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Make Ahead

Persian New Year's Noodle Soup

by:
December 26, 2014
4
6 Ratings
Photo by Mark Weinberg
  • Serves 6 to 8
Author Notes

This is a perfect one-pot meal, a hearty mixture of legumes, vegetables, and fresh herbs. Serve the soup with an extra squeeze of lemon and, if you like, a nice drizzle of good, fruity olive oil. —Gena Hamshaw

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Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight in 2 to 3 cups water, rinsed, and drained
  • 1/2 cup navy beans, soaked overnight in 2 to 3 cups water, rinsed, and drained
  • 1/2 cup kidney beans, soaked overnight in 2 to 3 cups water, rinsed, and drained
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  • 2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric, ground
  • 1 teaspoon cumin, ground
  • 1 poblano chili, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup green or brown lentils, rinsed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 8 to 10 cups vegetable broth (low sodium if possible)
  • 5 cups fresh spinach, washed and chopped
  • 1/2 pound linguine, broken in half
  • 1 cup parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped (more to taste)
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill (more to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Directions
  1. Heat the oil in a large pot or dutch oven medium heat. Add the onions, turmeric, and cumin. Sauté the onions until they're very soft, golden, and fragrant (8 to 10 minutes). Add the garlic and chili, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant but not browning.
  2. Add the chickpeas, navy beans, kidney beans, and lentils, along with the salt and broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, and reduce it to a simmer. Simmer for an hour, with the lid of the pot on but slightly ajar to let steam out, until the beans are tender (this may take up to 80 minutes).
  3. Add an extra cup of broth. Add the spinach and linguine. Simmer until the linguine is tender but slightly al dente (10 minutes). Add the herbs and allow them to simmer for a minute before tasting the soup and adjusting seasonings. Stir in the lemon juice.
  4. Serve the soup with a generous dollop of cashew cream (https://food52.com/recipes/20679-classic-cashew-cream) or a drizzle of olive oil. Leftovers will keep for up to five days, and can be frozen for up to four weeks.
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17 Reviews

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carriemb January 1, 2023
I’ve been making this soup every January for the past 8 years as my family eats vegan in January. It’s hearty, delicious, and a family favorite.
Rita W. February 27, 2018
Persian New Year or not, I make this soup and fill it with leafy greens. Everyone in my household loves it, where ever it came from!
Maryam January 10, 2017
You obviously have no idea what you have copied and sadly the person who came up with this recipie had no clue either. There are so many things wrong with this recipie that's supposed to be ash reshte (Persian noodle soup) but for your information Persians don't eat ash reshte for the new year. The traditional Persian new year food is herbed basmati rice and fish... please correct your title to start. You can change it to beans and vegetable noodle soup because what you have here is wrong!!
susan G. March 10, 2022
Yesterday 2 sites published a similar recipes as Persian New Year Soups. Look for the washingtonpost.com recipe, with memories of an immigrant Persian family household, from the soup's author.
Apparently the tradition is not universal in the Persian sphere of traditions.
Nathalie S. January 9, 2017
I made this soup this past weekend using other beans I had in my pantry than those listed. This soup is ahhhhmazing! It,s a keeper and I have shared this link with many.
Gena H. January 5, 2017
Apologies for the confusion--this recipe used Luisa's recipe as an inspiration, but it adapted the proportion of alliums, the legumes, and some of the spices, and it offers a dairy-free suggestion in place of yogurt in order to create a vegan version. I also added extra dill and doubled the parsley because I'm half-Greek and can't help it--we often stuff our soup with those herbs at home.
ChefJune January 5, 2017
I'm just seeing this soup for the first time. It sounds wonderful and I'm planning to make it with someof the alterations suggested in the older comments.
However I'm really disturbed that a plagiarized recipe is alloved to remain on Food 52, if this is really the case. Recipe writers should ALWAYS acknowledge the source or inspiration of their recipes. Not to do so is considered - in the culinary community - as outright theft.
elaine B. January 4, 2017
i make the recipe from an Persian restaurant here in Chicago favored by Iranian folks . i had to play with it to get right . The traditional Iranian way to serve is topped with caramelized onions and yogurt . No poblanos , and good heavens no cashew cream .
cindy K. January 4, 2017
This soup is fantastic.., I have made it on numerous occasions. It's out of the cookbook Lucid Food, by LOuisa Shafia.
sydney January 3, 2017
I assume this recipe popped up because Food52 requested anything with the words 'New Year' from its database? But if it was plagiarized from a known source (as commenters suggest), then why is still posted? I often find, when reading the site, that Food52 would benefit from a clear food-journalism style guide of its own.
Pachamama January 3, 2017
I have a Persian husband and can't stop laughing--this shows how little you know of Ash, this soup, and it's culture. This is a traditional dish for Persian New Year, i.e. "Norooz," which is at the end of March--not our new year, aka now; which is what makes it so funny. Also, as another commenter mentioned, Persians NEVER use poblano peppers and the thought of it in Ash (this soup) makes me queasy. And sorry vegans, I can't imagine it without yogurt, which is what makes it sing--but go for it with a non-dairy yogurt substitute rather than cashew cream, for a more authentic experience.
Erin M. January 2, 2017
Iraniens never use poblanos, ever.. And New Years for Iranians is in March. But yes, Ash e reshteh is the traditional soup to eat.
melissa January 2, 2017
this is far more similar to louisa shafia's ash-e-reshteh than to ottolenghi's (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/persian-new-years-soup-with-beans-noodles-and-herbs-em-ash-e-reshteh-em-363446 vs. http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/legume-noodle-soup-shop)
Karen L. January 2, 2017
Gena is constantly ripping off various cookbook authors/chef's recipes. Not sure why so few of us catch this plagerizing pattern.
Magdalena A. January 12, 2016
This was chef Yotam Ottolenghi's soup, at least give him the credit.
carriemb January 1, 2016
Made this today for New Year. My kids gobbled it up and wanted seconds. Delicious.
Tara1175 January 1, 2016
Beautiful soup! Delicious