Muhammara Soup Recipe

Roast or use pre-roasted peppers

If not using store-roasted peppers: preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Halve and seed 3 red bell peppers, place cut-side down on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until skins are blackened (25–30 minutes). Transfer peppers to a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap or a plate and steam 10 minutes. Peel skins, remove seeds and roughly chop. Measure 3 cups chopped peppers.

Toast walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant and slightly darkened, about 3–5 minutes. Let cool and roughly chop or pulse briefly in a food processor—leave some texture.

In a medium pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the finely chopped shallot and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add smashed garlic and cook 30–60 seconds until fragrant—do not brown.

Add the chopped roasted red peppers and drained tomatoes to the pot with the shallot and garlic. Stir to combine and cook 3–4 minutes to let flavors marry.

Add the toasted walnuts, 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon sweet paprika, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 1.25 teaspoons salt. Stir and cook 2 minutes to toast the spices gently.

Pour in 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth and 1 cup water. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes to soften and blend the ingredients.

Use an immersion blender to purée the soup until smooth but still slightly textured. Alternatively, carefully transfer the soup in batches to a blender and purée until smooth, then return to the pot. If the soup is too thick, add an additional 1/2–1 cup water or broth to reach desired consistency.

Stir in 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Taste and adjust salt, acidity and heat: add more salt if needed, more lemon if brighter acidity is desired, or more pomegranate molasses for sweetness and tang.

Bring the soup back to a gentle simmer to meld flavors for 2–3 minutes. If using, finish with a quick swirl of 1–2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil to enrich the soup.

Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish each bowl with chopped parsley or cilantro and a sprinkle of toasted walnut pieces. Drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil and scatter a few extra red pepper flakes if desired. Serve with crusty bread or toasted pita slices.