Ash-e Reshteh
A thick, hearty Persian noodle and bean soup loaded with spinach, herbs, and topped with crispy fried onions, kashk (whey), and dried mint — a meal in a bowl that Iranians eat to bring good luck at Nowruz and all winter long.
⏱ 60 minServes 6Persian
Ingredients
- •200 g linguine or fettuccine, broken into thirds
- •1 can (540 ml) canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- •1 can (540 ml) canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- •1 can (540 ml) canned lentils, drained and rinsed
- •4 cups fresh spinach
- •1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- •½ cup fresh chives or green onions, chopped
- •2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- •3 garlic cloves, minced
- •1 tsp turmeric
- •2 tbsp dried mint
- •½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt (stands in for kashk)
- •4 tbsp vegetable oil
- •6 cups vegetable broth or water
- •1½ tsp salt
- •½ tsp ground black pepper
Directions
- 1Fry sliced onions in 3 tbsp oil over medium-high heat, stirring often, for 20–25 minutes until deeply caramelized and crispy; remove half and set aside for topping.
- 2Add garlic and turmeric to the remaining onions in the pot; stir for 1 minute.
- 3Pour in broth and bring to a boil; add chickpeas, kidney beans, and lentils.
- 4Add broken pasta noodles; cook for 8 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking.
- 5Stir in spinach, parsley, and chives; cook for 5 more minutes until wilted and soup is very thick.
- 6Season with salt and pepper; if too thick, add a splash of water.
- 7In a small pan, heat remaining 1 tbsp oil and fry dried mint for 30 seconds until fragrant — it should sizzle immediately.
- 8Ladle soup into bowls; top each with reserved crispy onions, a spoonful of sour cream or yogurt, and a drizzle of the fried mint oil.
💡 Traditional ash-e reshteh uses kashk (a fermented whey product) available at Iranian grocery stores; full-fat sour cream or labneh are the best everyday substitutes. Persian reshteh noodles can also be found at Iranian stores but linguine works perfectly.
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