A rich and cozy soup for Ramadan, but vegan: Tomato Vermicelli Soup. Served with Middle Eastern flavoured meatless meatballs. Perfect starter to kickoff Iftar, or meal prep for a nourishing meal at Suhour later. It’s a protein-packed soup with a healthy take on my childhood favourite.

About The Recipe

• Protein-packed
• Meal prep friendly
• Made with pantry ingredients
• Versatile with preferred vegetables
• Paired with Meatless Tofu Meatballs
• Ramadan appetizer or leftover Suhour

Ingredients

1. Tomato paste: Has a deeper flavour – and easier to work with – than fresh tomatoes.
   
   
2. Vermicelli noodles: Small thin pasta (similar to spaghetti).
   
   
3. Vegetables: Use what you like. Chickpeas are great to add protein & fibre. Potatoes, zucchini, onions, and garlic.

I grew up having this soup with meatballs made of ground beef, parsley, and spices. Here’s my vegan take with these Meatless Tofu Meatballs. You can always use plant based alternatives.

How To Make

Step 1: Start by making the meatless meatballs – if not prepped/frozen already.

Step 2: Sauté the onions in a pot with olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook for 5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic to cook for a minute until fragrant. Stir in the spices – adding vegetable broth if needed to avoid burning.

Step 3: Add the zucchini. Stir and cook to soften, about 5 minutes. Repeat for the potatoes, then chickpeas. Turn the heat down to low, adding more broth as needed.

Step 4: Whisk the tomato paste with water in a bowl. Drizzle over the vegetables in the pot. Mix to combine. Add more water to cover the vegetables. Bring to simmer over medium heat.

Step 5: Add the dry mint and vermicelli noodles. Stir and lower heat. Cook for 20 minutes, until vegetables are cooked and soup is thickened.

If using meatballs, add them (cooked) at this step. Soak up in soup and bring to heat.

How-To Video

Watch this video to see how we make this vegan tomato vermicelli soup. Slide through the clips to watch each step.

Pro Tips

1. Make the Meatless Tofu Meatballs ahead of time to have on hand. I prepare a big batch and freeze them for later use.
   
   
2. Choose your favourite vegetables instead. Use whichever ingredients you have. Clean out your fridge and add whatever you like to the soup.
   
   
3. To speed things up, bake or air fry the vegetables while working on the rest.

Related Recipes

Tomato Vermicelli Soup Recipe

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Tomato Vermicelli Soup

Recipe by Waseem HijaziCourse: Sides, SoupsCuisine: Arab, Middle Eatern, RamadanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

45

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

A rich and cozy soup for Ramadan, but vegan: Tomato Vermicelli Soup. Served with Middle Eastern flavoured meatless meatballs. Perfect starter to kickoff Iftar, or meal prep for a nourishing meal at Suhour later. It’s a protein-packed soup with a healthy take on my childhood favourite.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 large onion, small dice

• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced

• 1 large zucchini, small cubed

• 2 medium potatoes, small cubed – washed and dried

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 2 cans tomato paste + 4 cups water

• 1/2 cup mini vermicelli noodles

• water or vegetable broth, to avoid burning

• Spices

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp seven spice

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika

• 1/4 tsp turmeric

• 1/4 tsp cardamom

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1/2 tsp salt – adjust to taste

• 20 Meatless Meatballs – Recipe here.

Directions

• Start by making the meatless meatballs – if not prepped/frozen already.
• Sauté the onions in a pot with olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook for 5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic to cook for a minute until fragrant. Stir in the spices – adding vegetable broth if needed to avoid burning.
• Add the zucchini. Stir and cook to soften, about 5 minutes. Repeat for the potatoes, then chickpeas. Turn the heat down to low, adding more broth as needed.
• Whisk the tomato paste with water in a bowl. Drizzle over the vegetables in the pot. Mix to combine. Add more water to cover the vegetables. Bring to simmer over medium heat.
• Add the dry mint and vermicelli noodles. Stir and lower heat. Cook for 20 minutes, until vegetables are cooked and soup is thickened. Add the meatless meatballs at this step to soak up in the soup.