Noodles East · Chinese home cooking
Tomato and Spinach Noodle Soup
A light tomato broth, thin wheat noodles and a handful of spinach come together quickly, with beaten egg stirred in at the end for soft, pale ribbons.
About this dish
This soup sits between a broth and a full meal. Tomatoes are simmered just long enough to lose their raw edge but not so long that they turn into a thick sauce, so the liquid stays bright and drinkable. Spinach goes in off the heat and collapses in seconds, keeping a clean green against the red. The noodles are cooked separately so they never cloud the broth. What you notice first is the smell of warm tomato and ginger, then the soft hiss as the egg sets.
Before you start
Equipment: Pot. Tap the ingredient checkboxes as you go.
Method
7 steps · tick each one off as you finish it.
Cook the noodles separately
Boil 160 g noodles in a separate pot of unsalted water over high heat for 3 minutes, then drain and rinse briefly. They should be pliable but still firm at the centre, since they will sit in hot broth later.
Soften the aromatics
Warm 1 tbsp oil in a soup pot over medium heat for 60 seconds, add 15 g ginger and half the scallions, and stir for 1 minute until fragrant and glossy, with no browning.
Simmer the tomatoes
Add 350 g tomato wedges and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, pressing them once or twice. They are ready once the skins curl away and the wedges have slumped into a loose, juicy tangle.
Make the broth
Pour in 800 ml stock and 1 tbsp soy sauce, raise the heat to high and bring to a gentle boil for 3 minutes. The broth is ready when it is evenly pink-red and smells sweet rather than sharply acidic.
Ribbon in the egg
Lower the heat to low until the surface barely trembles. Drizzle 110 g beaten egg slowly in a circle and wait 30 seconds before stirring once; thin, pale ribbons should float up and the broth turn faintly cloudy.
Wilt the spinach
Turn off the heat and drop in 100 g spinach, stirring for 20 seconds. It has had enough when every leaf has collapsed to a deep, glossy green but none has turned olive or yellow.
Assemble
Divide the drained noodles between two bowls, ladle the hot broth and spinach over them, and add 1 tsp sesame oil and 1/4 tsp white pepper. Top with the remaining scallions and serve while the surface still steams.
Tips that matter
- Cook the noodles in a separate pot so their starch does not thicken and cloud the clear tomato broth.
- Add the spinach off the heat; residual warmth wilts it perfectly and keeps the leaves a bright, clean green.
Easy variations
- Swap the spinach for 100 g thinly sliced napa cabbage, added 1 minute earlier so it softens through.
- Stir 1 tsp chilli oil into each bowl for a gentle heat that sits on top of the sweet tomato broth.
Questions that come up
Why is my broth cloudy and thick?
The noodles were likely cooked in it. Boil them separately and rinse briefly, then add them to the bowl only at serving time.
The egg disappeared instead of forming ribbons.
The broth was boiling too hard. Lower the heat until it barely trembles, pour the egg in a slow thread, and wait 30 seconds before stirring.
Nutrition, roughly
| Energy | 330 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 14 g |
| Carbohydrate | 50 g |
| Fat | 8 g |
Estimated per serving from standard ingredients, rounded. Treat it as a guide, not clinical data.
Boiling Noodles and Pasta Well
Salt, water volume, the two-minute window and the starchy cooking liquid that most home cooks pour down the sink.
