Vegetable Soup With Feta and Noodles

Although I am not usually the biggest fan of soup, there are a couple of soups that I find super delicious. The difference between Bulgarian and American soups is that in Bulgaria, the soups tend to me more “liquid-y.” In the U.S., I’ve found that a large majority of the soups made are thicker. For example, some favorites here are clam chowder, lobster bisque, and french onion soup. And while every country has its favorite “go to” foods, I’m not going to lie, I’m not a fan of any of those. I prefer something lighter and lower in viscosity, and that’s why I’m going to provide you with a one of my favorite soups from Bulgaria: vegetable soup.

Now I’m sure that there is vegetable soup in the U.S. too, however, this soup is a little different from other vegetable soups. One of the other biggest differences between Bulgarian soups and American soups is that although they are less thick, usually eggs and yogurt are added to the soup at the end and they form slight “rags”, as some call them, to add some thickness and more nutrients. To see the recipe, click here.

Ingredients:

For the Soup

• 500 grams potatoes (around 3-4 medium sized potatoes)
• 1 onion
• 1 red pepper
• 1 large carrot
• 1 tomato
• 100 grams noodles
• 1-2 tablespoons oil
• 150 grams feta cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

For the “Rag” Effect

• 1 yolk
• 4 tablespoons plain yogurt

Directions:

1. Peel and cut the potatoes in small cubes.
2. Cut the other vegetables in very small pieces.
3. Heat the oil in a pot.
4. Put the carrots and onions in the pot and cook. Then, add the remaining vegetables (including the potatoes) and seasoning to the pot.
5. Once all of the vegetables are relatively cooked, add as much hot water to the pot as you want soup. If you want a larger quantity of soup, add more water.
6. Let the water and the vegetables boil on the oven until the vegetables in the pot are soft and thoroughly cooked.
7. Once that is done, add the noodles and let them cook for around 10 minutes.
8. In a separate bowl, beat the yolk and the yogurt until well mixed.
9. Take a ladle and add 4-5 ladles of the soup into the yolk and yogurt mixture. Mix until thoroughly mixed.
10. Pour the new mixture into the original pot of soup, and let this sit on the oven for around 2-3 more minutes.
11. Add the feta cheese at the end and serve.

Final Product:

Ratings and Thoughts

Ratings:

Complexity (1 being easy/5 being hard): ♥

Time (1 being fast/5 being time consuming): ♥♥

Taste (1 being the worst/5 being the best): ♥♥♥♥

Would Recommend (1 being a hard no/5 being totally): ♥♥♥♥

Thoughts:

Although there seems to be many steps to making this soup, I promise that the actual making of this soup is pretty easy. I do think, however, that it does take some time because you need to cut all of the vegetables, wait for them to cook in the oil, and then for them to boil. All in all, the whole thing should take you no more than an hour, but that is an hour you have to have. The good thing is, you can let the water and vegetables cook while you do something else. Just make sure that you keep an eye on it! As for taste, I personally love this soup. It is one of my favorites, and although it gives the illusion that it is thick in the picture, it isn’t. It is super light and offers a lot of nutrients for a soup. However, I do know that not everyone might be a fan of the egg and yogurt in the soup as well as the feta cheese, and that is why I think if you enjoy those ingredients in general, you should try it, but if not, maybe this one is a pass. In the end, trying new things is always a good thing, and if you come to the conclusion that you don’t like it, at least you’ll know!