Libyan shorba

Shorba is a red, spicy Libyan soup of small lamb cubes, tomatoes, chickpeas and small pasta, finished with dried mint and lemon. It is ready in under two hours and suits any winter evening.

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Dairy freeMeatAllergens:Gluten

Updated

Libyan shorbaIllustration
Time2 hCook 1 h 40 min · + Soak 12 h
Pot6 bowls2.4 litres
Per bowl428 kcal22.6 g protein · a 400 ml bowl
Cost of the pot₪78for the pot, about ₪13 a bowl

The story of Libyan shorba

In Libya shorba is close to a national soup, and Muslims there serve it on almost every evening of Ramadan. The word shorba simply means soup, and across the Middle East and North Africa it names many quite different soups.

Shorba is well known in the cooking of Libyan Jews too, and it came to Israel with immigrants from Tripoli and other towns. Every home keeps its own seasoning, hotter or milder, with pasta or with rice, but the dried mint and lemon at the end are almost always there.

What makes Libyan shorba itself

Three things make Libyan shorba: tomato paste fried in oil until it darkens and turns the soup deep red, a generous amount of dried mint crumbled in at the very end, and small rice-shaped pasta that cooks in the soup and thickens it slightly. The meat is cut small so every spoonful holds a little of everything, and lemon squeezed into the bowl balances the heat and the fat.

Libyan shorba for any number of people

Change the number of people and the bowl size, and every ingredient updates in grams, with the cost, calories and protein per bowl.

Bowl size
Units
2.4litres in the pot
3Pot to use, litres
₪78Cost of the pot
₪13per bowl
428kcal per bowl
22.6g protein per bowl
IngredientAmountCost
Meat and base
Lamb shoulder in 1 cm cubes (or beef chuck)500 g₪60
Olive oil40 g₪2.1
Large onion, finely chopped200 g · 1 pcs₪1.2
Garlic cloves, crushed15 g · 3 pcs₪0.5
Tomato paste60 g₪2.1
Grated tomatoes300 g · 2 pcs₪2.4
Spices
Sweet paprika6 g₪0.5
Hot paprika or chilli2 g₪0.2
Turmeric3 g₪0.3
A pinch of cinnamon1 g₪0.1
Black pepper2 g₪0.3
Salt16 g₪0.0
The soup
Water2.2 l
Dry chickpeas, soaked overnight150 g₪2.5
Chopped parsley30 g₪1.5
Orzo (bird's tongue pasta) or fine vermicelli150 g₪3.0
Dried mint5 g₪1.0
Lemon, in wedges to serve40 ml₪0.8
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Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026. Nutrition from the ingredients in grams, before cooking.

How many calories in Libyan shorba? Nutrition facts and calorie calculator

Change the amount of any ingredient, drop one, or pick a lighter version, and the numbers per serving update at once: calories, fat, carbs, protein, sodium and fibre.

Libyan shorba has 107 calories per 100 ml. A 400 ml bowl made with our recipe has 428 calories: 22.6 g protein, 17.5 g fat and 39.8 g carbohydrates. A 250 ml cup has 268 calories.

Lighter

Ingredients, for the whole recipe

  • 500 g133 kcal per serving
  • 40 g59 kcal per serving
  • 1 pcs13 kcal per serving
  • 3 pcs4 kcal per serving
  • 60 g14 kcal per serving
  • 2 pcs9 kcal per serving
  • 6 g3 kcal per serving
  • 2 g1 kcal per serving
  • 3 g2 kcal per serving
  • 1 g0 kcal per serving
  • 2 g1 kcal per serving
  • 16 g0 kcal per serving
  • 150 g91 kcal per serving
  • 30 g2 kcal per serving
  • 150 g93 kcal per serving
  • 5 g2 kcal per serving
  • 40 ml2 kcal per serving

What each add-on adds to Libyan shorba

Values for the amount in the row, from the national food database.

Add-onCaloriesProtein, gFat, g
A tablespoon of oil122013.8
A slice of white bread792.50.5
A slice of challah12641.1
A side cup of cooked rice, about1823.50.3

How to make Libyan shorba

In cook mode the screen stays on, tap a step when it is done, and the timers run next to each step.
  1. Heat the olive oil in a wide pot over high heat and brown the meat in two batches, 4 minutes each.
  2. Return all the meat, add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until soft and starting to colour. Add the garlic and, half a minute later, the tomato paste.
  3. Fry the paste for 2 minutes, stirring, until it darkens a little and smells sweet.
  4. Add the spices, stir for a minute, then add the grated tomatoes.
  5. Add the water and drained chickpeas, bring to a boil, skim and simmer gently, covered, for about an hour, until the meat and chickpeas are tender.
  6. Add the salt and parsley, then the orzo, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring now and then, until the pasta is soft.
  7. Turn off the heat, crumble the dried mint between your palms into the pot and stir.
  8. Serve at once with lemon wedges for squeezing.

The science of Libyan shorba

Kitchen science

Frying the tomato paste

Tomato paste is rich in sugars and amino acids. Two minutes in hot oil, above 140 °C, set off Maillard reactions and caramelisation that turn its sharp, metallic taste deep, sweet and slightly roasted. Lycopene, the red pigment, is fat-soluble, so frying in oil also deepens the colour of the whole soup.

Kitchen science

Browning the meat

A brown crust forms on meat only in dry, high heat, never in water, which cannot pass 100 °C. That crust slowly dissolves into the soup and gives it more depth. Brown in two batches, because a crowded pot cools, the meat releases water and stews instead of browning.

Kitchen science

Why the mint goes in last

Mint's smell comes from volatile oils such as carvone and menthol. Drying keeps them in the leaf, but a long boil drives them off with the steam and leaves a grassy, bitter taste. Crumbled into hot soup after the heat is off, the oils are released and stay in the bowl.

Kitchen science

Pasta that keeps drinking

Starch in pasta keeps absorbing liquid as long as it sits in hot water, even after the heat is off, and some of it leaks into the soup and thickens it. After a night in the fridge orzo can soak up almost all the liquid and turn the soup into a stew.

Libyan shorba in every kitchen

With lamb

The classic, with lamb shoulder in small cubes.

With beef

Beef chuck instead of lamb, for a milder taste. Allow about a quarter of an hour more.

With rice

Rice instead of pasta, added 20 minutes before the end.

With fine vermicelli

Broken thin noodles instead of orzo, quicker to cook and lighter.

With chicken

Some homes make shorba with chicken pieces, lighter and quicker.

Common Libyan shorba problems and how to fix them

The pasta in my shorba soaked up all the soup

Starch keeps absorbing liquid as the soup stands. Add boiling water and adjust the salt and lemon, and next time cook the pasta separately if the soup will wait.

The soup tastes sour and metallic

The tomato paste was not fried. Next time fry it in oil for 2 minutes until it darkens. In a finished soup, a pinch of sugar and 10 more minutes of cooking soften the taste.

The dried mint tastes bitter

It went in too early or it is old. Add it only after the heat is off, and replace mint that has lost its green colour.

The meat in the shorba is still tough

The cubes are too big or the meat is lean. Simmer gently for 20 to 30 minutes more before adding the pasta.

The shorba is too spicy

Add boiling water, a spoonful of tomato paste and a squeeze of lemon. Next time start with half the hot paprika and add more in the bowl.

Storing, freezing and reheating

3 days

In the fridge

3 months, without the pasta

In the freezer

2+4

To cool

Bring it from 60 to 21 °C within two hours and down to 5 °C within four more. Split a big pot into shallow boxes.

75 °C

Reheating

Reheat over medium heat with some boiling water, because the pasta absorbs liquid. A pinch of fresh dried mint at the end brings back the scent.

Nutrition of Libyan shorba

From our recipe, per bowl and per 100 g, next to the national food database.

ServingkcalProtein, gFat, gCarbs, gFibre, g
Our recipe, a 400 ml bowl42822.617.539.88.0
Our recipe, 100 ml1075.74.49.92.0

What the ingredients of Libyan shorba cost

What each ingredient costs in one pot, and where to buy it.

IngredientPriceIn this potWhere to buy
Lamb shoulder in 1 cm cubes (or beef chuck)₪119 per kg₪60Butcher
Orzo (bird's tongue pasta) or fine vermicelli₪20 per kg₪3Supermarket
Dry chickpeas, soaked overnight₪16 per kg₪2.5Supermarket
Grated tomatoes₪7.9 per kg₪2.4Greengrocer
Olive oil₪53 per litre₪2.1Supermarket
Tomato paste₪35 per kg₪2.1Supermarket
Chopped parsley₪4.9 each₪1.5Greengrocer
Large onion, finely chopped₪5.9 per kg₪1.2Greengrocer
Dried mint₪200 per kg₪1Spice shop
Lemon, in wedges to serve₪20 per litre₪0.8Supermarket
Sweet paprika₪86 per kg₪0.5Supermarket
Garlic cloves, crushed₪34 per kg₪0.5Greengrocer
Black pepper₪139 per kg₪0.3Supermarket
Turmeric₪86 per kg₪0.3Supermarket
Hot paprika or chilli₪86 per kg₪0.2Supermarket
A pinch of cinnamon₪140 per kg₪0.1Supermarket
Salt₪2.1 per kg₪0Supermarket

Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026, VAT included. Vegetable prices change with the season.

Make Libyan shorba a meal

Shabbat

Ready Shabbat food

Soup, hamin, mains and sides, with a quantity calculator and prices.

Plan Shabbat
Hosting

Hosting trays

9 trays to go with the soup, with a planner by number of guests.

Tray planner
Events

Catering

A whole menu in grams per guest, with a reheating table.

Menus

What to serve with Libyan shorba

Serve piping hot with a lemon wedge for each person, and bread or pita alongside. Those who like it hot add chilli in the bowl.

The cuisine behind Libyan shorba

Libyan

Libyan cuisine

In Libya shorba is close to a national soup, and Muslims there serve it on almost every evening of Ramadan. The word shorba simply means…

Libyan cuisine

Libyan shorba in large quantities: events, offices and communities

How much of everything by number of guests, at a 400 ml bowl. For institutional pots, catering and community kitchens.

GuestsLitres30 l potsCost of ingredients
25101₪325
50201₪649
100402₪1,298
200803₪2,597
5002008₪6,492

Every ingredient for any number of guests is in the calculator above: type the number of people.

Order Libyan shorba

A ready pot for Shabbat, an event or the office, ordered ahead.

  • Cooked to order, for Shabbat, an event or the office.
  • Tell us how many people and when, and we send a quote.
  • Delivery in Tel Aviv from ₪35, free over ₪750.
Ask for a quote for Libyan shorba

Order Libyan shorba for a large event

Large orders in Israel and abroad: events, offices, synagogues, communities and institutions.

  • In Israel: cooked in Tel Aviv and delivered to events in the area, and to large events anywhere in the country on a quote.
  • Abroad: for communities, events and restaurants. Tell us where, how many and when, and we come back with a quote and options.
  • Institutional quantities and a shopping list for any number of guests, in the calculator above.
Ask for a large-order quote

Frequently asked questions

What is shorba?

A red Libyan soup of lamb, tomatoes, chickpeas and small pasta, spiced with paprika and turmeric and finished with dried mint and lemon. Shorba means soup.

Which pasta goes into shorba?

Small rice-shaped pasta, orzo, called bird's tongue in Libya. Fine broken vermicelli or rice work too.

When does the dried mint go in?

At the end, after the heat is off. Crumble a generous spoonful between your palms into the pot so the scent is not cooked away.

Can I make shorba with beef?

Yes. Beef chuck in small cubes works very well; just add about a quarter of an hour of cooking before the pasta.

What is the difference between shorba and harira?

Moroccan harira is thickened with flour and full of lentils. Libyan shorba is clearer, with small pasta, dried mint and lemon.

Can I make shorba ahead?

Yes, but without the pasta. Cook the soup up to the pasta stage, chill, and add the pasta and mint when reheating.

How many calories are in Libyan shorba?

A 400 ml bowl of Libyan shorba made with our recipe has about 428 calories and 22.6 g of protein. Per 100 ml: 107 calories.

How much does it cost to make Libyan shorba at home?

A pot of 6 bowls costs about ₪78 at Israeli shelf prices in October 2026, about ₪13 a bowl. The calculator above works it out for any number of people.

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