Aash-e Reshte #SoupSwappers

Here we are at the September Soup Saturday Swappers event. Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm started this event and, every month, I get a new array of soup recipes to put in my to-try pile.

This month, Colleen of Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice is hosting as we explore pasta soups. Colleen writes, "Make a soup, chowder, or chili using any shape, variety, or flavor of pasta you choose. Get creative."

Here's the line-up of pasta soup recipes from the #SoupSwappers...

Aash-e Reshte from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Beef and Tomato Macaroni Soup from Palatable Pastime
6-Ingredient Broken Spaghetti Pasta Soup from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
Chicken & Tomato Macaroni Soup For Two from Sneha's Recipe
Minestra from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Shrimp and Tomato Stew with Fregola from Karen's Kitchen Stories

There are so many international traditions of pasta and soup. Think Unaş from Turkmenistan and Italian minestrone that I have shockingly never blogged despite it being in our winter bowls at least once a month! But this post was inspired by my recent dive into books from Iran. I recently read The Temporary Bride for an upcoming Cook the Books selection and Pomegranate Soup which is also for that group.

Aash-e Reshte

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.

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.

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.