This Copycat Olga’s Peasant Soup is just like the original, filled with gyro meat, barley, vegetables, and herbs, and has a rich, tomatoey broth. I have been eating Olga’s Peasant Soup since I was just a kid. Most of the restaurant locations have either closed or been relocated, but I still love the Peasant Soup as much as a I did back then. Making a big, hearty pot of this delicious soup is perfect for a cold Fall or Winter day.
The only tricky part of this recipe is finding good quality gyro meat to use as the base for the soup. I found some great gyro meat by “Opaa!” at Gordon Food Service Store, and another great brand from Costco. Either one worked really well, but I am partial to the flavor of the GFS gyro meat.
https://beckysrecipebox.com/copycat-olga-bread/

Making the Copycat Olga’s Peasant Soup
In a large pot or Dutch oven, sauté store bought gyro meat over medium-high heat until slightly browned. Drain any extra grease/oil from the meat, transfer meat to a bowl.

Reduce the heat to medium, and sauté the diced onion and minced garlic for 2-3 minutes or until just tender and fragrant.
Transfer the gyro meat back into the pot. Stir in the frozen peas, carrots, and green beans, and allow to cook until just tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, tomato juice, and zucchini stirring to combine. Stir in the dried thyme, oregano, garlic powder, salad supreme seasoning.

Increase the heat and bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Stir in the barley. Reduce heat to low and simmer, cooking the soup for about 10 more minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add any additional seasonings, as desired. The longer you let the soup cook, the more flavor it will have.

Copycat Olga’s Peasant Soup can be table-ready in about 45 minutes, but let it cook all day and the soup will become so thick and flavorful!


Copycat Olga’s Peasant Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb Sliced Gyro Meat (Beef and Lamb), diced
- 8 cups Chicken Broth
- 2 5.5oz cans Tomato Juice
- 1 medium Zucchini, diced
- 1 cup Frozen Peas and Carrots
- 3/4 cup Frozen Green Beans
- 1/3 cup Quick Cooking Barley
- 1 medium Yellow Onion, diced
- 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1/4 tsp Thyme
- 1/2 tsp Oregano
- 1 Tbsp Salad Supreme Seasoning
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, sauté store bought gyro meat over medium-high heat until slightly browned. Drain any extra grease/oil from the meat, transfer meat to a bowl.
- Reduce the heat to medium, and sauté the diced onion and minced garlic for 2-3 minutes or until just tender and fragrant. Transfer the gyro meat back into the pot. Stir in the frozen peas, carrots, and green beans, and allow to cook until just tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, tomato juice, and zucchini stirring to combine. Stir in the dried thyme, oregano, garlic powder, salad supreme seasoning. Increase the heat and bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Stir in the barley. Reduce heat to low and simmer, cooking the soup for about 10 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add any additional seasonings, as desired.
Notes
Like this recipe? Try my Best of Both Worlds Broccoli Cheese Soup next!
Spot on!
The addition of the salad supreme seasoning is very interesting to me. I don’t have gyro meat, but I have ground lamb which I am fairly certain is what the restaurant uses, so I am going to use that.
Sounds great! The gyro meat is a bit tricky to find, but I know Olga’s uses it in their sandwiches, so that is what I wanted to use. I’m sure it will be great. I like the salad supreme seasoning on my homemade snackers, and have always added the table seasonings they have there to my soup. It gives it a little extra punch of flavor! Best wishes for your soup!
Soup was perfectly delicious and just how I remembered it!!!
Super easy to make. I improvise when I didn’t have the supremely salad spice. I used everything bagel seasoning and added the missing spices separately. It was awesome.
Amazing job! Sounds phenomenal! So glad you enjoyed and it tastes how you remembered!