A Comforting Persian Soup: Aash-e Reshte #BushsBeansFallFlavors #sponsored

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bush's Best Beans in conjunction with The Women Bloggers, LLC. 

Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

My family and I eat beans all year long, but during the colder months, bean soups are a family favorite. Minestrone, Black Bean Soup, and Chili are always in the menu rotation. So, when the opportunity arose for me to create a recipe using Bush's Best Beans - showcasing Fall flavors -  I was excited. 

After reading a book about the Islamic Revolution in Iran, I started researching recipes. I was intrigued by a comforting Persian soup and looked at different versions of the recipe. Aash-e Reshte is a healthy, flavorful soup. It's filled with aromatic herbs, warming spices, hearty beans, and delicious noodles. My version also includes meatballs, but I saw some recipes that were strictly vegetarian, too.

I love that beans are high in fiber and protein. And with all the varieties of beans, they are incredibly versatile. My Aash-e Reshte has three different kinds of beans - black beans, pinto beans, and dark red kidney beans from Bush's Beans.

During the colder months, I almost always have a pot of beans on the stove. Beans are so filling and healthy. While I often cook dry beans from scratch all day in a Dutch oven, that's not always convenient, especially if I forgot to soak them the night before. So, I stock canned beans in the pantry, too.

Canned beans are great to have on-hand for quick, easy meals. And, even better: canned beans are not a specialty item. They are readily available in every grocery store and most convenience stories. Use their product locator to find whatever Bush's Beans you need: here. I love that Walmart carries them, too! It's super convenient.

Ingredients serves 6 to 8

While my Aash-e Reshte uses canned beans and dry pasta, I added in my homemade chicken stock and home-canned heirloom tomato sauce.

Soup

• 6 C chicken stock
• 4 C water
• ½ C dried lentils, soaked in warm water for at least 10 minutes
• 1 pint tomato sauce
• 1/2 package dry linguine pasta, broken into half
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• freshly ground salt, to taste
• freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 t ground ginger
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t ground turmeric

Meatballs

• 1 pound ground beef
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
• 1 t ground ginger
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t ground turmeric

Garnish

• 2 T olive oil
• 2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
• 2 tomatoes
• 1/2 C fresh parsley, destemmed and chopped
• 1/2 C fresh cilantro, destemmed and chopped
• 2 T fresh chives, chopped
• freshly ground salt, to taste
• freshly ground pepper, to taste

Procedure

Meatballs

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Shape into 1/2" to 1" meatballs and set aside.

Soup
Pour chicken stock and water into a large soup pot. Bring to a boil. Add lentils to boiling liquid and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour in tomato sauce, then, gently drop meatballs into the soup. Simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

Add in the drained beans and spices. Stir in the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Mine took 10 minutes to cook.

While the pasta cooks, make your garnish. Core and dice the tomatoes. In a skillet, heat olive oil. Stir in onions and garlic. Cook until the onions are softened and beginning to turn translucent.

Add in the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes begin to lose their shape. Stir in the fresh herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

The Aash-e Reshte is ready once the noodles are cooked through. To serve, ladle beans, pasta, and meatballs into individual bowls.

Top with the garnish and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite way to use beans in soup? And, do you have any favorite international soups that include beans? I'd love to hear it! We're just at the beginning of Fall. I have lots of weeks to make more bean soups for dinner.

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*Disclosure: I received compensation for recipe development and generating social media traction. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Women Bloggers, LLC, or the manufacturer of this product.