Name: Paradajz čorba
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 32 min
Total time: 47 min
Yield: 6 bowls
Cuisine: Serbian cuisine
Ingredients: 1000 ml strained tomato passata; 500 ml water; 120 g fine soup noodles, dry; 100 g yellow onion, finely diced; 8 g garlic, finely minced; 20 ml sunflower oil; 5 g granulated sugar; 8 g fine salt; 1 g ground black pepper; 10 g flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Yield 6 bowls

Preparation 15 minutes

Cooking 32 minutes

Passive 0 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Serbian Paradajz Čorba Tomato Soup with Noodles

Serbian paradajz čorba can appear as a clear red soup with pasta, a thicker vegetable soup or a blended cream-style bowl. In the noodle-based home style, strained tomato passata supplies the body, water keeps it light enough to eat with a spoon rather than as sauce, and fine soup noodles make it more substantial without turning it into a pasta dish. Onion and garlic form a quiet savoury background instead of a heavily browned base.

The tomato needs its own simmer before the noodles are added. Straight from the bottle, passata can taste sharply acidic and raw; fifteen minutes of steady simmering softens that edge and integrates the onion. A small five-gram amount of sugar is used as a balance point, not to make a sweet soup. Because tomato acidity varies by product, the final result should still read clearly as tomato, with sugar barely perceptible.

Fine noodles cook directly in the soup. Their starch slightly thickens the broth, which is useful while the soup is freshly made but important to remember for leftovers. If the noodles are cooked until very soft, they keep absorbing liquid and can leave a dense pot after refrigeration. Stopping when they are just tender gives a better first serving and better texture later.

Parsley is added off the heat so its aroma stays fresh against the cooked tomato. No cream or cheese is required. That keeps the soup flexible: it can open a larger meal or work as a light lunch with bread. The flavour is direct enough that ingredient quality shows, especially the passata. A strained tomato product with clean tomato flavour gives a smoother broth than one already heavily seasoned with herbs or sugar.

Leftover soup needs prompt cooling because a deep pot of hot liquid loses heat slowly. Divide it among shallow containers, refrigerate within 2 hours at 4 °C or below, and reheat the portion needed to 73.9 °C. A small measured splash of water can restore the broth if the noodles have absorbed liquid, but do not dilute the entire stored batch repeatedly.

Practical

ControlCook the onion gently; browned onion can overpower the clean tomato profile.
ControlAdd noodles only after the tomato base has simmered so their starch does not thicken an undercooked sauce.
ControlTreat sugar as acidity balance, not as a sweetening target; the finished soup should still taste primarily of tomato.

Ingredients

Tomato soup

1000 ml strained tomato passata
500 ml water
120 g fine soup noodles, dry
100 g yellow onion, finely diced
8 g garlic, finely minced
20 ml sunflower oil
5 g granulated sugar
8 g fine salt
1 g ground black pepper
10 g flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions

Prepare the aromaticsDice 100 g onion, mince 8 g garlic and chop 10 g parsley before heating the pot. The onion pieces should be small and even enough to soften at the same rate.
Soften the onionHeat 20 ml sunflower oil and cook the onion over medium heat until translucent without strong browning. The onion is ready when it is soft, glossy and translucent with no raw crunch at the centre.
Add the garlicStir in the garlic and cook briefly, keeping it pale. The garlic is ready when aromatic but not browned.
Simmer the tomato baseAdd 1000 ml passata and 500 ml water, then season with 5 g sugar, 8 g salt and 1 g black pepper; bring to a steady simmer and cook. The base is ready for the noodles when the raw sharpness of the passata has softened and small bubbles rise steadily across the surface.
Cook the noodles in the soupAdd 120 g dry soup noodles and simmer until tender but not swollen and mushy. The noodles are ready when tender to the bite and still retain their shape in the tomato broth.
Finish with parsleyRemove from heat and stir in the chopped parsley. The parsley should be evenly dispersed while still bright in colour.

Practical

Serving

Serve hot in small bowls as a starter or in larger bowls for a light meal. Bread is a natural accompaniment; dairy is optional rather than built into the soup.

Make-ahead

For the best noodle texture, cook the tomato base a day ahead without pasta. Reheat it to a simmer and add the noodles shortly before serving.

Cooling and reheating

Transfer leftovers to shallow containers within 2 hours and refrigerate at 4 °C or below for 3–4 days. Reheat to 73.9 °C throughout before serving.

Control points

Soup tastes harsh and rawGuidance: The passata was not simmered long enough before the noodles were added.Adjustment: Simmer the tomato base for the full first stage and assess acidity before the pasta goes in.
Noodles absorb nearly all the brothGuidance: They were overcooked or the soup stood for a long time after cooking.Adjustment: Stop when noodles are just tender and keep make-ahead tomato base separate from pasta.

Nutrition

Serving sizeAbout 280 ml
Calories150 kcal
Carbohydrates25 g
Protein5 g
Fat4 g
Fibre4 g
Sodium620 mg

These figures are approximate and vary with ingredient brands, edible yield, moisture loss, trimming, absorption and portion size.

Allergens and food safety

Contains wheat/gluten if wheat noodles are used; check the noodle label for egg. Cool leftovers in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours at 4 °C or below. Reheat leftovers to 73.9 °C throughout before serving.

FAQ

Can this be blended?

It can, but the result becomes a vegetable purée rather than a smooth tomato broth with visible fine noodles.

Why add the noodles late?

They need only a short cook and release starch. Adding them after the tomato base has simmered prevents the pasta from becoming over-soft while the tomato is still losing its raw edge.

Result: Paradajz čorba is a light tomato soup in which passata, softened onion, garlic and fine noodles cook into a clean, slightly tangy broth finished with fresh parsley.

Key: Cook the onion gently; browned onion can overpower the clean tomato profile.