Hearty Red Lentil Soup

Bowl of creamy lentil soup served with fresh basil and lemon wedges

Red lentil soup is my favourite soup. Not only is the soup simple to make and extremely delicious, but lentils have a high protein level so it’s a get way to get your protein in, especially for vegetarians and vegans. You’ve gotta give it a try!

The Simple Ingredients:

The main ingredients are lentils and vegetables. I normally put potatoes, carrots and onions in this soup so this is how I am doing the recipe here today. But you can also include a variety of other vegetables if you like!

Since you’re blending the soup it’s a great opportunity to stick some vegetables in and still have some picky eaters or kids drinking the soup! For instance you can add celery or swede and as long as you cook it through in the pot before blending you should have a seamless and smooth consistency in the soup. 

Feel free to include garlic if you like, it can really bring something to the soup, but I chose not to use garlic for this recipe. You can also take parsley out of the recipe if you’re not a fan. Coriander is a great alternative to parsley that you can try using with this recipe.

Ingredients for recipe: red lentils, parsley, seasonings, carrot, potato and onion

Where Did I Learn This Recipe?

Lentil soup is a popular turkish dish. Most people don’t really opt in for vegetables for this soup, or add flour or high amounts of oil in this recipe.

I wanted to make a healthier spin on this Turkish dish, so I try to include as many vegetables as I can in this soup – I normally use whatever is in my fridge and needs using!

I also wanted a tasty recipe that doesn’t rely on flour or double cream for it’s taste and consistency. Again, I’m looking for a healthy soup here, not a carb and oil heavy dish. 

The Key Techniques:

1. Use a big pot.

It’s better to use a bigger pot than a smaller one. It’s much easier to blend in a bigger pot, and you don’t have to worry about spillages if you leave the kitchen for the soup to boil on its own.

2. Water levels.

The amount of water you use in this recipe will depend on the size of your pot and the consistency with which you would like your soup to have. The recipe includes the amount of water I use for my 26 cm (10.2 inch) pot, but make sure that the first addition of boiling water into the uncooked lentils comes up at 5 cm (2 inch) higher than the lentils in the pot. This measurement is super important for ensuring that the lentils cook thoroughly and become soft.

3. Remove any bubbles.

When boiling the lentils, white foam will form at the top of the water. It’s caused by a substance in the lentils called saponins, which is also in different types of beans. If you remove the foam with a spoon it’ll give your soup a smoother and cleaner consistency, which is what I always prefer to do.

You Should Pair This With:

Squeezing some lemon on this soup gives the dish an incredibly beautiful taste that I would highly recommend. You can also sprinkle some fresh herbs on top like parsley or basil! If you like chilli then some chilli powder or chilli flakes in the soup or whilst cooking will also give the soup a gorgeous kick. And croutons naturally work well. Lots and lots of croutons…

Hearty Red Lentil Soup

Red lentil soup is my favourite soup. Not only is the soup simple to make and extremely delicious, but lentils have a high protein level so it's a get way to get your protein in, especially for vegetarians and vegans. You've gotta give it a try!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 95 g chopped white onion or 1 onion
  • 166 g chopped carrots or 2 carrots
  • 276 g red lentils
  • 133 g chopped new/baby potatoes or 4 new/baby potatoes
  • 8 g chopped parsley
  • 2 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 8 cups boiling water or 1892ml
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp sun-dried tomato paste

Instructions

  • Chop the onion, parsley, carrot and potatoes.
  • Place the lentils in a mixing bowl and fill up with lukewarm water. Mix the lentils around a little and drain the lentils with a sieve. Repeat this rinsing method until the water in the bowl becomes clear.
  • Pour the drained and washed lentils into a pot. Pour boiling water into the pot. Make sure that the water comes up around 5 cm higher than the lentils in the pot.
  • Put the pot on medium heat. Mix continuously to make sure the lentils do not stick to the bottom of the pot. If any white foam or froth builds up at the top of the water remove this with a spoon and dispose.
  • Add the rest of the boiling water and add in the chopped potatoes, parsley, onion and carrot. Continue for 20 minutes, or until lentils and the vegetables are thoroughly cooked and soft.
  • Using a hand blender, blend the contents of the pot until smooth.
  • In a small saucepan, combine the olive oil and tomato paste and fry up until paste darkens slightly, or for 10 minutes. Mix continuously making sure the paste does not stick to the bottom of the saucepan.
  • Add the cooked tomato paste mix from the saucepan into the pot. Also add the salt, black pepper and cumin into the pot.Turn down the heat to a low setting and let the soup simmer some more and mix until seasoning has mixed evenly throughout. Enjoy!

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