Every Sunday, my friend’s mother used to make ‘garden’ soup. Any leftover vegetables from the fridge would be put into the soup pot after she went through it. This is how I make it; it’s hearty, thick, and loaded with vegetables. To keep the color appealing, the diced beets must be added last. This soup, which is best served warm and is incredibly good and nourishing, is a favorite of my daughter’s.
| Prep Time: | 45 mins |
| Cook Time: | 6 hrs |
| Additional Time: | 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 6 hrs 55 mins |
| Servings: | 16 |
| Yield: | 16 cups |
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef oxtail
- 2 onions, diced
- 2 cups diced carrots
- 1 head cabbage, diced
- 1 cup diced celery (Optional)
- ½ cup pearled barley
- 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
- 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups water, or enough to cover
- 1 bunch beets with greens – scrubbed, beets diced, and greens chopped
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Place oxtail, onions, carrots, cabbage, celery, barley, onion soup mix, dill, cinnamon, bay leaf, and water in a large slow cooker. Cook on low until meat is tender, about 5 hours.
- Remove meat and bones from slow cooker; cool on a plate until easily handled, about 10 minutes. Cut meat into small pieces; return meat to the soup and discard bones. Skim off any fat from soup; remove bay leaf.
- Stir beets and beet greens into soup; cook on low until beets are tender, about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper; top each bowl with about 1 tablespoon sour cream to serve.
- This soup can be made in a multi-functional pressure cooker (such as Instant Pot(R)). Mine is 8 quarts. Put barley, onion soup, spices, bay leaves, water and oxtail in the pot. Select Soup/Stew function; set timer for 40 minutes on Soup/Stew function. Allow 10 to 15 minutes for pressure to build. Release pressure naturally according to manufacturer’s instructions. Remove oxtail and shred meat. Add remaining veggies and shredded meat to the pot. Select Soup/Stew function and set timer for 5 minutes. Release pressure naturally and discard bay leaves. The difference with the pressure cooker is the meat doesn’t separate as easily, the barley is much softer, and the color of the soup is not as vibrant. Both methods are flavorful and the veggies are cooked.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 238 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 16 g |
| Cholesterol | 69 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Protein | 20 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Sodium | 333 mg |
| Sugars | 6 g |
| Fat | 11 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
My husband and I loved this soup! Making it with oxtail gave it such a rich, beefy flavor! Five stars!
Definitely will make this again!
The cinnamon was over powering and there was not enough other spices to deal with it. Meat had no flavor, definately not what I remember of a great Ukrainian meal.
Instant Pot Update (made in 8 quart): Put barley, onion soup, bay leaf, water and oxtail in instant pot. Cook 40 minutes on soup/stew setting, natural release. Remove oxtail and separate / shred meat. Add remaining veggies and shredded meat to instant pot, cook 5 minutes on soup / stew setting, natural release. The difference between the two methods, in the instant pot: the meat doesn’t separate as easily, the barley is much softer, the color of the soup is not as vibrant . Both methods are flavorful and the veggies are cooked. . . . .Alternate method for slow cooker soup: you can also cook the diced beets separately by boiling in water. Add at end, because the barley will drain the color of the beets. My daughters favorite! The soup (without the sour cream) freezes well. I dice the beets to cook faster, if you want larger beets, cook separately and add at end to soup. No beet tops, add chopped Swiss chard. You may have to add more seasoning (salt, pepper, onion soup), depending on amount of water added.