Юшка з Квасолі та Гороху — Ukrainian Two-Pea Bean Soup with Dill

Russian Fast With Oil Published June 13, 2026

Every Slavic village kitchen keeps a sack of dried beans and a sack of yellow peas, and on fasting days they go into the pot together. This Ukrainian yushka is thicker than a borscht and looser than a porridge — a golden, savory soup where the split peas dissolve into a creamy base and the white beans hold their shape and bite. Browned onions in sunflower oil, a hard hit of garlic stirred in at the end, and a fistful of fresh dill make it taste like far more than the handful of cheap ingredients that went into it.

This is real fuel. Between the peas and the beans you are looking at serious plant protein in a single bowl, and a slab of dark rye alongside turns it into a meal that carries you from the morning Liturgy through an afternoon of work.

Written with sunflower oil for ordinary fasting days. For strict Wednesday and Friday no-oil days, sweat the onion and carrot in a splash of the soup liquid instead of frying, and stir the raw garlic in off the heat — you lose nothing of the substance and very little of the flavor.

FASTING LEVEL: Fast With Oil (adaptable for strict no-oil days — see notes)
SERVINGS: 6
TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes (plus overnight soak)

INGREDIENTS

- 1 cup (200g) dried white beans, soaked overnight and drained
- 1 cup (200g) yellow split peas, rinsed
- 3 tablespoons sunflower oil (omit for strict days)
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 10 cups (2.4L) water or vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large bunch fresh dill, chopped
- Dark rye bread, to serve

METHOD

1. Put the soaked white beans and the split peas into a large pot with the water or broth and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook uncovered for about 50 minutes, until the split peas have broken down and the white beans are nearly tender.

2. Meanwhile, heat the sunflower oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and grated carrot and fry, stirring, for 8-10 minutes until soft and lightly golden. (For strict days: skip this and sweat the onion and carrot in a ladleful of the soup liquid in a small pot until soft.)

3. Stir the tomato paste into the onion-carrot mixture and cook for 1 minute more, then scrape the whole thing into the soup pot.

4. Add the cubed potatoes, salt, and pepper. Simmer another 20-25 minutes until the potatoes and beans are fully tender and the soup has thickened.

5. Take the pot off the heat. Stir in the minced garlic and most of the dill. Cover and let stand 5 minutes so the garlic mellows into the broth.

6. Taste for salt, fish out the bay leaves, and serve in deep bowls with the remaining dill scattered over and plenty of rye bread.

NOTES

- For strict no-oil days, skip the frying entirely (see step 2) and stir the garlic in raw at the end as written.
- If you forgot to soak the beans, use a 400g can of cannellini, drained and rinsed, added in step 4 instead.
- A spoonful of sauerkraut brine stirred in at the end gives a bright Ukrainian sourness, in place of any vinegar.
- Leftovers thicken to a near-stew overnight; loosen with a little water when reheating.