A traditional Maltese hearty comforting soup made with fresh vegetables. In the soppa tal-armla it is customary to add eggs and the popular Maltese cheese ġbejna at the end.
During winter, this soup is a staple which every household makes as it’s considered part of the Maltese comfort foods. Today I will be sharing with you this recipe but keep in mind that this is the version my mother makes. There are plenty of other versions out there and every one puts in it what they prefer. Consequently, I will be putting below a section for substitutions or additions that also go magnificently in this soup. Essentially all you need are some vegetables together with local cheese and eggs to make it more hearty. This is the reason why this soup is named Soppa tal-armla, which translates to widow’s soup, since it uses basic – hence, cheap – ingredients, where one could feed a whole family with few money.
Childhood Favourite
I have to admit that when I was young, cooked vegetables weren’t my favourite. I could eat them raw but once these were given to me cooked, I would put all the ugly faces. However, this soup was an exception! Whenever my mother gave me this soup or the brodu (Maltese traditional broth), I always ate them gladly. I believe that I used to eat this widow’s soup willingly since it came with a huge piece of fresh Maltese cheese ġbejna and a poached egg! Two ingredients that I love! They kind of distracted me from the fact that I was eating a plate full of vegetables.
Fun fact: The most famous name for this recipe is Widow’s soup or in Maltese, soppa tal-armla. However, in many Maltese families, including mine, it is also known as ‘it-Toqlija’.
Substitutions or Additions
This soup has a huge list of ingredients, which you can further expand! The basic ingredients which one shouldn’t miss, so as to keep it traditional as possible, and as these are available throughout all the year around the world, are: cauliflower, potatoes, onion, garlic, tomato paste and carrots. In my family’s recipe another ingredient which is always present, is a diced marrow (from the courgette family). Other additions which I’ve seen people include that work well are kohlrabi, courgette and celery.
Another ingredient which is widely loved and enjoyed in Malta, and hence also usually included in this soup, are the broad beans. However, if you cannot find these delicious green fresh broad beans you can easily substitute them with fresh or frozen peas. If you really wish to deeply enjoy this soppa tal-armla, you shouldn’t skimp on the eggs and fresh cheese! However I know that the Maltese cheese (ġbejna) isn’t available worldwide, hence if you aren’t able to get your hands on it, simply substitute it with fresh ricotta or goat cheese.
Soppa tal-armla (Widow’s Soup)
Ingredients
- 1 white onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 500 g cauliflower chopped into florets
- 150 g carrots chopped
- 300 g potatoes chopped
- 1 marrow chopped
- 100 g broad beans or peas
- 750 ml water
- 1 vegetable cube
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 eggs
- 4 ġbejniet
Instructions
- In a large pot on medium heat, add some olive oil and fry the onion until softened. Add the garlic and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add the carrots and marrow and fry further until they soften.
- Add the cauliflower, potatoes and broad beans to the pot and mix well. Let everything cook for about 5 minutes. (If you are going to use peas instead of broad beans only add them towards the end of the cooking and not at this stage.)
- Once all the vegetables have been cooking gently, add the tomato paste and the vegetable cube and mix well. Add the water. The water has to cover all the vegetables completely.
- Bring the soup to a gentle boil. Once it's boiling, lower the temperature and let it simmer while covering the pot with a lid for about 30 minutes. Half way through the cooking, I like to gently mash some of the vegetables. However, this depends on how you like your soup.
- In the last ten minutes of the cooking, crack and add the eggs to the soup, cover the pot and let them cook.
- Once cooked, scoop them out and set them aside. Add the ġbejniet one by one, cover the pot and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the cooked eggs back in and let it rest for about 5 minutes. For each person, serve the soup with an egg and a ġbejna topped on top, or else serve the latter two on the side in a plate.
If you have any questions, feedback or comments on this recipe, please leave a comment below. Please also rate this recipe by double clicking on the stars below. If you did make this recipe, tag @apronandwhisk and hashtag #apronandwhisk, as I’m curious to see what you create!
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I make this soup regularly for my family and everyone loves it! We can’t get gbejniet easily in NY unless we make it, but we use a spoonful of ricotta cheese. My Maltese husband loves when I make this as it reminds him of childhood meals.
This is such a comfort Maltese dish! Ricotta cheese is a great substitution in this dish. I do the same as I live abroad. 🙂
My dad made this for me last year when he visited. He said it was Gozitan? Mom used to make minestra, which I LOATHED, so I was dubious about this. But it was so delicious, I ate it for three days straight!! He used goat cheese, and he did poach a couple of eggs on top! Oddly, I don’t remember eating it while growing up, though he did make Maltese things (mostly baking, like figolli!). Now I make easy stuff, like ross il-forn, or just crusty bread with olive oil, tomato paste, mint, and capers… 🙂
I need to try this recipe!
Hi 🙂 From what I know, I don’t think that this soup is specific to Gozo (although the cheese technically originates from there). I grew up in Malta and had it almost every week as my parents love it. I have to be honest, I too wasn’t a big fan of this soup and minestra, but I grew to love them! Especially during colder days! Now they are the only thing I crave. For minestra, I suggest you try it again with pieces of kefalotyri cheese in it…PERFECTION!
If you make it, let me know 🙂 I would love to know what you think!
I loathed Minestra when I was younger, I just couldn’t get it down the hatch. In my later teen years, I put a few ladle’s of it in the blender and it was an epiphany! It was rich with a creamy texture filled with the most amazing flavour. 50 years later, I still love this soup and prepare it the same way. It’s my adult baby food.
Amazing! 🤩🤩 I tried this upon my husband’s request. I had a very difficult challenge to make this up to his expectations – like his grandma does it! But it came soooooo good! It was a real crowd pleaser as both our little girls devoured their plates too! I am so glad we now are able to keep the memory of our grandmas alive, as this will always take us back to those fun days spent at their houses ❤️
That’s so great to hear! I’m so glad that this recipe has brought back happy memories♥️ Thank you so much for your kind comment 🙏😊
What I call a proper widow’s soup! AMAZING 🙂
Thank you so much! ❤️
just perfect!
Thank you 🙏