Whether it’s legumes, vegetables, or meats, soups are always a great choice for a warm, healthy, and nutrient-packed meal. So good they bring the whole family together, young and old, and why not? Even to offer to your guests.
In this recipe, I propose a preparation of Turkish origins, the ciorbă, which includes a series of sour soups prepared in many variations.
On this occasion, we will prepare a vegetable ciorbă with red lentils, cooked and flavored with other typical ingredients of this dish.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 45 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Turkish
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients
For the red lentil soup
- 1 white onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 potato
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 1/4 cups red lentils
- 1 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- to taste water
- to taste lemon juice
- 1 pinch dried mint
Tools
- Saucepan
- Lid
Steps
To make the red lentil soup
Start by chopping the onion, carrot, and potato into small cubes. Proceed by heating a base of extra virgin olive oil in a large saucepan and then sauté all the vegetables together for a few minutes.
Continue by temporarily lowering the heat and adding the lentils, mix everything and also add the tomato paste.
At this point, add the salt, cumin, and paprika. Mix everything again and prepare for the final steps.
To complete, cover generously with water and let cook with the lid on for about 20 minutes. Finish the remaining cooking part without the lid for about 10 minutes or until most of the water has absorbed.
Finally, serve the red lentil soup in a deep dish, garnish with lemon juice and dried mint, and serve it hot.
Tip!
The red lentil soup can be stored in the fridge for about 3 days or you can choose to freeze it.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Can I use whole red lentils?
Certainly, but in this case, I recommend blending the soup after cooking.
