Scented with mint and cumin, this hearty Turkish Red Lentil Soup is packed with vegetables and loaded with protein.
Whenever we order takeout or go out to eat with the boys, we love going to ethnic restaurants. Not only are they often more affordable than American chains but the food is typically much more well rounded, balanced and nutritious than the standard kid-menu fare.
One of our go-to spots for dining out is a local Turkish restaurant that serves the most flavorful red lentil soup on earth. As the weather starts to cool down, we crave this Turkish red lentil soup more and more. So much so that I am constantly trying to recreate it at home so we can get our fix any time we want!
We always keep Bob’s Red Mill red lentils on hand for such cravings. If you’ve never cooked red lentils at home before you might be surprised to learn that they are fast cooking, much faster than brown, green or black lentils. In fact, you don’t want to cook them longer than 15-20 minutes or else they will truly break down to mush.
After trying many versions of this soup at home, I think I finally nailed it. Creamy, yukon gold potatoes are sautéed with tender carrots and lightly scented with dried mint. When pureed together with the protein-packed red lentils, you are left with a warm and satisfying bowl of authentic Turkish red lentil soup. A pinch of cayenne and splash of lemon juice brings all of the flavors together at the end.
Your spoon is waiting.
Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 yukon gold potatoes cubed
- 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Red Lentils
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne optional
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 4 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1 tablespoon dried mint
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat a large stock pot over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray (or drizzle with olive oil).
- Sauté onions and carrots, stirring frequently, until they begin to soften, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add potatoes, red lentils, cumin, salt and cayenne to the pot and continue sautéing for 2-3 minutes.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir tomato paste into the pot and cook for 1-2 minutes so that the paste can absorb the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Pour in chicken broth, give the entire mixture a stir, then increase heat to high bringing the soup to a boil. and bring entire pot to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes and lentils are cooked through, 15-20 minutes.
- Remove pot from the heat and add mint and lemon juice.
- Puree until smooth using a handheld blender. Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly before serving.
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am honored to be in a long term partnership with Bob’s Red Mill. Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Lemon Bowl possible. All thoughts are my own.
Be sure to check out my Soups board on Pinterest for even more tasty ideas!
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Sadye
Yum! This was super-easy to make and we loved the cayenne (not optional in our opinion, though we do love spice). I got a little nervous that I’d overload it with the fresh mint from our garden, but won’t hold back next time!
Liz DellaCroce
Oh i’m so happy you enjoyed it!!!