With cranberry beans and sweet corn, this collard greens recipe is a hearty vegan Turkish soup everyone will love.
Why Turkish Soup Is My Favorite Way to Eat Leafy Greens
- It turns hearty greens into comfort food: Slow-simmered collards become tender and savory.
- It’s a complete, nourishing meal: Beans, corn, and olive oil make this soup filling enough for lunch or dinner.
- It tastes even better the next day: The flavors settle and deepen, making leftovers something to look forward to.
I love the hearty collard green soup, which in Turkey we call Karalahana Çorbası. It encapsulates the staple ingredients in Black Sea (northeastern Turkish) cuisine, with many variations within the region.
My version of the dish is inspired by my travels. I enjoyed it at a restaurant on the way to Maçka, near Trabzon, Turkey. I loved the soup so much, I had to create my own recipe and include it in my book Sebze: Vegetarian Recipes from My Turkish Kitchen, and here with you.
The sweetness of the corn balances against the bitterness from the collard greens and the creamy texture of the beans to create a gluten-free and vegan soup that tastes even better the next day. You can enjoy it with corn bread, as the locals do, on its own, or with pita bread. It is one of my go-to soups for the cooler months.
Key Ingredients
- Dried beans: I use dried cranberry beans, which are also called borlotti beans. Feel free to substitute pinto or cannellini beans instead. I think this soup is best with freshly cooked beans, but you can use 2 (14-ounce) cans of drained and rinsed beans to save time.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Butter is more traditional, for added richness and creamy texture, but I prefer to use olive oil in this version.
- Tomato paste: Though standard tomato paste will work, double concentrated adds a richer, more intense tomato flavor to the broth.
- Sweet corn: Adds a natural sweetness, which is lovely with the earthy greens and beans. Frozen is fine, and canned corn is, too.
- Collard greens: You can use any type of sturdy greens, like kale or Swiss chard, in this soup.
- Fine cornmeal: Adds a natural thickness to the soup, making it silky and substantial. Note that it’s not the same as cornstarch, which is not a good substitute.
- Aleppo pepper: One of my favorite spices, it is moderately hot, coarsely ground, and has a deliciously warming but not overpowering heat. Substitute with the hotter chili flakes, but start with less.
How to Make Collard Greens Soup
- Soften the beans. Soak 1 cup dried cranberry beans for 8 hours in plenty of cold water. Then drain the beans, place them in a pot, and cover with hot water. Bring to a boil, then simmer over a medium heat for 20 minutes. Stir often and skim off any foam forming on the top. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water (to retain color and texture) and set aside in a bowl. They will be partially cooked and still firm.
- Prep your veggies. Finely chop 2 onions. Cut the kernels of 2 medium ears of sweet corn or measure about 1 1/3 cups of frozen corn kernels. Wash and roughly chop 1/2 pound collard greens, discarding the tough stems. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil.
- Cook the veggies. Set a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and add 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the onions and sauté for 7 minutes, stirring often to soften. Stir in 1/3 cup double-concentrated tomato paste, the corn, and the beans, and combine well. Add the collard greens and hot water, and bring to a boil. Gently mix as the greens will start to wilt. Season with salt and pepper, then cover, reduce the heat to medium–low, and cook for 15 minutes, gently stirring a few times.
- Thicken the soup. Place 1/4 cup fine cornmeal in a small bowl and add 3 ladlefuls of the soup liquid. Mix with a spoon until the cornmeal softens and the mixture is smooth. Pour it into the pan and stir gently to combine. Cover and simmer for a further 10 minutes. This is a rustic soup but if it’s too thick for you, stir in a little more water.
To Serve:
- Make the Aleppo Pepper Oil. While the soup simmers, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a small pan over low heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper. Gently infuse for 30 to 45 seconds. Set aside.
- Finish and serve. Pour the Aleppo pepper sauce over the soup and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately while hot.
Perfect Pairings
This is a substantial soup; serve it for a hearty lunch or dinner, it is a meal on its own. Leftovers are great the next day for lunch, too. It is great to make ahead, as the flavors settle and taste even better the next day.
- With corn bread, as the locals do. You can also use crusty bread or flatbreads like pita.
- With the frothy Turkish yogurt drink, ayran, made of whole milk yogurt blended with cold water, salt, served with fresh mint leaves, this is a lovely, refreshing accompaniment.
Turkish Collard Green Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 cup dried cranberry or borlotti beans (see note for a canned option)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup double concentrated tomato paste
- 1 1/3 cups corn kernels, frozen, or from 2 ears fresh corn
- 1/2 pound collard greens, washed, rough stems removed, and coarsely chopped
- 6 cups hot water
- 1/4 cup fine cornmeal (see note)
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
For the Aleppo Pepper Sauce
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper or 1 to 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes; use less or more to your taste
Instructions
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Soften the beans. Soak the dried beans overnight or for 8 hours in plenty of cold water. Drain the beans, place in a large saucepan and cover with hot water. Bring to a boil, then cook over a medium heat for 20 minutes. Stir often and skim off any foam forming on the top with a spoon. Drain in a colander and refresh under cold running water (to retain color and texture) and set aside in a bowl. They will be partially cooked and still firm, with a bite to them.
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Cook the veggies. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium–high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 7 minutes, stirring often to soften. Stir in the tomato paste, sweet corn, and the beans, and combine well. Add the collard greens and hot water and bring to a boil. Gently stir in the collard greens as they start to soften. Season with salt and pepper, then cover, reduce the heat to medium–low, and cook for 15 minutes, gently mixing a few times.
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Thicken the soup. Place the cornmeal in a small bowl and add 3 ladlefuls of the soup liquid. Mix with a spoon until the flour is dissolved and the mixture smooth. Pour into the pan and gently combine well. Cover and simmer for a further 10 minutes. This is a rustic soup but if it’s too thick for you, stir in a little more water.
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Make the Aleppo Pepper Sauce. While the soup simmers, heat the olive oil in a small pan over low heat and stir in the Aleppo pepper. Gently infuse for 30 to 45 seconds.
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Finish and serve. Pour the Aleppo pepper sauce over the soup and check the seasoning. Serve immediately while hot.
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and Aleppo pepper used in this recipe.
- To use canned beans: This soup is best made with dried borlotti (cranberry) beans. But if pressed for time, you can use 2 (14 oz) cans of good-quality, pre-cooked and rinsed beans instead. Fold the beans into the soup before adding the corn flour to the pot.
- Fine cornmeal: Also called “maize flour” or “corn flour,” this is not the same as cornstarch.
- Make it ahead: You can make this ahead of time – the flavors settle and taste even better the next day.
Nutrition
Exotic 4-Pack
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