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Barbara Rolek is a former chef who became a cooking school instructor and award-winning food writer.
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Updated on 11/29/21
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:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-530098914-581cbdb95f9b581c0b4dfe5b.jpg "Turn Milk Into Soup With This Eastern European Recipe (1)")
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 25 mins
Servings: 4 servings
39 ratings
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Milk soup is one of the oldest and most basic foods. Among farmers around the world, milk soup was a means of using up cow, goat, or sheep milk that couldn't be turned into cheese, butter, or buttermilk because of time or manpower constraints and would otherwise spoil. What started as an economic measure turned into a cultivated taste sensation.
It is always eaten hot either for breakfast or as a meatless Lenten offering, sometimes with sugar, and is an easily digested meal for the sick. Milk soup was a staple at Polish milk bars (bar mleczny) during the Communist era.
Milk soup exists in nearly every culture and is common among Poles (zupa mleczna), Czechs, Hungarians (tejleves), Lithuanians (pieninės sriubos), Ukrainians (sup molochnyy), Russians (sup molochnyĭ), and other Central and Eastern Europeans.
Today, it is a universal comfort food often served with noodles, bread, rice, barley, farina, millet, or potatoes.
Ingredients
4 cups milk
2 cups cooked rice, or egg noodles
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt, to taste
Sugar, to taste
Steps to Make It
Gather the ingredients.
Place milk and cooked rice or noodles in a saucepan. Heat to boiling.
Portion the hot soup into 4 bowls or mugs. Dollop each with 1 tablespoon butter and season with salt and/or sugar to taste.
Variations
Milk soup lends itself to experimentation and variation. Let your creativity and flavor preferences be your guide.
- Milk soup with poured noodles: In a small bowl, mix together 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 large egg, and 1/8 teaspoon salt until smooth and pourable. If too thick, add a little milk. Place 4 cups milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour noodle batter all over the surface in a thin stream. Stir gently and return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Serve with 1 tablespoon butter in each bowl and salt and/or sugar to taste.
- Milk soup with grated noodles: In a small bowl, mix together 3/4 cup all-purpose flour with 1 large egg and 1/8 teaspoon salt until a stiff ball of dough forms. If too crumbly, add a little water. Grate onto a lightly floured cutting board, sprinkling with flour so the noodles don't clump together. Place 4 cups milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Sprinkle grated noodles into milk, stir, and bring back to the boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 5 minutes. Serve with 1 tablespoon butter in each bowl and salt and/or sugar to taste.
- Milk soup with farina: In a saucepan, mix together 3/4 cup uncooked farina, 1 cup water, 1/2 cup milk, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. If too thick, add a little boiling water. Add 3 cups hot milk. Serve with 1 tablespoon butter in each bowl and salt and/or sugar to taste.
- Milk soup with millet: In a saucepan, mix together 1/2 cup millet, 3 cups cold water, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and combine with 3 cups hot milk. Serve with 1 tablespoon butter in each bowl and salt and/or sugar to taste.
- Milk soup with oatmeal: In a saucepan, mix together 2/3 cup uncooked oatmeal, 2 cups cold water, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until tender. Combine with 3 cups hot milk. Serve with 1 tablespoon butter in each bowl and salt and/or sugar to taste.
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 331 | Calories |
| 17g | Fat |
| 35g | Carbs |
| 10g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 4 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 331 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 17g | 21% |
| Saturated Fat 10g | 51% |
| Cholesterol 50mg | 17% |
| Sodium 262mg | 11% |
| Total Carbohydrate 35g | 13% |
| Dietary Fiber 0g | 1% |
| Total Sugars 13g | |
| Protein 10g | |
| Vitamin C 0mg | 2% |
| Calcium 304mg | 23% |
| Iron 1mg | 6% |
| Potassium 373mg | 8% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
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