Leftover Corned Beef & Cabbage Pickle Soup

Got St. Patrick's Day leftovers and wondering what to do with them? I've got you!

Today is March 18th, the day every year that dinnertime straddles St. Patricks day leftovers, and -- for the Polish among us -- prepping for the lesser known and rarely celebrated St Joseph's day on March 19th.

This recipe is my official March 18th cultural combo and corned beef leftovers use-up plan wrapped in one, but you can make it any time of year.

For years, I've been making this dill pickle soup recipe from The Noble Pig at least quarterly. I've crafted many "healthy" variants using things like greek yogurt and chickpeas, but this St. Paddy's spin on it might be my favorite version.

Now, this is a leftover recipe, so keep in mind that the way you originally made your corned beef and cabbage, how much veg and beef you have left, and myriad other factors will determine how much salt, water, and pickle brine you'll need to achieve the flavor you're going for. This is the Instant Pot corned beef recipe I use, if you'd like to replicate mine completely.

Besides this, I'd say this is one of the easiest recipes I make, since everything is already cooked when I begin. It's quick, straightforward, flexible, makes use of otherwise wasted ingredients, and BOMB on a cool fall or winter day. In short: everything I love about a great soup recipe.

Step 1 -- prepare your leftovers

Pull your key veggies (carrots, potatoes & cabbage) out of the broth and set aside

Strain the liquid into your preferred soup pot over med-high heat or into an electric pressure cooker on sauté.

If you have corned beef left, put it to the side, too. You can save it for sandwiches or incorporate it into the soup. Up to you, but if you're looking for some flavor variety and hoping for a less corned-beef-and-cabbage vibe for this soup, leave the meat out.

If you have your cabbage still attached to the core, I'd recommend cutting it out if it's tough, or chopping it up into bite-sized pieces if it's soft.

Give everything a rough chop. I like my potatoes in roughly gumball sized pieces, and carrots about 1/3-1/2 the size. The cabbage can be left larger or diced as well.

Step 2 -- Get picklin'

For a pickley-er experience, dice your preferred quantity of pickles (3-6 baby dills usually does me solid) and add to the pot, reserving some for garnish.

A note on pickle selection: I like the Costco Mt. Olive kosher baby dills for this recipe, both for the brine and the pickles themselves, but I've made this deliciously with Aldi brand (Great Gerhkins) kosher dills and spears, and even Claussen refrigerated Kosher spears (though more brine is needed & the flavor is more garlicy with this option).

Step 3 -- reheat & make it fancy(ish)

Add all of your veg to the pot together to heat back up.

If you're adding the leftover corned beef, dice and set aside.

Now's where the magic happens.

While your pot is coming to a low boil, mix your pickle brine, flour, and sour cream together until smooth.

Tip: I like to make this whole recipe with one jar of pickles that I've eaten 2/3-3/4 of. That way, I can pull the remaining pickles out for use in the soup, add my flour & sour cream straight into the jar, and give it a good shake up. Voila, mixture made. I'll do anything to save a dish to wash later.

Here's where you need to pay a bit of attention to your technique; but it's really not that serious. You can do this...

Step 4 - Whisk that bish

If you've got the confidence of a 9th grade makeup artist on TikTok, proceed straight into boiling pot with your brine mix trickling in only slightly quicker than you might while streaming oil into egg for a homemade mayo, whisking your little heart out to reduce clumping. DON'T. STOP. WHISKING.

If clump happens, don't panic. You can just continue to whisk until it's all broken up. You'll also be whisking the potatoes into mash a bit. That's great. We need that extra bit of starchiness for thickness.

Tip: If you're worried about your whisking skills, grab a ladle and spoon some of your soup broth into the brine mixture while stirring. This will warm it up and make it friendlier for mixing into the soup without curdling or breaking.

From here, you're in the home stretch!

Step 5 -- Bring it home

If you're on a stovetop, you can reduce the heat to medium now.

Add your black pepper & meat (if you're using it).

Simmer for ~10 minutes to cook the flour, stirring/whisking frequently.

Those in an Instant Pot continue on the sauté setting & make sure you're stirring often enough to prevent any sticking or burning. Add water if needed to maintain desired thickness.

Step 6 -- Pour it up

Congrats! You did it.

Give your soup a final taste for salt & pepper, adding or diluting (I just use water, but milk could work, in theory) as you see fit.

Serve your soup in mugs or bowls and finish with the optional garnishes to taste: a dash of cayenne, chopped pickles, and fresh dill. I like to eat it with a sourdough slice, but the potatoes are plenty hearty to serve this soup solo.

Bon Appetit!