This recipe was inspired by the delicious lentil soup my Turkish friend prepared for our friends and me during my college years. Since then I have developed my own recipe, which luckily turned out to be a success. I have been making this soup for many years now, not just because it is one of my favorites, but because everyone who tries it falls in love with it.
So if you haven’t made lentil soup before, this is a perfect recipe because it is not only tasty but also fairly easy to make.
Prep: 10 min Cook: 35 min Total: 45 min Servings: 6
Ingredients
Soup:
1 cup red lentils, rinsed
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, or water
2 cups water
3-4 tbsp light oil
1/2 large onion, about 1 cup, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
1 large carrot, grated
1 medium potato, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
1/2 toasted coriander seeds, ground
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Toppings:
1 lemon, cut into wedges
mint, parsley, or dill chopped (optional)
red chili flakes (optional)
Directions
In a frying pan, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion, and sweat it until translucent for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile bring the stock and water to a boil in a large pan.
Add the tomato paste to the frying pan and stir around until incorporated. Stir in the carrot. Turn the heat down to low, and cook covered for 5 minutes. Add the lentils.
Transfer the mixture into the large pan. Add the potatoes, coriander, paprika, salt and pepper. Bring it back to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer covered for 20-25 minutes until the lentils are done. Add the herbs in the final 3 minutes of cooking.
For a creamier texture, process the soup in a blender.
Serve with a wedge of lemon and garnish with the mint.
Enjoy!
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