Armenian Inspired “Nounoug” Soup

January 9 2021

I made this delicious Armenian soup called “Nounoug” to celebrate Armenian Christmas on January 6th!

This soup reminds me of my childhood, and I can’t remember the last time I ate this! I went to an Armenian daycare/after school program when I was younger and they would serve this soup for lunch. I was around 10 years old when I stopped going to Armenian school because we moved farther away and I missed this soup so much.

Luckily, I have recently been in touch with a fellow Armenian friend who shared her recipe for “Nounoug” with me. I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand, but I improvised and it turned out to be just as wonderful as I remember.

You may not be familiar with Armenian cuisine, but you will have to trust me on this one. My fiancé (who is not Armenian) even loves this soup!

RECIPE

Armenian Style “Nounoug” Soup

Armenian Inspired Soup with Beef, Chickpeas, noodles, mint and lemon
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course: Dinner, Soup
Cuisine: Armenian
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 lbs Lean ground Beef
  • 1 Onion diced
  • 10 cloves Garlic, chopped finely separate in half
  • 1 tsp Paprika
  • 1 tbsp Course salt
  • 1 tbsp Black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp Hot pepper
  • 1/4 tsp All spice
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 2 tbsp Dried Mint You can use fresh too
  • 1 cup Diced tomatoes
  • 1 Small can tomato paste
  • 2 cups Chicken or Beef broth I used a homemade turkey broth (any broth will work well)
  • 5 cups Water
  • 3 cups Cooked shell pasta Cook el dente (do not cook pasta all the way through as it will continue to cook once you add to soup)
  • 1 can Chickpeas rinse and drain
  • 2 lemons juiced
  • 2 cups spinach optional
  • 1/2 cup Fresh parsley chopped
  • 1 Red pepper, diced optional
  • 2 tbsp Butter

Method
 

  1. Cook shell pasta according to package (make sure it’s el dente)
  2. In a separate large saucepan, cook the ground beef thoroughly and add onions and half of the diced garlic. Mix with a wooden spoon. 
  3. Mix in paprika, hot pepper, salt, black pepper and all spice seasoning.
  4. Add diced tomato, tomato paste, chicken (or beef broth) and water. Mix well until tomato paste dissolves 
  5. Add bay leaves and bring to a boil. 
  6. Once soup is boiling, reduce heat and add remaining ingredients: lemon juice, parsley, spinach, red pepper, garlic, mint, butter and chickpeas. Mix the soup and simmer for 2-3 min until butter is melted. Enjoy!
Posted by Tamara Sarkisian