Ash reshteh is a popular Iranian soup that's simple, easy and very flavorful. This vegetarian Persian soup is made with herbs, legumes and caramelized onion, perfect for any day of the year.
Persian food offers so many delicious dishes that you can try. Some of our favorites are Persian eggplant soup, one pot tomato rice and, of course, kotlet (Persian meat patties). This delicious and classic Persian herb noodle soup called ash reshteh is an easy Persian soup that everyone loves and I cannot wait to share my authentic recipe with you. It's full of nutrients and amazing flavors. It's a family recipe that will find its way into your heart with just one spoonful of happiness!
Table Of Contents:
What is Ash Reshteh?
Ash reshteh, also known as ashe reshteh, is a delicious Iranian thick soup that is served with kashk (yogurt whey) and piles of fried onion and a drizzle of mint oil. You can find it in restaurants in the US and, in Iran, it's sold at shops that sell different types of ash.
This dish is also one of our Nowruz recipes that's commonly cooked on the 13th day of the new year called Sizdeh Be Dar. It's best when it's shared with many others. Don't ask me why, it just feels right when ash reshteh is eaten with more than five people. Trust me, some foods are better when served to a large crowd. This noodle soup is usually served in a large bowl and everyone will take as much as they want.
What's Goes Into Ash Reshteh?
- Oil and butter: You can use olive oil or vegetable oil to make this dish. Some like to use ghee instead of butter and that works too.
- Onion and garlic: To start the soup you need onion and garlic. We will also fry some minced garlic to garnish the soup with.
- Dried mint: One of my favorite dried herbs. It's used in the soup and also as garnish.
- Spices: You only need salt and turmeric since there are so many other flavors in this soup.
- Legumes: This soup is so nutritious and uses a few types of legumes including chickpeas, pinto beans and lentils. Traditionally the chickpeas and beans are soaked in water overnight and then cooked with the rest of the ingredients. However, I opted for canned chickpeas and beans to save time.
- Herbs: This recipe calls for a combination of parsley, cilantro and spinach. You can also purchase ash reshteh mixture at your local Persian, Middle Eastern or Mediterranean shop as well as online.
- Reshteh: These are flat flour noodles and can be found either online or in Persian shops. If you don't have this kind of noodles, it's okay to use linguine or fettuccine.
- Flour: A flour and water slurry helps thickening the soup.
- Kashk: Also known as yogurt whey, kashk is a dairy product that has a sour and salty flavor and can be found in Persian or Middle Eastern shops or online. It usually comes in two forms of liquid and dried, both would work for this recipe.
How To Make Ash Reshteh
- Heat the oil in a large pot and sauté the onion until golden. Add in the garlic and cook for a few minutes. Season with dried mint, turmeric and salt and cook so they start releasing their aroma.
- Add in the lentils, canned chickpeas and pinto beans followed by 8 cups of water. Turn the heat to medium high and bring to a simmer. Add in the chopped herbs and give it a good stir. Cover and cook for 40 minutes.
- Break the reshteh in half and add it to the soup. Give it a good stir and cook for 15 more minutes.
- While the reshteh is cooking, saute some dried mint in oil and add it to the soup as well. Make the slurry, add it to the ash reshteh and cook for another 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Prepare the garnish by frying the onion, garlic and dried mint separately. I usually add some turmeric to the onion and garlic for some bright color.
- Dilute the kashk in some water so you can pour it over the soup. Serve ash reshteh war m with all the toppings.
Serving suggestions
Ash reshteh is a complete meal on its own. It usually served family style in one large bowl and is garnished with fried onion, fried garlic, dried mint and of course, kashk. There is always some extra kashk at the table as well.
In my family, we like to serve ash reshteh with some sabzi khordan and barbari. Sometimes, we would also serve a light dish such as potato patties on the side.
Storage And Reheating
Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. To reheat, place it in a saucepan over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. This Persian noodle soup tends to thicken when refrigerated so add about ½ cup water when reheating.
You can also freeze ash reshteh using a freezer safe container. To serve, you can either thaw it fist or place the frozen soup in a pot with some water over medium heat and break it down while it cooks.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. First of all, soak dried pinto beans and chickpeas in separated bowls overnight. Once you start cooking the recipe, proceed with the steps but add the beans and chickpeas with lentils after sautéing the onion. Let the legumes cook completely, then add in the herbs, cook for another thirty minutes and once they're cooked, add in the noodles and cook for another ten to fifteen minutes. Serve with kashk and extra toppings.
You can use green or brown lentils for this recipe. I don't recommend using red lentils as they lose their shape when cooked.
Yes! What I love the most about ash is that you can make it up to 2 days ahead of time and enjoy it later. To reheat ash, pour it into a pot or sauce pan and add ¼ to ⅓ cup water to thin it out. Heat over medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes and serve with the toppings.
It's quite difficult to find a proper substitute for kashk. However, I have found that a combination of 1 cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons white vinegar and some salt is an acceptable alternative to this classic Persian ingredient.
More Persian Recipes
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Step-by-Step Recipe
Ash Reshteh Recipe (Persian Noodle Soup)
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 onions thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 tbsp dried mint
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 can chickpeas 15 oz
- 1 can pinto beans 15 oz
- 1 cup green lentils
- 12 ounce spinach roughly chopped
- 1 ¾ cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1 cup cilantro chopped
- 8 ounce reshteh you can find these noodle in Persian or Middle Eastern stores.
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
Topping:
- 5 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 1 large onion thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon dried mint
- 1 cup kashk
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Sauté the onion until golden and soft. Add in the garlic and cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Add half of the dried mint, turmeric and salt and cook so they start releasing their aroma.
- Add in the lentils, canned chickpeas and pinto beans followed by 8 cups of water. Turn the heat up to medium high and bring the soup to a simmer.
- Lower the heat to medium, add in the spinach, parsley and cilantro. Give it a good stir, cover and cook for 40 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, break the reshteh in half and add it to the soup. Give it a good stir and cook for 15 more minutes, uncovered. While the reshteh is cooking, sauté some dried mint in 1 tablespoon of olive oil oil and add it to the soup as well.
- Mix the flour with ⅓ cup water and add it to the ash reshteh. Cook for another 10 minutes, then taste and add more salt if needed.
Topping:
- Heat 2 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat and fry the sliced onion until golden brown. Add in the turmeric and fry for 3 more minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pan heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté the garlic until golden, transfer to a small plate.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same pan and sauté the dried mint for 3 to 5 minutes until fragrant.
- Dilute the kashk by mixing it with ¼ cup lukewarm water.
Serve:
- Pour the ash reshteh into a large bowl or serving bowls. Drizzle with some kashk and garnish with fried onion, fried garlic and fried dried mint. Bring some more kashk to the table for those who'd like to add more to their soup.
Notes
- You can use olive oil or any neutral flavored oil for this recipe.
- Find kashk (yogurt whey) in the refrigerated section of Persian and Middle Eastern shops.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes. This soup thicken when refrigerated so mix it with ⅓ to ½ cup water while reheating.
- You can freeze ash reshteh for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or reheat from frozen with some water.
Shaina
Hi there, thank you so much for posting this recipe. For years I have wanted to create this dish so about a few months ago I made it and it was everything I imagined. It was exactly how my family made it. Thanks again.
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Hi Shaina, thank you for your kind comment. Glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Phil
Wow, really, I'm speechless...
This is the best soup i've had in a long time.
Julie
I've been making this for a while now and I love it. So hearty! Have you tweaked the recipe or did I just never read it properly? I've been missing the flour part and only just saw it! I'll try it this time tho'...I'm sure it will be just as delish.
Ferryal
Hi, First of all thank you so much for your quick responses to my instagram question messages, YOU ARE THE BEST. I made your Ashe Reshteh recipe and must say it came out delicious. Followed your recipe exactly and wouldn't change a thing. This is a keeper in my menu rotation. Thank you so much for sharing your love of cooking & baking.
Katie
This is so unique and flavorful! Perfect for those cold winter days.
Katherine
There are so many great flavors in this hearty soup! Thanks so much for the great recipe.
Julie
I make this on the regular!!!! I do have to make some modifications...mostly just use egg noodles and a dollop of sour cream or plain greek yogurt but it's always a winner.
Lubna
Looks comforting and soul hugging soup....will be trying this soon...thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Teodora Grujic
I love Mediterranean cuisine, so I can't wait to try it. Thanks for sharing!
RIKA
I love Persian food and I know that I am going to love this noodle soup a lot. So comforting!