Easy Turkish Red Lentil Soup with carrots, turkish spices, red lentils.Easy weeknight meal. Few ingredients. Vegan Gluten-free Soyfree Recipe. Since the soup gets blended, the veggies can be chopped roughly to save time.
Recipe Snapshot
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 25 minutes
- Total time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 3 servings
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Kitchen notes
Ingredients
- 1 tsp oil
- 3/4 cup onion (chopped)
- 3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
- 1/3 cup chopped carrots (4 baby carrot or 1 medium carrot)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp or more black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1-2 tbsp tomato paste (or tomato ketchup)
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves (or use 1/2 tsp dried mint)
- 1/2 cup red lentils
- 2 1/2 cups to 3 water or vegetable broth
- 1/2-3/4 tsp salt or more salt
- red pepper flakes (mint, lemon juice and olive oil for garnish)
Method
- Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and pinch of salt and cook until translucent. 5 minutes.
- Add the carrots and the spices and mix well. You can also add in a good pinch of cinnamon for variation. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato, tomato paste, and mint and mix and cook for 2 minutes. You can add some veggies and greens veggies at this point.
- Add the red lentils, water, and salt and mix. Partially cover and cook for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer for a few more minutes until the lentils are tender to preference. Taste and adjust salt and spice and mix in. Add more water if needed.
- Cool slightly and blend with an immersion blender or regular blender(carefully). Serve in bowls with a garnish of pepper flakes, lemon juice, a few drops of olive oil, and chopped fresh mint (optional). Serve with croutons or flatbread of choice or a side salad.
Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note
Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.