Tomato Vermicelli Soup

Name: Tomato Vermicelli Soup
Prep time: 13 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Levantine
Ingredients: 5 tomatoes; 1 cup vermicelli; 2 cloves garlic; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1/2 tsp ground cumin; 4 cups low-salt vegetable stock; 1/2 tsp salt

Grated tomato and fine vermicelli soup with garlic and cumin, ready in twenty minutes.

Vegan

Cooking time: 20 min
Hands-on time: 13 min
Free time: 7 min
Difficulty: Easy
Cuisine: Levantine
Calories: 170
Contains: Gluten

Grated tomato and fine vermicelli cook in the same short window; no blender or advance stock pot is required.

Before you start

Before turning on the heatUse fine vermicelli with a packet cooking time of six minutes or less.
The twenty-minute promiseThe clock runs from the first cut to serving. There is no hidden soak or marinade and no pre-cooked ingredient unless it is clearly labeled canned or ready to eat.

Ingredients

4people

Amounts follow the number of people

For the soup

5 tomatoes — ripe and grated
1 cup vermicelli — fine and broken
2 cloves garlic — crushed
1 tbsp olive oil — for cooking
1/2 tsp ground cumin — ground
4 cups low-salt vegetable stock — hot
1/2 tsp salt — depending on the stock

To double the recipe, use a wider pan or bowl and adjust salt, acid, and spices by tasting rather than arithmetic alone.

Equipment

Medium, heavy-bottomed pot — The heavy base keeps the quick soup at a gentle simmer without scorching.
Ladle — Set it out before starting so the recipe stays within its short cooking time.

Method

Grate the tomatoes, crush the garlic, and heat the stock in a kettle or small pot.
4 min
You’ll know it’s ready when
All ingredients are measured and cut small enough to cook quickly.
Tip: Small, even pieces are what make the twenty-minute timing honest.
Heat the oil and stir the garlic and cumin, then add the tomatoes.
4 min
You’ll know it’s ready when
The tomatoes are bubbling and smell cooked rather than raw.
Tip: Stir spices in the fat for only half a minute so they do not turn bitter.
Add the hot stock and vermicelli and keep at a gentle simmer.
7 minYou can walk away
You’ll know it’s ready when
The vermicelli is tender but intact and the broth has taken on the tomato color.
Tip: Keep a gentle simmer; a hard boil clouds the broth without cooking faster.
Adjust the salt and loosen with a little hot water if needed.
3 min
You’ll know it’s ready when
The texture is balanced, with solids and broth in each spoonful.
Tip: Adjust thickness with hot, not cold, water so the simmer does not stop.
Turn off the heat, add lemon or herbs, taste, and serve.
2 min
You’ll know it’s ready when
Salt and acidity are balanced and the soup is hot but no longer boiling.
Tip: Lemon added off the heat stays bright rather than turning bitter.