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Finnish Summer Soup (Kesäkeitto)

Kesäkeitto is a Finnish summer soup that is so easy to make. If you like soup and you like vegetables, this is a 20-minute soup recipe that gets you the best of both worlds.

And it’s a sort of magical soup – it’s creamy but light and fresh. It’s filling enough to eat as a nourishing snack or a light meal before, say, a yoga class but it feels more like a salad than a heavier soup. It’s become my go to, nutritious in-between meal option in for precisely this reason.

Kesäkeitto

But be warned – this soup gets mixed reactions. I loved it the first time I tried it and every time since. My husband and kid, however, are united in their disdain for this soup. Which is great because that means more for me!

On which side will you fall? You won’t know until you’ve tried. And it’s worth giving it a go. Not only is it a very easy soup to make, it also has historical significance…

The Story of Kesäkeitto

Kesäkeitto is pronounced KEH-sa-KAY-toe and translates to summer soup, like so:

  • Kesä = summer
  • Keitto = soup

It’s called a summer soup because traditionally, kesäkeitto was packed with the garden-fresh vegetables of summer. Think: carrots, new potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, and peas.

And these soil-grown nutritional riches were very important at a certain point in Finnish history.

You see, Finland wasn’t always the high-tech, elite, economic powerhouse it is today. Even up until the 1930s, the Finnish economy was mostly agrarian. And although industrial output grew in the 1940s, the ongoing Russo-Finnish wars meant that food availability was inconsistent.

These food shortages gave the traditional Kesäkeitto a chance to really shine. This humble soup is nutritious, satisfying, and can be made using whatever is growing in the garden. It’s the ideal war-time food. Which is why it’s called snålsoppa – stingy soup or lean soup – by the Swedish-speaking folk of Finland.

There’s nothing fancy about it. And that’s the charm – kesäkeitto is pure homely comfort food. An easy, nourishing soup that you can whip up in 15 minutes. One that lets you use what you use what you have by transforming all the leftover veggies hanging around in your fridge (and freezer) into a hearty and nourishing soup.

So let’s get to making some, shall we?

Kesäkeitto Ingredients

The creaminess of Finnish summer soup may make it look decadent, but it’s actually a very humble soup, full of a simple, homely comfort. And it doesn’t take much to make it. It’s basically vegetables with a simple white sauce.

Vegetables

Here’s what I like to toss into mine:

  • Potatoes
  • Carrots
  • Cauliflower
  • Broccoli
  • Peas
  • Green beans
  • Spinach

But here’s the beautiful thing about kesäkeitto: it plays really well with pretty much all the veggies. To keep it traditional, you’ll want to stick to the vegetables of spring and summer. But you certainly don’t have to. Here’s a little list of other veggies that go beautifully in this Finnish summer soup:

  • Sugar snap peas
  • Onions
  • Green onions
  • Parsnips
  • Mushrooms
  • Zucchini

And so on.

The only caveat is that freshness matters. Like most simple dishes, the success depends on the ingredients used. This is a heavily veggie-laden soup and the flavor comes from the interplay of vegetables. You want to let them shine through!

So if you can, use seasonal, local vegetables at their freshest.

Quick Tips

Prep everything before you start to cook. Wash, peel, and chop the veggies. Have the butter, flour, and milk ready to go. This means you’re just tossing stuff in and stirring.

Want a creamier soup? You can replace half a cup of milk with a half cup to one cup cream instead. It’s the less healthy option but oh, so indulgent and delicious. You can use heavy cream, aka double cream, as well as single cream. Just keep in mind that you can heat and boil heavy cream to your heart’s content but you should never let single cream boil – it will separate.

White Sauce (aka Bechamel)

The thing that gives Finnish summer soup that rich, creaminess is the white sauce that we’ll be making alongside the boiling vegetables.

To make the bechamel sauce, you only need:

  • Butter
  • Flour
  • Milk (or cream)

But why a bechamel sauce, you ask? Well, there are many different ways to make kesäkeitto. But they boil down to two basic methods:

  • Flour and milk. The easiest option is to boil the vegetables in water. And then in a separate bowl, combine flour and milk (or even cream) until lump-free and smooth. Slowly mix the milk-flour mixture into the boiled vegetables and water. Let thicken for a couple minutes and voila you’ve got a big pot of Finnish summer soup.
  • Bechamel sauce. This option also starts with boiling the vegetables in water. But while they boil, in a separate pot, you melt butter and add flour to make a roux. Then let it cook for a couple minutes to add a bit of nutty flavor and get rid of the flavor of raw flour. Gently stir in milk and boom – you’ve got a delicious bechamel sauce. To this, you add the vegetables and as much of the water that they vegetables cooked in.

I’ve tried both methods and I definitely prefer the latter. For the flour and milk option, I find that I need to cook the soup longer to get rid of the raw flour flavor and that results in soggy, overcooked veggies.

So bechamel sauce is the way to go. It seems a bit more complicated but it adds maybe 3 minutes to the total cook time. Worth it, in my opinion.

How to Make Finnish Summer Soup

Add enough water to cover the vegetables in a large pot. Add 1/2 tbsp salt and 1/2 tbsp sugar.

Bring to a boil. Add the vegetables, starting with the ones that take the longest to cook and finishing with the ones that are ready in minutes.

Here’s a quick list of cooking times for each veggie used:

  • Potatoes: 10 to 15 minutes
  • Cauliflower: 5 to 10 minutes
  • Broccoli: 4 to 5 minutes
  • Carrots: 4 to 5 minutes
  • Green beans: 4 to 5 minutes
  • Peas: 2 to 3 minutes
  • Spinach: 2 minutes

So when the water boils, add the potatoes. Reduce the heat to a simmer let it cook for about 5 minutes and then add the cauliflower. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add the broccoli, carrots, and green beans. Wait about 2 minutes and then add the peas and spinach.

While the veggies are cooking, heat another pot large enough to hold all the veggies.

Melt 3 tbsp butter over low heat. Add 1/4 cup flour. Stir well to mix for 2 to 4 minutes, continuing to whisk and keep it at low heat so it doesn’t burn.

Slowly stir in 1 cup of milk, whisking and blending. Let it cook for another 5 minutes, whisking frequently, until it’s thickened.

Scoop out the vegetables and add them to the bechamel sauce. Add as much of the leftover vegetable water into the sauce as well – I only add about 2 cups. If you like the soup thinner, add more. If you like it thicker, add less.

Gently stir it all together until mixed through. Turn off the heat, add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with herbs, if you want. Parsley, chives, and dill all go wonderfully.

Do as the Finns do and pair with rye bread and cheese. Or just a piece of bread with butter. Enjoy!

What to Do with Leftovers?

Finnish summer soup keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days. Store in an airtight container and when it’s ready to reheat, add a bit of milk to it and microwave.

Kesäkeitto

Finnish Summer Soup (Kesäkeitto)

Kesäkeitto is like summer in a bowl. It's an almost magical soup – creamy and decadent but also light and fresh. The best part? This Finnish summer soup is so easy to make.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course Appetizer, Soup
Cuisine Finnish
Servings 6
Calories 178 kcal

Ingredients
  

Vegetables

  • ½ tbsp salt
  • ½ tbsp sugar
  • 1 potato
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 stalk broccoli
  • ½ head cauliflower
  • ½ cup green beans
  • 50 grams spinach
  • 1 cup peas

White sauce

  • 3 tbsp butter
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 1 cup milk

Instructions
 

  • Add enough water to cover the vegetables in a large pot. Add 1/2 tbsp salt and 1/2 tbsp sugar.
  • Bring to a boil. Add the vegetables, starting with the ones that take the longest to cook and finishing with the ones that are ready in minutes.
    Potatoes: 10 to 15 minutes
    Cauliflower: 5 to 10 minutes
    Broccoli: 4 to 5 minutes
    Carrots: 4 to 5 minutes
    Green beans: 4 to 5 minutes
    Peas: 2 to 3 minutes
    Spinach: 2 minutes
  • While the veggies are cooking, heat another pot large enough to hold all the veggies. In that pot, melt 3 tbsp butter over low heat
  • Mix in 1/4 cup flour. Stir well to mix for 2 to 4 minutes, continuing to whisk and keep it at low heat so it doesn’t burn.
  • Slowly stir in 1 cup of milk, whisking and blending. Let it cook for another 5 minutes, whisking frequently, until thickened.
  • Scoop out the cooked veggies and add them to the bechamel sauce. Add as much of the leftover vegetable water into the sauce as well – I only add about 2 cups. If you like the soup thinner, add more. If you like it thicker, add less.
  • Stir it all together until mixed through.
  • Turn off the heat, add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with herbs, if you want. Parsley, chives, and dill all go wonderfully.

Notes

The veggies matter. Kesäkeitto is traditionally made with garden-fresh summer vegetables. But you can add other ones you want – mushroom, onion, sugar snap peas, and so one. Just keep in mind that freshness matters! Use seasonable, local veggies at their freshest. 
Get everything ready first. Mise en place is essential to this recipe. Since you’ll be adding in the veggies at different time intervals, you want to make sure they’re all washed, peeled, chopped and ready to simply toss in. 
For a creamier soup. Swap out half a cup of milk with cream. Just keep in mind that heavy cream, aka double cream, stands up to heat well and can be boiled. Single cream cannot – it will curdle. 

Nutrition

Calories: 178kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 6gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 689mgPotassium: 631mgFiber: 5gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 4825IUVitamin C: 67mgCalcium: 104mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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