us

    Reply
    • Carla says

      June 26, 2020 at 1:47 PM

      Let me know how you like it!

      Reply
  4. Jill Shellhammer says

    October 1, 2020 at 6:05 PM

    I’ve recently discovered kohlrabi and I love it! I can’t wait to try this soup..at the end I may add some shredded chicken.
    I’m also excited about your format with recipes for 1-2 people.
    Thank you for what you do!
    Enjoy!

    Reply
    • Carla says

      October 2, 2020 at 10:01 AM

      Love the idea of adding chicken!

      Reply
  5. Lynsey says

    October 3, 2020 at 10:11 AM

    I’d love to know what the nutritional facts are to this recipe.

    Reply
    • Carla says

      October 3, 2020 at 6:17 PM

      Unfortunately I do not provide nutritional info because I am not a nutritionist. You can use a calorie tracker site such as My Fitness Pal to calculate this info.

      Reply
  6. Jesse says

    October 12, 2020 at 6:39 PM

    I just made this soup with my first ever home grown kohlrabi and it was amazing! Followed the recipe exactly!

    Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Carla says

      October 13, 2020 at 11:40 AM

      Oh wonderful! Glad you enjoyed the soup.

      Reply
  7. A Hungarian says

    October 27, 2020 at 9:21 AM

    Where did you get the idea that this was Hungarian? It’s decidedly not.

    Reply
    • Carla says

      October 27, 2020 at 11:15 AM

      It’s from a cookbook where the author called it Hungarian.

      Reply
  8. Diane says

    November 16, 2020 at 3:07 PM

    I just made the soup and it was wonderful! And by the way, the soup is Hungarian.😉 written as Karalábéleves, which does translate to kohlrabi soup.

    Reply
    • Carla says

      November 17, 2020 at 11:10 AM

      Glad you enjoyed the soup!

      Reply

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I’m Carla, a 30-some childfree woman from Pittsburgh, PA learning how to adult alone. I'm sharing recipes for two and small batch recipes made from scratch because not everybody cooks for a crowd.

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All Rights Reserved. All images are registered with the United States Copyright Office.
Please do not use images without permission. To republish a recipe, please link back to the post.
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