Turkish vegetable soup with orzo; Sehriyeli Sebze Corbasi
Soup have a special place in Turkish cuisine; traditionally meals always start with a soup. For my small family, a hearty soup can be a main course itself with some nice crusty bread next to it. I made this lovely Turkish vegetable soup with orzo pasta today and it went down very well. My son was under the weather and after having the soup, he said, “I love this corba, mummy, just what the doctor ordered!” – best compliment to my ears.
Orzo pasta or “sehriye” as we call it in Turkish fits in this soup very well, thickens the broth beautifully and makes it substantial. Being a lemon fan, I give a generous squeeze, with plenty of red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper over the soup for a delicious heat, when serving. You can also crumble some feta cheese over the top before serving if you’d like too. For a gluten-free option, you can use rice instead of orzo pasta.
Many wholesome soups, regional specialties, pastries, vegetables cooked in olive oil and more are included at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland, Signed copies now 25 % Off at this link, as well as our new Ozlem’s Turkish Table apron here, delivered worldewide including the US.
I hope you enjoy this delicious, easy and wholesome Turkish soup, Sehriyeli Sebze Corbasi, Afiyet Olsun,
Ozlem
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 bell peppers (red, yellow or green), deseeded and coarsely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped in small pieces
- Handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 180 gr / 6¼ oz / 1 full cup orzo pasta
- 30 ml/ 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 400 gr / 1 can of chopped tomatoes
- ½ tbsp. double concentrated tomato puree
- 1.10 litres / 2 pints hot water or vegetable stock
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 10 ml / 2 tsp. Turkish red pepper flakes or chili flakes
- Extra wedges of lemon to serve
- Crusty bread or pide bread to serve
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy, wide sauce pan and add the onions, peppers and carrots. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes, they will start to soften up.
- Pour in the hot water or vegetable stock. Also pour in the chopped canned tomatoes and the tomato puree, stir well. Cover and bring to to the boil.
- Stir the pot and cover again, cook for 10 minutes at medium to low heat.
- Then add the orzo pasta, season with salt and ground black pepper and combine well. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes at medium to low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Once the orzo pasta is cooked, stir in the parsley, pour in the lemon juice and combine well. Check the seasoning and add more salt and ground black pepper, if needed. Turn the heat off.
- Serve hot with Turkish red pepper flakes or chili flakes over the soup, with extra wedges of lemon and crusty bread by the side. Afiyet Olsun.
