This garlic soup may not have many ingredients, but Spanish sopa de ajo is packed with flavor and warmth. It's easy to make, rustic and comforting. Just what you need on a cold day.
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You'll find variations on garlic soup in a number of different cuisines, some of them with a dizzying number of garlic cloves in there. Some are smooth and blended, while others like this are more chunky. Though that said, all the 'bits' here become wonderfully tender in the broth so it tastes surprisingly smooth.
Despite the fact this soup is both easy to make and uses such a short list of ingredients, it tastes wonderfully comforting and flavorful. The garlic, broth, olive oil and paprika give a lovely flavor base, while the bread softens and gives body. Then the egg yolk mingles in as you eat to make the broth wonderfully luscious. In other words, it feels like so much more than the sum of it's parts.
Origins of sopa de ajo
This soup has been around for centuries and is said to have been developed by shepherds to take with them over long travels with their herd. It was a great way to use up leftovers and kept them sustained. The ingredients are easily transported, not to mention cost-effective (Spanish migas are understood to have evolved for the same reasons).
Most agree that the original soup is from the Castilian region in Central Spain. Old "Castile" is the central region around Madrid, now Castilla-La-Mancha and Castile y Leon. It's an area of high plains and a relatively dry landscape, made famous through the tales of Don Quixote.
I remember traveling across the region by train a few times when I lived in Spain and it really does feel like the high plains go on forever, with only the occasional town. At least these days, much of it is being put to good use with wind farms.
Regional variations
This original style is often called sopa castellana, Castilian soup, to reflect where it's from. Some Castilian versions also add ham (jamon serrano), which you could certainly add, though I find it just as delicious without. Without the ham, the soup is meatless and so it has become a popular choice to eat during Lent and Semana Santa when many give up meat.
Garlic soup is these days popular across much of Spain, though often with regional variations. For example you typically add tomato and green pepper in Rioja, or omit paprika but added white beans in Extremadura. In Palencia and Valladolid the egg is more typically beaten and added in ribbons, more like egg drop soup.
Ingredient notes
As mentioned, you don't need many ingredients for this dish, but it's worth noting a couple things about those you do use.
- Bread - day old bread is best here so that it is dryer and won't become gummy. Use something relatively plain but with a good flavor such as country-style bread, baguette or sourdough.
- Garlic - the key ingredient! Don't be scared of using lots of garlic in this, it does become more mellow with cooking.
- Olive oil - an essential part of Spanish cooking! I'd recommend using extra virgin olive oil here for a better flavor, though you can use a milder one if that's all you have.
- Broth/Stock - chicken stock/broth is the most common here, but you can use vegetable stock to keep it vegetarian.
- Paprika - the most typical to use here is Spanish sweet smoked paprika, known as pimentón de la Vera dulce (there's also a spicy - picante - version). It has a fantastic depth of flavor and is great in many other Spanish dishes, too, and much more. If you can't find that specifically, other smoked paprika will work.
- Egg - not all add egg but as mentioned above, it does really finish the dish, with the yolk mingling in and making the broth wonderfully silky and flavorful.
Steps & Tips to make this soup
This soup comes together in a few simple steps, but it's worth keeping a couple things in mind:
- Peel and chop the garlic but in relatively thick slices to help minimize the chance of them burning. Dice the bread into small bite-sized chunks.
- Fry the bread and garlic in olive oil - softening the garlic helps bring out the sweetness and reduces the sharper flavor. Toasting the bread also helps build flavor.
- Add the paprika and cook briefly to bring out the flavor but not so much it burns.
- Add the stock and a little fino sherry or wine. These soften the bread and makes the garlic less pungent (as well as adding to the flavor).
- Then add the egg and let it poach in the hot soup. It's often easier to crack the whole eggs into a small dish then slide into the soup, to help keep the egg more in one place. Try not to let the liquid boil during this time to help keep the egg together. Only cook until the whites turn opaque but the yolks are still soft - remember they continue to cook a little after serving due to the heat of the broth.
- Carefully lift out the egg intact as you serve up the soup, and top with a little fresh parsley.
This sopa de ajo takes a few humble ingredients, and transforms them into a wonderfully flavorful bowlful. Comforting, tasty and just the thing to warm you on a cold day.
Try these other broth-based soups:
- Cock-a-leekie soup (Scottish leek and chicken soup)
- German pancake soup (Flädlesuppe, a simple broth with pancakes in it)
- Sopa de lima (Mexican lime soup with chicken)
- Tom yum soup (a classic Thai soup, with lemongrass, chili and shrimp)
- Plus get more Spanish recipes and comforting winter recipes in the archives.
Sopa de ajo - Spanish garlic soup
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic or more/less if very small/large
- 3 oz country-style bread or baguette (gives around 2 cups of diced bread)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sweet smoked Spanish paprika
- 3 cups light stock eg chicken or vegetable
- 1 tablespoon fino sherry or dry white wine if you don't have any (or a little more, to taste)
- 2 eggs
- ½ tablespoon chopped parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Peel and slice the garlic in medium-thick slices (too thin and they can burn) and cut the bread into a relatively small dice (small bite sized).
- Warm the oil over a medium heat in a pot/pan large enough to hold the soup. Add the garlic and soften for a minute.
- Add the bread cubes, toss in the oil and cook for a couple minutes so they gently brown. Keep a close eye on the garlic so that it doesn't brown too much - if it gets a little brown, remove it from the pan until the bread has a bit of color on it.
- Once the bread is gently brown, add back the garlic if removed, and add the paprika. Stir through to mix. Add the stock and sherry, plus a little salt to taste. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer.
- Crack the eggs into the soup - it can be easiest to break them into a small bowl first then add, to keep the egg together. Then cover the pot/pan and leave around 2 minutes so the eggs lightly poach - you want the whites just cooked but the yolk still soft. If needed, spoon a little of the hot stock over the egg to help cook the top. Try not to let the soup boil during this time (simmer at most) to try to avoid the eggs breaking up, so reduce the heat if needed.
- Serve the soup with the egg in the middle of the bowl, with the bread and broth around it, and sprinkle with parsley.
Video
Notes
Pimienton dulce, sweet smoked paprika, is more typical but you could use picante (spicy) if you prefer.
Some versions add some Spanish serrano ham into the soup, crisping it slightly with the bread or as a garnish so feel free to add some. As mentioned above, another variation adds the egg more as egg drop - if you prefer this, gently beat the eggs before adding. Stir the soup so it is moving a bit then add the egg and continue to stir so it cooks and separates at the same time. If you choose this method, you will probably need less eggs (even half) but you can judge to taste.
Nutrition (per serving)
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This recipe was first shared here in January 2021 and has been updated with added video, additional tips and information. I first shared my recipe for sopa de ajo on Curious Cuisiniere where I am a contributor.
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Jessica says
This is THE garlic soup. My grandma made this anytime she or one of us was under the weather. I crave it during the winter months. I had no idea where or how it originated as she grew up in the melting pot of Hawaii but as a child of a Spanish immigrant this makes so much sense. Thanks so much for putting this recipe out! 🙂
Caroline's Cooking says
I'm so glad to hear you, sounds like you have some great memories of it - I agree it is wonderful in winter.
Mary says
Yummy! This looks so delicious and full of flavor! Look forward to making this for my hubby and daughter.
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, it really is - hope they all enjoy!