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Red Lentil Soup

By Melissa Clark

Joseph De Leo for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Time
45 minutes
Rating
5(20214)
Notes
Read community notes
This is a lentil soup that defies expectations of what lentil soup can be. Based on a
Turkish lentil soup, mercimek corbasi, it is light, spicy and a bold red color (no murky
brown here): a revelatory dish that takes less than an hour to make. The cooking is
painless. Sauté onion and garlic in oil, then stir in tomato paste, cumin and chile
powder and cook a few minutes more to intensify flavor. Add broth, water, red lentils
(which cook faster than their green or black counterparts) and diced carrot, and
simmer for 30 minutes. Purée half the mixture and return it to the pot for a soup that
strikes the balance between chunky and pleasingly smooth. A hit of lemon juice adds
an up note that offsets the deep cumin and chile flavors.

Featured in: A Lentil Soup to Make You Stop, Taste and Savor
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INGREDIENTS
Yield: 4 servings
 3tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
 1large onion, chopped
 2garlic cloves, minced
 1tablespoon tomato paste
 1teaspoon ground cumin
 ¼teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), plus more to taste
 ¼teaspoon black pepper
 Pinch of chili powder or ground cayenne, plus more to taste
 1quart chicken or vegetable broth
 1cup red lentils
 1large carrot, peeled and diced
 Juice of ½ lemon, more to taste
 3tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
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Nutritional Information
PREPARATION

1. Step 1

In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high until hot and shimmering. Add
onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.
2. Step 2

Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder, and sauté for 2
minutes longer.
3. Step 3

Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partly cover
pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30
minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.
4. Step 4
 Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup,
then add it back to pot. The soup should be somewhat chunky.
5. Step 5

Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup
drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder, if desired.

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RATINGS
5 out of 5
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Recipe Tags
 Blender

 Food Processor
  Freezer Friendly

 Red Lentil

 Soup

 Easy

 Lunch

 Quick

 Appetizer

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