Easy and authentic Turkish Lentil Soup with lemon and a dash of chili oil. The most perfect, nourishing mid-winter meal.
Turkish red lentil soup is filling, nutritious, packed with fibre, protein and vegetables, with just the right amount of lemon and spice.
In my early 20’s during my studies I waitressed at a Turkish café down on the waterfront, and my sister worked in the Croatian café next door.
I had a blast there, and the food was epic – sweet Turkish apple tea, thick black coffee, real Turkish delight, Lamacun (pizza – long and thin with the sides folded over the filling – although I can’t remember there ever being a vegan option!), and my fave – the Turkish lentil soup – which was always intensely lemony and served with freshly toasted pide.
We used to have the Buddha Bar albums playing on repeat, drink coffee and smoke cigarettes on crates out the back, and sip sangria at the end of shift with friends.
Our boss was famous for banning cyclists from dining there – because they used to take up all the good seating out the front and sit there in leotards sipping a single latte for hours on end. Fair enough!
So, here’s my version – it’s possibly my most favourite soup ever, always delicious, packed with flavour, and super creamy – without any butter or cream!
Authentic, lemony Turkish Lentil Soup - serve with fresh mint and a drizzle of chili oil. Find it here! Click To Tweet
But first – I’m diggin’ the nutrition side too, here’s why:
- Packed with fibre – 18g per serve! In fact, lentils contain both soluble and insoluble fibre
- Polyphenol-rich – polyphenols (such as quercetin in onion) are bulky molecules that can’t pass through the gut wall. They have a potent antioxidant effect inside the gut lumen – and also act as prebiotics
- Anti-inflammatory due to the mix of spices: turmeric, cumin, paprika, black pepper
- Protein-rich
- Particularly good source of the antioxidant lycopene due to all that tomato paste
How to make Turkish Lentil Soup
So easy. Start by cooking finely diced onion in a pot with a generous glug of olive oil, then once they start to soften, add the garlic and carrot.
From here, add a few tablespoons of tomato paste, mix well, then add all your spices and cook till they release their fragrance.
Add all other ingredients then cover and bring to a boil, then slide the lid off half way, cook for about ten minutes, then a further ten or so with no lid to help it reduce down.
Red lentils are much softer than green/brown lentils – so they’ll break down while the soup cooks, but I still like to use a stick blender – just a few blends – to make it just a little creamier.
To serve, squeeze a lemon over the soup and drizzle a small amount of chili oil over the top. A few fresh mint leaves and a hunk of pide and boom – you’re set!
Tips and tricks for the best Turkish lentil soup in town:
- No need to soak your lentils prior – just give them a good rinse
- If you’re cooking on an electric element rather than gas hob – stir frequently so it doesn’t burn at the bottom of the pot
- Season with salt right at the end, if you’re using stock, it might already be salty enough
- I used paprika powder – not smoked paprika – I think smoked paprika would be a little overbearing
- Blend just a small portion of the soup before serving to make it super creamy
- Don’t skip the fresh mint and drizzle of chili oil to finish
- Serve with a salad and small chunk of bread to make it a satisfying, nutritious meal
- Freeze for an easy meal when you can’t be bothered!
More delicious soups…
Well, it is winter!
- Lemon White Bean Kale Soup
- Anti-inflammatory Thai Pumpkin Soup
- Creamy Celeriac soup with Broccoli and Fennel
- Wild Watercress Soup
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Turkish Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbspn olive oil
- 1 onion, white
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 medium carrot
- 2 tbspns tomato paste
- 2 tspns cumin powder
- 1 tspn paprika powder
- 1 tspn turmeric powder
- 1/2 tspn dried mint
- 1/4 tspn chili flakes
- Few grinds of black pepper
- 1/4 tspn coarse sea salt (taste fist - stock may be salty enough)
- 1 medium potato Agria variety
- 1 cup red lentils
- 4 cups organic low sodium vegetable stock
- 3 cups water
- 1 large lemon
To serve (optional):
- Drizzle chili oil
- Fresh mint leaves
- Pide bread
Instructions
- Prep the ingredients - peel and dice the onion, carrot and potato. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Wash and drain the red lentils.
- Add olive oil to a large pot and cook onions over a medium heat until they soften.
- Add garlic and carrot and cook a further few minutes.
- Add tomato paste, mix to combine, then add all spices, and cook for about a minute, until they release their fragrance.
- Add all other ingredients: lentils, potato, stock and water. Cover and bring to a boil.
- Slide the lid off half way, reduce to a simmer and cook for ten minutes.
- Take the lid off entirely, then cook another 10 minutes or so to let it reduce down.
- Remove from heat, squeeze in the juice of a lemon, and use a stick blender to blend just a small amount, making the texture creamy.
- Before serving, add a drizzle of chili oil, and a few fresh mint leaves.
Notes
- No need to soak your lentils prior – just give them a good rinse
- If you’re cooking on an electric element rather than gas hob – stir frequently so it doesn’t burn at the bottom of the pot
- Season with salt right at the end, if you’re using stock, it might already be salty enough
- I used paprika powder – not smoked paprika – I think smoked paprika would be a little overbearing
- Blend just a small portion of the soup before serving to make it super creamy
- Don’t skip the fresh mint and drizzle of chili oil to finish
- Serve with a salad and small chunk of bread to make it a satisfying, nutritious meal
- Freeze for an easy meal when you CBF!
- Nutrition info is an estimate only. But enjoy - it's good for you!
This is a beautiful soup. The lemon and mint kick take it to an even better place. I made this last week and am making it again now. One of my favourites.