This is my take on Persian noodle soup, expertly guided by my dear friend, Mersedeh. It’s a deeply savoury soup with spice, lentils and some pasta thrown in for good measure. This is a great way to use up the ends of bags of pasta you have hanging around. I have suggested a noodle pasta but really any pasta bashed up a bit will do.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook for about 10 minutes until they’re very soft, golden, and fragrant. Add the spices, garlic and chilli, and cook for another 2- 3 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant but not browning.
Add the cannellini beans and lentils, along with a litre of the stock and a good pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce it to a simmer, then cook for 15 minutes until everything has come together.
If you are not eating all of the soup now, put those portions aside before adding the spinach, pasta and herbs. Add the rest of the stock to the pot with the spinach and pasta. Simmer until the linguine is tender but slightly al dente. This should take about 8–10 minutes.
In a small bowl mix the pine nuts and chopped chilli with the lemon zest and olive oil to make the topping.
Add the herbs to the soup and leave to simmer for a minute before tasting and adjusting the seasonings. Stir in the lemon juice.
Spoon into bowls and top with the pine nuts, chilli mixture and more herbs, if you like.
Award-winning cook Anna Jones blazes the trail again for how we all want to cook now. In her exciting new book, One, the `queen of the greens’ gives over 150 recipes alongside dozens of ideas for super-quick one-pan, one-tray suppers. You can travel the world weekly from your kitchen. This book is good for you, your pocket and for the planet.
Sign up for my newsletter for joyful and inspiring recipes from me every week, as well as occasional takeovers from other brilliant chefs. I promise never to go overboard and you can unsubscribe at any time.