Over here I like to make a few vegetarian meals every week. Sometimes I’m craving a particular dish, like my baked Macaroni and Cheese. Other times this kids request one of their favorite soups like this Broccoli Cheese Soup or Creamy Tomato Soup with grilled cheese sandwiches. Then sometimes I come across a recipe like this Red Lentil Soup that is so good it becomes a family favorite.
The original recipe is from Melissa Clark. Published in the New York Times, it is one of their most popular recipes. I make it pretty close to the original but I double the red lentils to feed everyone. Like a lot of vegetarian recipes, it’s very inexpensive to make. A bag of red lentils will set you back a couple of dollars so altogether this pot of soup will cost less than $5 to make.
What’s to love about red lentils?
Beside the price, red lentils—any lentils really—are very good for you. They are full of fiber and protein. Also they cook very quickly and can be added to other dishes like meat sauce for pasta or chili to boost the nutrition. I keep a bag or two on hand and look for new ways to use them.
Red Lentil Soup Recipe
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, peeled and diced
- 1 large or 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 cups red lentils
- 8 cups chicken stock or water plus more water as needed
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or 1 teaspoon sumac
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, optional
- Plain yogurt, optional garnish
Start the vegetable base
Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté while you dice the carrot. After you add the diced carrot to the pot, stir to coat in the oil. Now mince the garlic and add to the vegetables and sauté until the onion is translucent.
I like to prep and cook my vegetable base in the order I’ll be cooking it. If you prefer you can prep everything at once and then focus on sautéing. The thing to remember is to add the longest cooking vegetable first so it has time to soften up.
Spices and Lentils
Now it’s time to add the spices. Measure in the cumin, salt, black pepper, and chili powder. Stir to coat the vegetables in the spices and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. This will toast the spices and give them a richer flavor. I use my own chili powder but the original recipe recommends a mild New Mexico chili powder. This is the brand I use to make my chili powder.
Now add the lentils and the chicken stock or water. I like to make my own chicken stock, here’s the recipe. There’s plenty of flavor in this soup if you want to use water instead. It’s a great substitute if you are wanting this to be a vegan or vegetarian soup.
Finish the Red Lentil Soup
Give the soup a stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir often because it will thicken up quickly. This is when you want to keep an eye on the soup and add water if needed. I like a fairly thick consistency so I add water slowly.
After 30 minutes, taste to be sure the carrots are tender and see if the seasoning needs to be adjusted. Add the lemon juice or sumac if you’re using that.
Sumac is a powder made from dried and ground sumac berries. I bought mine from a middle eastern shop but you can order it online too, here’s a link. It has a lemony flavor and it’s great on lots of different dishes.
Serve the soup with plain yogurt and extra sumac on top if you like. I made naan bread to go with ours but store-bought naan or pita are great too. If you have leftover soup, you may need to add more water when you reheat it. The lentils will thicken up as they cool.
Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion peeled and diced
- 1 large carrot peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 2 cups red lentils
- 8 cups chicken stock or water plus more water as needed
- 1 tbsp lemon juice or 1 tsp ground sumac
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro optional
- plain yogurt optional garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion until softened. Add the garlic and carrot and sauté until the onion is translucent.
- Add the cumin, salt, black pepper, and chili powder and cook for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the lentils and chicken stock or water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water as needed to maintain a soup consistency.
- Taste for seasoning and make sure the carrots are tender. Add the lemon juice or sumac.
- Serve with plain yogurt and naan bread or pita bread.
