This easy Turkish Orzo Soup recipe, known as Şehriye Çorbası, turns pantry staples into a proper meal in 25 minutes. Butter, tomato paste, garlic, and dried mint do all the seasoning. The orzo cooks right in the broth, so nothing extra to wash up.
Şehriyeli Çorba has been a staple in Turkish kitchens for decades. In Turkey we eat it as a starter or as a light dinner. On cold days, and whenever someone in the house feels under the weather, it is the first pot that goes on the stove.
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What is Şehriye Çorbası?
Şehriye is the Turkish word for tiny soup pasta. It comes from an Arabic word meaning "hair-like," after the thread-thin noodles the word first described.
Turkish kitchens use two main shapes: tel şehriye, the fine strands, and arpa şehriye, the barley-shaped kind that English speakers call orzo. This soup works with either, but arpa şehriye is the classic choice.
The soup itself goes back to Ottoman home cooking, where a handful of pasta stretched a simple broth into a filling meal. That thrifty habit never left. Şehriye çorbası is still one of the first soups Turkish cooks learn, and most lokantas serve it every day of the week.
Why This Recipe Works?
- The tomato and red pepper pastes give the broth a slow-cooked taste in minutes.
- It's endlessly adaptable. Stir in shredded chicken, chickpeas, or whatever vegetables need using up.
- Kids love it. The orzo makes it fun to eat, and the gentle seasoning suits the whole family.
- It costs very little to make. Half a cup of orzo and two spoonfuls of paste feed four people.
- One recipe covers both camps: chicken stock for depth, vegetable stock for a meat-free bowl.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.
- Orzo pasta - This small, rice-shaped pasta is the main ingredient that gives Sehriye Corbasi its texture and substance. If you’re curious about other ways to use orzo, take a look at my Orzo with Pesto, Youvetsi - Greek Beef and Orzo Stew, and Turkish Rice recipes for more ideas!
- Chicken stock - Homemade Chicken Bone Broth provides a richer taste but store-bought good quality stock or vegetable stock would also work great with this soup.
- Tomato paste - It is the staple of Turkish cooking. It gives a deeper flavor and richer color to orzo soup. You can buy tomato paste in Turkish or Middle Eastern shops.
- Pepper paste - Turkish red pepper paste is a rich, delicious paste made with juicy, spicy red peppers that I use often in my Turkish recipes. You can buy it from the same shops or make your own with my Biber Salçası - Turkish Red Pepper Paste.
- Garlic - Fresh garlic is a great flavoring that adds sweetness and depth to this soup. Use a Mortar and Pestle to turn it into a paste or grate it using a Microplane Zester Grater.
- Butter - I used good quality butter for sautéing and enhancing the overall flavor.
How to Make orzo soup - Şehriye Çorbası
Heat butter or olive oil in a pot. Add chopped garlic, tomato paste, red pepper paste, salt, freshly ground black pepper, turmeric, chili, and dried mint.
Saute for a few minutes to reduce acidity and deepen the flavor.
Pour in the chicken or vegetable stock, add the whole shallot or onion, stir well to combine, and bring the mixture to a gentle boil.
Add the orzo to the boiling soup. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the orzo is tender, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
Add chopped parsley, taste, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve with plenty of lemon juice to add brightness.
Recipe Tips From the Chef
- Stir now and then while the orzo cooks so it doesn't clump together.
- Add more broth or water if the soup becomes too thick as the orzo cooks.
- Şehriyeli Çorba is best enjoyed fresh, as orzo tends to absorb liquid and thicken the soup upon standing.
- The amount of salt stated in the recipe is for homemade stock. Use less salt if you are using store-bought stock as they already contain some salt.
- For a nuttier, richer taste, toast the orzo in the butter for a minute or two before the stock goes in. Turkish cooks call this kavurma. It also helps the orzo stay firm instead of turning soft.
- Use butter and olive oil together. The butter brings the taste, and the olive oil keeps it from burning.
- Add the stock hot, not cold. Cold liquid slows the cooking and dulls the taste of the toasted paste.
- Let the soup rest for 5 minutes off the heat before serving. The seasoning settles and rounds out.
- Stick with dried mint. Fresh mint tastes like a different herb here and pulls the soup in the wrong direction.
- Some Turkish cooks grate a fresh tomato in with the paste. It gives the broth a fresher, lighter taste.
- For a silkier, lokanta-style body, stir a teaspoon of flour into the butter before the paste goes in.
Storage Instructions
Leftover Şehriye Çorbası can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. When reheating, add a splash of water or broth to restore the soup's original consistency. Avoid overcooking the orzo during reheating to prevent it from becoming mushy.
For longer storage, you can freeze the leftovers in airtight containers for up to three months.
Make Ahead
The smart way to make this soup ahead is to stop before the orzo. Cook the tomato base with the stock, cool it, and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
When it's time to eat, bring it back to a boil, add the orzo, and you're 10 minutes from full bowls.
Serving Suggestions
My favorite way to serve Şehriye Çorbası is to serve it alongside some crusty Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe or Barbari Bread - Persian Flatbread for dipping. It also pairs perfectly with some delicious Kol Böreği - Turkish Arm Borek! At Turkish tables, a crumble of feta on top or a spoonful of thick yogurt on the side is also common.
You can add cooked shredded chicken or sauteed ground meat to turn the soup into a complete meal or complement it with a bowl of Beetroot Salad or Air Fryer Roasted Zucchini with Red Onions for a healthy meal.
Recipe FAQs
Pasta. It's shaped like a big grain of rice, which is where the confusion comes from, but it's made from wheat semolina and cooks like any small pasta.
Yes. Use the same amount and start checking a few minutes earlier. The thin strands cook faster than orzo.
Almost always lemon or salt. Add a squeeze of lemon first, taste, then adjust the salt. Weak stock is the other usual culprit, so use a proper chicken or vegetable stock rather than plain water.
It can be. Cook it with olive oil instead of butter and use vegetable stock. Everything else in the pot is already plant-based.
You can. Rice needs a few more minutes and gives a softer, thicker soup. Add it when the stock comes to a boil and give it 15 to 18 minutes. A rice version is also naturally gluten-free.
Related Recipes
For more delicious and healthy soup recipes why not try:
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Orzo Soup (Şehriye Çorbası)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon red pepper paste
- ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 shallot or small onion (optional)
- ½ cup orzo
- 5 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock (1 ¼ liters)
- lemon juice and parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Heat butter or olive oil in a pot. Add chopped garlic, tomato paste, red pepper paste, salt, freshly ground black pepper, turmeric, chili, and dried mint. Saute for a few minutes to reduce acidity and deepen the flavor.
- Pour in the chicken or vegetable stock, stir well to combine, and bring the mixture to a gentle boil.
- Add the orzo to the boiling soup. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the orzo is tender, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Add chopped parsley, taste, and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Serve with plenty of lemon juice to add brightness.
Notes
- Stir now and then so the orzo doesn't clump, and add more stock if the soup gets too thick.
- For a nuttier taste, toast the orzo in the butter for a minute or two before the stock goes in. Turkish cooks call this kavurma.
- Use butter and olive oil together: butter for the taste, olive oil so it doesn't burn.
- Add the stock hot, not cold.
- Use dried mint, not fresh.
- The salt amount suits homemade stock. Cut it back if your stock is store-bought.
- The soup thickens as it stands because the orzo keeps absorbing broth. Loosen it with hot water or stock when reheating.
- Vegan: cook with olive oil and use vegetable stock.
- Add-ins: cooked shredded chicken, chickpeas, or diced vegetables all work.
- Make ahead: cook the base without the orzo and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Add the orzo when reheating.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Finish every bowl with lemon juice and chopped parsley.
Selin says
A simple and comforting soup with easy-to-find ingredients. Light, warm, and perfect for colder days.