A one pot meal that can feed a crowd, this authentic vegetarian Lebanese soup recipe made with red lentils and vegetables is seasoned with cumin and turmeric.
My husband orders lentil soup whenever we go out for Lebanese food. While I grew up eating a slightly different version of Lebanese lentil soup (made with spinach and brown lentils), I’ve been on a mission to recreate the restaurant version my husband adores.
The secret? A combination of creamy potatoes and red lentils. When cooked and pureed, they turn into a silky soup with the perfect texture.
For added smokiness and flavor, I like to add smoked paprika along with cumin and turmeric.
Right before serving I like to top with a dollop of plain yogurt. Not only does the tanginess balance out the slight heat and spice from the soup but it cools down the dish so you don’t burn your tongue. I find this to be especially useful when you’re 3 years old and don’t have much patience at dinner time.
Your spoon is waiting.
Slow Cooker Lebanese Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 6 Dynamic Duo potatoes, halved or other Little Potato Company variety
- 1 cup Bob's Red Mill Red Lentils
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- plain yogurt to serve
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients (minus the yogurt) in a slow cooker insert. Heat on Low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours.
- Before serving, puree soup in blender or using an immersion blender until smooth and creamy. Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly before serving.
Recipe Notes:
Photography by Alejandro Photography // Recipe by The Lemon Bowl
Disclosure: I am honored to be a Brand Ambassador for The Little Potato Company. Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Lemon Bowl possible. All thoughts are my own.
Always love making this recipe in the crockpot!! Recently I purchased an Instapot. Do you have any recommendations for cook time in the Instapot?
I’m so glad you love this recipe!! Red lentils are quick cooking so I don’t see a reason to use insta pot.
Can I use green lentils in this? Or will that mess it up?
Yes!
I really really love lentil soup, but every time I’ve made it I’ve not been able to get it as silky as my favorite restaurant. Then I found this recipe and you speak right to the silkiness coming from other vegetables! Genius! Thank you so much, looking forward to making this and will report back after I do.
Oh great I’m so glad you enjoy it!!
Made this soup last week!!! doubled the recipe because my husband loves soup! It was delicious and soooooo easy!! Love throwing everything in and walking away.
Ahhh that makes me so happy!!! Let me know if you try anything else!
Hi Liz, the soup is already thickening and is absolutely yummy. Re the stars. I tried to make it 5 stars before and the computer got ahead of me and wouldn’t let me do it.
I just took this soup out after being in my slow cooker on high for four hours. I pureed it with my immersible blender, but it is very thin, not at all creamy. I used the tiny potatoes…halved six of them. Help! I want to try again. Patti
Hi Patti – There is no need to put in your immersion blender. Any reason you did that?
The recipe called for pureeing the soup with a blender when it was done.
Oops I was thinking of another recipe!! Ok so you’re not liking how thing it is? Did you make any other changes to the recipe?
HI Liz, I realized my mistake last night. I put 2 boxes of veggie broth in the soup, which added 2 extra cups. I have it all in the fridge and will put it all in a. Pan today and hope most of the extra liquid will evaporate. Glad I figured this out and know this soup Will be a regular from now on. Thank you! Patti
Ahhh ok that makes sense!! So glad you figured it out -we love this recipe and make it all the time so I was a bit baffled!! Another way to fix it would be to add more lentils. :) Can you please revise the stars from three to five since it turns out you didn’t follow the recipe correctly? Thank and enjoy!!
Love this soup!!????
So glad you like it!
I am excited to make this, but I couldn’t find red lentils at my grocery store. Can I use the brown lentils in my pantry or is the taste different enough that it’s worth looking elsewhere for red lentils? Btw, I love so many of your recipes!
If you have brown lentils I would make this soup instead: https://thelemonbowl.com/lemony-lentil-soup-with-spinach/
I would really like to try this but is the sodium count correct??? That sure seems like an awful high count.
Thanks.
This makes a very large 2 cup serving so the count is accurate. A few easy ways to reduce the sodium: buy chicken stock without any sodium, don’t add the salt, cut the serving in half to one cup. Hope that helps!
So good!
Happy you enjoyed it!
Liz, this is just gorgeous. I love a good soup recipe. This one is perfection. I’m with you on adding yogurt to help cool it down. Plus it tastes amazing mixed in. That photo of you in the pink top holding the bowl is stellar. Such a great shot.
Aww thank you Kim!!
Hi Liz, I’m just starting to experiment with lentils. For this recipe do you have to soak the lentils first? Or just wash them and add them to the crockpot?
Thank you!
Linda
No you never need to soak lentils – they are pretty quick cooking!! Enjoy!
This looks so incredibly flavorful!
Thank you Gina!
these look perfect for a weekend!
I hope you love it!!
Looks vibrant and appetizing!
Thank you so much Megan!
I love silky soups like this one, and I’m always looking for more recipes using turmeric! Definitely a keeper, Thanks!
Yes I’ve been adding turmeric to everything !! Enjoy!
Can you just use six red potatoes ? Skin? No skin ? And do they have to be cut up ? Or just put whole ? And then blended later ?
Just adjusted the recipe to include those details but these are small no-peel potatoes. :) You halve them. Enjoy!
Can I use regular red potatoes? Maybe cut up? I am just trying to use what I have on hand but worried after 8 hours slow cooking that the RED potatoes wont blend nicely. I don’t want to waste food or 8 hours:) Please let me know your thoughts on red potatoes for this recipe. I am excited to make it!
I love ALL your soups with lemon!!
I think they would work perfectly!!
Red potatoes worked fine (ish) I would definitely peel them! The peels didn’t blend well. I used a hand held blender thing. So, red potatoes ok. It turned out great! I froze at least six jars!! Thank you!
So happy!!!
I don’t see any potatoes in the recipe! I still can’t wait to make it though, LOL!
All fixed – sorry about that. :)
there are no potatoes listed in the actual recipe for the Lebanese red lentil soup-??
Any recommendations for cooking on the stove?
All fixed – sorry about that. :) For a stove top recipe try this one: https://thelemonbowl.com/2010/09/lemony-lentil-soup-with-spinach.html
You said the secret is the creamy potatoes but they are not in the recipe list??
All fixed – sorry about that Sandy!
no potatoes in this version??
you mentioned them above but not found in this
recipe!
All fixed- sorry about that!
In you instructions for this lentil soup, I think your reversed your times for the slow cooker: 4 hours at Low or 8 hrs at High. Probably should be the other way around?
All fixed – sorry about that Michele!
I see potatoes and maybe cilantro, but they are not on the ngredients list.
Just fixed – sorry bout that Melissa!