Tripe Soup
I’ve enjoyed countless bowls of tripe soup during my visits to Croatia and Czechia. You might not know this, but tripe soup enjoys a cult following in these nations with many devoted cooks and afficinados. This recipe is my take on the best elements from the ones I’ve enjoyed—whether in restaurants or my family’s kitchens. If you’re new to cooking beef tripe, get ready to be pleasantly surprised.
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Why I Love Making My Tripe Soup
- Nutrient-Dense: Tripe is packed with protein and collagen, amongst other things.
- Budget-Friendly: With affordable ingredients like tripe, bones, and root vegetables, it’s an economical meal that feels indulgent.
- Customizable: You can make your own beef bone broth or use pre-made for a quicker version, giving you flexibility in the kitchen. I’ll give you instructions for both ways.
- Flavorful and Hearty: The savory meat, seasonings, and deeply aromatic broth create a comforting, satisfying bowl every time.
- Kid-friendly: You’d be surprised at how much children love this soup. They don’t need to know about the secret ingredient!
Love offal and organ recipes? Try my liver dumpling soup and oven-roasted bone marrow.
Looking for more hearty soups and stews? Try my Hungarian goulash, garlic soup, Croatian grah, and lentil vegetable soup recipes.
Another wonderful addition to this soup is my homemade egg noodles.
If possible, buy tripe that has already been thoroughly cleaned and prepared for you. This makes preparing this soup even easier. Call your local butcher shop and ask them. If you’re preparing your own tripe, keep reading, we will get into that.
Equipment
- Large pot: For boiling the tripe and making the broth.
- Strainer or colander: To drain and rinse the tripe.
- Cutting board and knife: For chopping the vegetables and tripe.
- Wooden spoon or spatula: For stirring the roux and soup base.
- Measuring spoons
- Skimmer or slotted spoon: To remove impurities when making the broth.
Ingredient Notes, Variations, & Substitutions
Beef Tripe: Beef tripe is the edible lining of a cow’s stomach. It has a chewy texture and mild flavor, making it ideal for soaking up the spices and seasonings in soups and stews like this recipe. The most popular type (and what I recommend you source) is honeycomb tripe.
Look for tripe that has already been prepared. It should be cream or white in color with a distinct honeycomb pattern.
Beef Bones or Prepared Broth: I’ll give you both ways of making this soup, my favorite involves cooking meaty bones or soup bones into a delicious broth for 3 hours and then removing the cooked beef from the bones. The meat is added back into the broth right at the end, making this tripe soup full of so much flavor.
If you opt to use prepared beef stock, that’s okay too. Feel free to use chicken or any meat stock/bne broth you prefer.
Tomato Passata: One of my favorite additions and variations of this soup is to add 2-4 cups of tomato passata, or pureed tomatoes into the broth. This is a very Croatian way of enjoying this soup.
Bacon or Pancetta: Bacon is easier to find, if you have access to those thick, fatty slabs of bacon sold in European grocery stores —use that. Use pancetta instead if you wish, it’s delicious.
Add Crisped Proscuitto: Quickly fry up some thinly sliced proscuitto or pršut and add it on top of each individual soup bowl at serving time.
Add Gremolata: Alongside, or instead of, the proscuitto/ add some zesty gremolata on top right before serving, or keep a small bowl at the table for people to serve themselves. Recipe in recipe card notes.
Steps to Prepare Raw Tripe:
If you do not have access to prepared beef tripe, you may have to prepare it yourself. Tripe is commonly found in many grocery stores, just call around. Tripe will reduces down by about half when cooked. So be sure to buy enough for your recipe.
Recipe Instructions & Step-by-Step Process Photos
Step 1 (If Making Beef Broth From Scratch): To prepare the beef bone broth, place 1 pound of beef bones or cheaper cuts of beef in a large pot and cover with 6 cups of water.
Bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that forms on the surface. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 hours. Once done, strain the broth to remove any impurities and set it aside.
Remove the meat from the bones, chop it into bite-sized pieces, and reserve for the soup.
You can add the usual soup aromatics to the broth if you wish: onion, carrots, celery, lovage, etc.
Step 2:
For the tripe, place the cleaned, cut tripe in a large pot and cover with water. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the tripe under cold water to remove any remaining odor or impurities. Set the prepared tripe aside.
Prep your vegetables as instructed and have them ready to go for the trip soup.
Step 3:
In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of lard or your preferred fat over medium heat. Add 2 finely chopped onions and cook until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour over the onions and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned.
Step 4:
Meanwhile, blend 100 grams (about ⅓ cup) of bacon or pancetta, 4 cloves of garlic, 2 tablespoons of sweet Hungarian paprika, and ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil into a smooth paste. Add this paste to the pot and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Step 5:
Gradually pour in the 6 cups of beef broth (either homemade or pre-made), stirring well to avoid lumps. Add the prepared tripe, 2 large chopped carrots, and 1 chopped parsnip. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
Step 6:
Cook for 10-15 minutes, allowing the vegetables to soften and the flavors to meld. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with fresh parsley before serving.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef tripe cleaned and cut into small strips, very thin and no more than an inch long.
- 1 pound beef soup bones or cheaper cuts of beef optional if making broth from scratch; consider using beef shank or beef neck.
- 6 cups beef broth or water if making broth from scratch.
- 2 tablespoons oil or fat lard, tallow, or olive oil are my favorites.
- 2 large onions finely chopped.
- 4 cloves garlic minced.
- 2 large carrots peeled and chopped.
- 1 parsnip peeled and chopped.
- ⅓ cup diced bacon or pancetta. about 100 grams.
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon marjoram
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds crushed.
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons flour
- Salt to taste.
- Fresh parsley chopped (for garnish).
Instructions
How to Make Beef Broth From Scratch (Optional & Recommended)
- Make the broth (if from scratch): In a large pot, place the beef bones or cheaper cuts of beef and cover with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, skimming off any foam that forms. Remove the meat from the bones, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and set aside. Strain the broth to remove impurities. If using pre-made broth, skip this step.You can also add: 2 bay leaves, 2 whole carrots, 2 celery ribs, 1 whole onion cut in half, 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns. Or any veggie scraps you have on hand suitable for broths and stocks.
Make the Soup:
- Prepare the tripe: In a large pot, place the cleaned and cut tripe and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the tripe under cold water. This helps to remove any lingering odor and impurities.
- Prepare the bacon-garlic-paprika paste: Blend the bacon or pancetta, minced garlic, sweet Hungarian paprika, and extra virgin olive oil in a food processor or blender until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.
- Prepare the vegetables: Finely chop the onions, peel and chop the carrots, and chop the parsnip.
- Cook the onions: In a large pot, heat the lard or fat of choice over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onions and cook until they are golden brown, stirring occasionally.
- Make the onion roux: Once the onions are golden brown, sprinkle the flour over the onions. Stir constantly to combine and cook for 2-3 minutes until the flour is lightly browned.
- Add the paste: Stir the bacon-garlic-paprika paste into the pot with the onions and roux. Cook for 1 minute, allowing the flavors to meld.
- Add broth and tripe: Gradually add the beef broth, stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Add the prepared tripe. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
- Cook the soup: Add the chopped carrots and parsnip. Let the soup simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the tripe is tender and the flavors are well blended.
- Season and serve: Remove the bay leaves, adjust salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with chopped fresh parsley before serving.
