Easy Middle Eastern Red Lentil Soup
A healthy Middle Eastern Red Lentil Soup recipe that is hearty, filling, and full of comforting flavor. This one-pot soup is super easy to make and perfect for a weeknight dinner. Plus it’s vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves pressed or minced
- 3-4 medium carrots chopped into big chunks
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups red lentils
- 5 cups water or vegetable broth
- 1 lemon half juiced, half cut into wedges to serve with
- Chopped fresh parsley one bunch, for garnishing
Instructions
- Heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot or Dutch Oven.
- Sauté the 1 large onion (chopped), 2-3 garlic cloves (minced), and 3-4 medium carrots for 3-4 minutes, until softened and slightly golden.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients (1 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon kosher salt1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 1/2 cups red lentils, 5 cups water, and 1 lemon) except for parsley.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until lentils are tender and soup has thickened.
- Once the soup is ready, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Serve hot, garnished with Chopped fresh parsley.
Video
Notes
- Olive oil: You can substitute it with avocado oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil, or sunflower oil.
- Onion: You can use yellow onion, white onion, or sweet onion.
- Lentils: You can substitute the red lentils for green, although the flavor and texture will be slightly different.
- Wash the lentils: Make sure you wash the lentils thoroughly. This will remove starches and debris from the lentil.
- Use fresh lentils: Old lentils won’t soften, even with a long cooking time. Use lentils that are newly bought for best results.
- Water or broth: If you prefer using vegetable broth it's fine. But water works just as great.
- Sort the lentils: Before cooking, quickly sift through the lentils to remove any small debris or pebbles.
- Simmer gently: Lentils can easily get mushy if they are cooked on too high of a heat. Simmer the soup gently for soft, but not mushy, lentils.
- Storage: Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freezing: Cool completely, then store in an air-tight container for up to 4 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 423mg | Potassium: 603mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 5113IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 4mg