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Simple Turkish Tomato Soup Recipe (Domates Çorbası)

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Turkish tomato soup (Domates çorbası) – never ever disappoints.

A steaming bowl of tomato soup with vermicelli. There's a garnish of green basil on the right side of the bowl.
A favourite – homemade Turkish tomato soup

As a kid, tomato soup was my absolute favourite soup of all time.

That was ready-made, from a tin!

So when we first came to Fethiye on holiday and I realised it was also a traditional Turkish soup – well, happy days!

Anyone who knows Turkey will know that çorba (soup) is a staple of Turkish cuisine.

But there are some Turkish soups that might prove a challenge (I’ve never enjoyed a bowl of brain soup, for example).

Others, such as red lentil soup (kırmızı mercimek çorbası), will be some of the best soups you have ever tasted.

And, for us, good old domates çorbası (a simple tomato soup) is a lovely, warming bowl of comfort.

When we started to make our own homemade tomato soup, that was when it got really good!

A delicious soup that holds a special place in childhood memories.

This is a simple soup recipe using fresh ingredients from Fethiye market.

We like to eat seasonally so we use whatever fresh tomatoes are in their prime for the time of year.

A close up shot of tomatoes on a market stall.
Pembe domates piled high on the right hand side

For this particular soup, in the photo above, we’re using late summer pembe domates – pink tomatoes.

They’re absolutely huge at this time of year – over 300 grams each – and are meaty and deep red inside.

If it’s a time of year where the fresh tomatoes are really not that great, no need to miss out.

Tinned or canned tomatoes will do the job in satisfying your tomato soup craving.

And, as we usually make tomato soup as a main course, we want it to be more substantial.

A hearty dish.

To do this, we make it a şehriyeli domates çorbası – adding a handful of vermicelli or orzo pasta just before the end of cooking.

Şehriye is a common addition to Turkish soups and Turkish rice.

Homemade Chicken Stock

Chicken bones and herbs in a stock pan.
Many Turkish soups are made with chicken stock

Obviously, you can make this tomato soup as a completely vegetarian dish if you like.

But many Turkish soups are made with chicken stock.

As we head intıo autumn and – eventually – the cold winter days in Fethiye fall upon us, chicken stock is great for soothing the soul as colds do the rounds.

We always keep homemade chicken stock as frozen ice cubes in the freezer.

But it’s easy to make up a quick fresh stock if you have any leftover chicken bones you need to use up.

Our simple chicken stock varies depending on whatever odds and ends of veggies we have in the fridge.

But generally, we use:

  • Water
  • Cooked chicken bones
  • Dried thyme
  • Bay leaf
  • Salt and black pepper

If you want to keep your tomato soup as a quick and easy recipe, you can simply use hot water – or a chicken, beef or vegetable stock cube.

We add a chopped fresh chilli to our tomato soup for a bit of a kick but you can leave this out if you like.

Another option is to sprinkle some chilli flakes (hot red pepper flakes) over the top of the soup when you serve it.

For more depth of flavour and extra comfort value, grated or crushed garlic, a medium onion, salça (tomato puree) butter and flour are going to be perfect companions to the tomatoes.

Quantities are not hard and fast.

The beauty of any soup recipe is that you can add as much or as little as you like of any ingredient.

And, as you may know from our previous Turkish recipes, we like strong flavours.

That’s what we get from this combination of ingredients.

What results is a rich in flavour, tomato soup.

And the roux we make from the flour and butter gives us a thicker, smoother consistency.

Combine that with the addition of your vermicelli or orzo pasta and you have yourself a fantastic Turkish tomato soup!

A close up of tomato soup topped with fresh basil around the edge
Serve your tomato soup with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh basil

When you think your tomato soup is ready, give it a taste test to check the consistency.

Add more salça if it’s too thin, more stock if it’s too thick.

If you’re happy with it, remove from the heat, take out the blender and give your soup a good whizz until it’s smooth and creamy.

Then add your handful of vermicelli, put the lid on the pan and leave for around 5 minutes whilst the vermicelli softens in the hot soup.

If you’re using orzo, put the soup back on a low heat for a few minutes whilst the orzo softens.

We top our şehriyeli domates çorbası with freshly ground black pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and fresh basil.

And, of course, lots of fresh Turkish crusty bread. Essential!

When you order tomato soup in local Turkish restaurants, you will often be given a side dish of grated kaşar cheese.

This is for adding to the top of your soup – and lots of people love to do this.

Feel free to add some grated cheese – one that easily melts – to your soup if you like.

Strings of melted cheese stretching betwixt bowl and spoon are not our thing, however.

In other Mediterranean areas, white cheese (feta cheese) or some halloumi ‘croutons’ are added.

A steaming bowl of tomato soup with vermicelli
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Easy Turkish Tomato Soup Recipe (Domates Çorbası)

This Turkish tomato soup is a real favourite. A big bowl of comfort made even more wholesome by the addition of vermicelli, it can be enjoyed as a starter or a main meal.
We make our tomato soup with chicken stock but if you are vegetarian or vegan, you can use vegetable stock or water.
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Author Turkey’s For Life
Course Starter / Appetizer
Cuisine Turkish
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 large saucepan
  • 1 grater
  • 1 large bowl (for your grated tomatoes)
  • 1 sharp knife
  • 1 ladle
  • 1 hand blender
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 4 large tomatoes (or 2 x 400 grams tinned / canned tomatoes)
  • 20 grams vermicelli (or orzo pasta)
  • 1 medium onion (peeled & finely chopped)
  • 3 cloves garlic (peeled & grated )
  • 1 red chilli pepper (stem discarded & very finely chopped)
  • 20 grams butter
  • 1 tablespoon plain (all purpose) flour
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon tomato puree
  • 300 millilitres chicken stock (or vegetable stock or hot water)
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • salt & pepper (to season)

Instructions

  • First of all, grate your tomatoes into a large bowl. You will be left with the skin in yoır hand and this can be discarded.
  • Now heat your oil in a large saucepan over a medium to low heat and add your onion. Stir for a few minutes until the onion starts to sweat and go translucent.
  • At this point, you can add your grated garlic and chopped chilli and continue to sweat for a few minutes.
  • Now add your butter and stir around until it is melted.
  • Add your flour and stir until it has formed paste with the butter, creating a roux and coating your onion mixture.
  • Now add your grated tomatoes and stir to mix everything together.
  • Add your salça (tomato paste) and paprika to the pan and stir until it has dissolved.
  • When your salça has dissolved, add your stock or water and your salt and pepper.
  • Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow the flavours to infuse.
  • Remove from the heat and blend your tomato soup until smooth.
  • Now do a taste test. If you are happy with the consistency, you can continue to the next step. If not, add a little more more salça if your tomato soup is too thin. Add more stock if it is too thick and return to the heat to make sure the soup is nice and hot before once more removing from the heat.
  • Add your vermicelli to the soup, stir and cover with a lid. The vermicelli will cook in around 5 minutes in the hot soup.
  • Meanwhile, you can cut some wedges of fresh bread to dip into your tomato soup once it is served.
  • Top your tomato soup with a drizzle of olive oil, freshly ground black pepper and fresh, torn basil.

Notes

  • The nutritional information for our tomato soup is calculated by a 3rd party API and is meant as a rough guide. Please do your own due diligence if you have an specific dietary requirements.
  • Note that if you are using orzo pasta rather than vermicelli, this will take a couple of minutes longer to soften. Place your blended tomato soup back on a low heat with the orzo until it has softened. 
  • We serve our soup topped with fresh basil and olive oil. In Turkey, it is also common to top tomato soup with grated kaşar cheese. If you like, you can do the same with any cheese that melts easily. Cheddar would work well. 
  • If you have leftover soup, it tastes great the day after. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. 
  • You can also batch cook Turkish tomato soup and store it in the freezer. 

Nutrition

Serving: 4Calories: 174kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 5gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 154mgPotassium: 640mgFiber: 3gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 2018IUVitamin C: 44mgCalcium: 37mgIron: 1mg
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Afiyet Olsun!

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Turkey's For Life

Saturday 16th of February 2013

@ Lule Libelule: Glad you decided to try lots of different foods in Turkey. the country tends to have that effect on people. You probably tried Ezo Gelin soup, too. :)

Lule Libelule

Friday 15th of February 2013

i tried this soup in istanbul, i am very conservative concerning food and not always want to taste something new, but in turkey all my ideas changed )) i am inlove with this soup and spend a lot of time to find out what kind of soup is )) i've tried so many meals nobody remembered about what i was talking )))

Turkey's For Life

Tuesday 15th of May 2012

Hope you enjoy it when you do try it.

turkey and tomato soup recipe

Tuesday 15th of May 2012

The title of this post has definitely convinced me! I’ll have to try this soup this coming weekend.

Turkey's For Life

Wednesday 14th of March 2012

@ Barbara: Well, you know where we are. When you finally get here, we'll go on a big Turkish food trail so you don't miss out on anything! :)

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