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Turkish Lentil Soup in a bowl

Turkish Lentil Soup

Naturopath Lauren Glucina
An authentic Turkish lentil soup recipe, with red lentils, vegetables, spices, fresh lemon and a drizzle of paprika oil. Absolutely delicious!
4.62 from 13 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main
Cuisine Gluten free, Turkish, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings 5
Calories 231 kcal

Equipment

  • Large saucepan or stockpot
  • immersion blender

Ingredients
  

Turkish lentil soup:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, white
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 1½ potatoes Agria variety
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons cumin powder
  • ½ teaspoon dried mint
  • Few grinds of black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon paprika powder optional
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder optional
  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 3 cups organic low sodium vegetable stock
  • 4 cups water
  • Lemon wedges to serve
  • Fresh mint leaves to serve
  • Fresh pide bread to serve

Paprika-infused oil:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1½ teaspoons paprika powder
  • ½ teaspoon red or Aleppo pepper flakes

Instructions
 

Turkish lentil soup:

  • Prep ingredients. Peel and finely dice an onion, carrots, and potatoes. Mince garlic, then rinse lentils well under running water.
  • Add tomato paste, spices. Add tomato paste, mix well, then add all spices and cook till they release their fragrance.
  • Simmer. Add lentils, and pour in 3 cups of vegetable stock and 4 cups of water. Bring soup to a boil then reduce to a lively simmer over medium heat, cooking for 15-20 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened and the soup has reduced down slightly.
  • Blend. Once cooked, remove from heat and use a stick blender to blend about two thirds to three quarters of the soup (some texture is good). Taste test to check the seasoning, adding salt or more pepper flakes if necessary, then ladle soup into bowls.
  • Serve. Serve with a generous squeeze of lemon, a little bit of fresh mint and a drizzle of paprika oil. Fresh pide bread is a must!

Paprika-infused oil:

  • Heat olive oil in a saucepan, then add the spices and stir them in. Once it start to bubble or sputter, remove from heat and drizzle over soup.

Notes

  • No need to soak your lentils prior – just give them a good rinse
  • Season with salt right at the end, if you’re using stock, it might already be salty enough
  • I used sweet paprika powder – not smoked. The latter would be a little overbearing
  • Aleppo flakes are a great (and more authentic) alternative to the red pepper flakes if you can source them
  • Turkish red lentil soup (mercimek çorbasi) is similar to another famous Turkish soup known as ezogelin çorbasi. Ezogelin soup differs in that it uses rice and or bulgar wheat in place of the carrots and potato
  • Nutrition info is an estimate only. But enjoy - it's good for you!

Nutrition

Calories: 231kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 11.2gFat: 6.4gSaturated Fat: 0.8gSodium: 140mgFiber: 11g
Keyword Mercimek Corbasi, Turkish Lentil Soup, Turkish Red Lentil Soup
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