Turkish Lentil Soup (Video)

Photo: Greg Seber

This Turkish Lentil Soup happens to be one of my favorite soups on Earth. Simple yet packed with flavors, and better yet, with tons of nutrition.  The happily marrying ingredients in this soup are red lentils, carrots, potatoes, onions, and my new addition – garlic! They get pureed at the end and you get the creamiest, silky-smoothest soup to indulge.

This recipe is a bit different from the lentil recipe I posted a while ago. First, I am not using tomato paste in this one, and second, besides water, I also add chicken broth, which adds a deeper taste. Vegetarian? Just skip the broth. Water will be just as fine. Enough praising my soup. Let’s get those pots working, shall we? Enjoy!

WATCH HOW TO MAKE TURKISH LENTIL SOUP:

Turkish Lentil Soup (Video)

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

This super good and easy-to-make Turkish Lentil Soup is bursting with nutrition and flavors! Made with lentils and chopped vegetables, it is pureed to achieve a velvety smooth consistency. Make it vegetarian or vegan by substituting chicken broth with water. Love at first spoon!

Author: Feride Buyuran

Recipe type: Soups

Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium potato, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup red lentils, thoroughly (!) rinsed and drained
• 2 cups chicken broth (for vegetarian version, substitute water)
• Salt and black pepper
• Freshly squeezed juice of ½ small lemon
• Garnish
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until it is tender and just begins to brown, 7 to 10 minutes.
2. Add the potato, carrot, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are half-tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the lentils, chicken broth and 4 cups of water. Stir. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then cover partially and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the lentils and vegetables are very tender.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and puree the soup in a blender (Careful! The soup is hot! I use an immersion hand blender) until it is creamy.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add the lemon juice and stir to mix.
7. If the soup is too thick, add more boiling water to loosen it. If you don’t have boiling water, add cold water, bring the soup to the boil and simmer a few minutes. Remove from the heat.
8. To make the garnish, heat the butter in a small frying pan. As soon as it sizzles, add the paprika and stir with a wooden spoon to blend. Immediately, remove from the heat.
9. Pour the soup into serving bowls and drizzle some of the garnish on top.
10. Serve the soup with bread.

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