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Romanian Lettuce Soup with Bacon and Dill
A base of sautéed bacon, garlic and herbs gives this classic Romanian dish richness and depth, while lightly cooked greens keeps the flavors and texture fresh and bright. Our recipe is based on one we learned in Bucharest from chef Marius Tudosiei. He enriched the broth with yogurt and garnished the soup with slices of an herb omelet. For our adaption, we whisk the yogurt with a few egg yolks, creating a liaison (in classic French culinary speak) that lightly thickens the broth. Romaine is most often used in salad, not as a cooking green, but chopped and gently simmered, it offers a nice balance of wilted leaves and crisp stems. Be sure to purchase a full head, not a bag of hearts. Escarole, with frilly leaves and a pleasant bitterness, also is a fine option. This soup is best served right away and does not hold well.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t add the yogurt or yolks directly to the soup or they will curdle on contact. Whisk them together, temper the mixture with a little of the hot broth, then gradually whisk the tempered yogurt-yolk mixture into the base. After that point, be sure the soup does not reach a simmer or the dairy and eggs will curdle.
50 minutes
Ingredients
-
4
ounces bacon, chopped
-
4
scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens reserved separately
Directions
-
01In a large pot over medium-high, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until brown and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel–lined plate; set aside. Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.
Reviews
July 25, 2026
Weirdest and dearest soup you’ll ever make or eat
I used to eat this growing up when I used to spend my summers with at my great-aunt’s in the foothills of Transylvania!!! Thank you Milk Street for making the weirdest but dearest soup available for my family! I never had a recipe for how my great aunt used to make it. I remember watching her make it in her summer kitchen and recall the ingredients but couldn’t figure out the quantities so never even tried to make it, but every spring I’d long for it. I confess that I changed your recipe just a tad to make it taste a little closer to the way she made it: poached a few eggs in the broth, extra dill, doubled the yoghurt and black pepper. A generous squeeze of lemon or white vinegar at the end was a must for me.
Thank you again! Lovely and even my little boys loved.
December 29, 2025
If you have/had an Eastern European grandma you’ll love this soup
I was completely surprised by how delicious this strange soup is. There’s only a handful of ingredients, it’s healthy and it’s fast. The romaine becomes sweet and tasty. Plus if you have a grandma of Eastern European descent like I did, the dill, garlic and bacon will taste comfortingly familiar.
February 22, 2026
So comforting!
Made this the other day for dinner- by the end of the bowl everyone got up for seconds. Might try adding leftover chicken to it next time, just to make it slightly more filling.
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