🇭🇺 Hungarian Green Bean Soup (Zöldbableves)

🛒 Ingredients

• 500 g green beans (fresh or frozen, trimmed and cut)
• 2 tbsp oil or lard
• 1 small onion (chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 tbsp Hungarian paprika
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 medium potato (diced, optional)
• 1 carrot (sliced)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp vinegar (or to taste)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1.5 liters water or broth
• Optional: 100 g smoked sausage (sliced)

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👩‍🍳 Instructions

1. Sauté the base

• Heat oil in a pot and sauté onion until soft.
• Add garlic and cook briefly.
• Remove from heat, stir in paprika (important so it doesn’t burn).

2. Build the soup

• Add green beans, carrot, potato (if using), and bay leaf.
• Pour in water or broth and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 20–25 minutes until vegetables are tender.

3. Optional meat flavor

• Add sliced smoked sausage and cook for another 5–10 minutes.

4. Thicken the soup

• In a small bowl, mix flour with sour cream until smooth.
• Temper with a little hot soup, then stir back into the pot.

5. Finish

• Add vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste.
• Simmer for a few more minutes until slightly thickened.

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🍽️ Serve

• Serve warm with crusty bread.
• A spoon of extra sour cream on top makes it even better!