Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Helene Dsouza

Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (1)Helene Dsouza

A smooth Turkish soup made with split red lentils and a selection of spices. This soup is then topped with a refreshing topping.

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

2 servings

4.9 from 14 votes

VIDEO RECIPE

Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (2)

Turkish red lentil soup is a blended smooth soup prepared with veggies, red masoor lentils and selected spices.

A topping made of olive oil, chili and mint, takes this soup to a whole new level.

Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (3)

Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (4)

Global Food Recipes

with Spices and Herbs

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The Turkish lentil soup is stuffed with flavors, and you can make the Mediterranean lentil soup at home from scratch within30 minutes in just one pot!

Jump to:
  • 🧅 Ingredients
  • 🔪 How to make it?
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 🍴 Serving Ideas
  • 🍱 Storage
  • 📕 What is Turkish lentil soup?
  • 🇹🇷 What is this soup known as in Türkiye?
  • 👁️ More Plant-Based Lentil Soups
  • 💬 Comments

I came across this red Turkish lentil soup recipe ages ago via the Turkish diaspora in Austria and Germany.

Some of the Turkish run Dōner/Kebap stalls also offer more than just shawarma style stuffed flatbreadand koftas. That is howI fell in love with this red lentil soup.

🧅 Ingredients

Here is what you need in a nutshell. Please refer to the printable recipe with measurements for details further below.

Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (5)
  • Red Lentils — aka Masoor dal. Get the split ones or whole variety. Split masoor lentils are better because they cook through faster. You can buy these lentils in all major supermarkets but also in Indian grocery stores.
  • Garlic, fresh
  • Onion
  • Tomato
  • Carrot
  • Olive Oil
  • Paprikasweet or smoked Paprika
  • Cumin Seeds, ground
  • Tomato Sauce (optional)
  • Vegetable Broth — or Concentrated Stock or Bouillon cube mixed in Warm Water.

For the topping, which you shouldn't skip because it adds so much flavor, use the following ingredients:

🔪 How to make it?

Step 1

Rinse and soak lentils.

Prep vegetables.

Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (6)

Step 2

Sauté onion and vegetables and stir in seasoning.

Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (7)
Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (8)

Step 3

Stir in strained lentils and broth.

Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (9)

Step 4

Mix and then simmer until the lentils are soft.

Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (10)
Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (11)

Step 5

Blend to a smooth soup with an immersion blender.

Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (12)

Step 6

Take from the heat and stir in lemon juice, pepper, and salt.

Pour soup into bowls or soup plates and top with olive oil, chili flakes and freshly chopped mint.

Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (13)
Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (14)
Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (15)

📖 Recipe

Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (16)

Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe

A smooth Turkish soup made with split red lentils and a selection of spices. This soup is then topped with a refreshing topping.

4.93 from 14 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Diet: Vegetarian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 servings

Calories: 493kcal

Recipe by: Helene Dsouza

Ingredients

The Soup

The Topping

Instructions

For the Soup

  • Rinse lentils well and keep soaking for at least 5–10 minutes while you prepare the vegetables. The longer you soak the lentils (20-30 mins), the better, as it cuts cooking time and helps in the digestion.

    1 Cup Red Split Lentils

  • Prepare veggies. Chop garlic, slice onion, dice tomato and slice carrot.

    2 Pieces Garlic Cloves, 1 Onion, 1 Tomato, 1 Carrot

  • Chop Mint and keep aside. This will be a garnish.

    a few Mint Leaves

  • Heat up a pot with the olive oil and sauté onion over a medium heat setting until soft.

    1-2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, 1 Onion

  • Then stir in the garlic, tomato, and carrot and cook for 2–3 minutes while stirring occasionally.

    2 Pieces Garlic Cloves, 1 Tomato, 1 Carrot

  • Reduce the heat or take the pot from the heat. Season with paprika and cumin powder, and add a tablespoon of tomato paste.

    1 Teaspoon Paprika, ½ Teaspoon Cumin Seeds Ground, 1 Tablespoon Tomato Sauce

  • Take back to the heat or increase to a medium heat setting. Stir-cook the whole content for 1–2 minutes.

  • Strain lentils. Pour the lentils into the pot with the broth.

    1 Cup Red Split Lentils, 3 Cups Water mixed with concentrated Stock

  • Mix the whole content well and cook for 10–15 minutes over a medium-high heat setting. The lentils will fill out the pot, and they are done cooking when they are soft.

  • Blend with a hand blender into a smooth soup without pieces and bits.

  • The soup should be still hot, but not over a heating source. Stir the lemon juice into the soup. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

    1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice, ¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper Ground, To Taste Salt

For the Topping

  • Pour the hot soup into serving bowls and garnish with olive oil, chili pepper flakes, and freshly chopped peppermint.

    1-2 Tablespoon Olive Oil, Red Chili Pepper Flakes, a few Mint Leaves

Notes

  • Lentils should always be rinsed a few times with clear water to get rid of impurities. This also helps your digestion later.
  • You get whole red masoor lentils or split red masoor lentils. Try to get the split ones because they cook faster, but the whole ones are fine too.

Equipment

  • Hand Blender

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe

Amount Per Serving (438 g)

Calories 493Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 1g5%

Sodium 1507mg63%

Potassium 1375mg39%

Carbohydrates 78g26%

Fiber 33g132%

Sugar 11g12%

Protein 27g54%

Vitamin A 7010IU140%

Vitamin C 24.3mg29%

Calcium 90mg9%

Iron 8.6mg48%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

🍴 Serving Ideas

I serve this soup as a lighter dinner meal with bread and occasionally a side dish salad.

A flatbread such as a za'atar bread compliments this lentil soup. But you can get a toasted garlic bread too or a baguette.

I think a middle eastern dip can be a great addition, such as a Labneh or a Hummus.

A light vinaigrette-based side dish salad such as a shredded carrot salad, green lettuce salad or easy kohlrabi salad compliments the red lentil soup really well.

🍱 Storage

You can keep soup leftovers in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 5 days.

This soup can be frozen in batches for busy work days. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, or in the microwave, or over the stove-top in a pan.

The topping can be added just before the serving and shouldn't be frozen with the soup.

Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (17)
Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (18)

📕 What is Turkish lentil soup?

The main ingredient of a Turkish lentil soup is the split red lentils (masoor dal lentil variety).

This particular red lentil soup is cooked and then blended into a smooth soup.

While the soup ingredients might vary across Türkiye, depending on the region and ethnicity, the Turkish red lentil soup is always blended into a smooth soup.

Lentils, Tomato, Garlic, and Onions are the main ingredients of the Turkish cuisine and these ingredients are commonly used in this soup as well.

In a nutshell, the Turkish lentil soup incorporated local ingredients from Türkiye, reflecting the Mediterranean cuisine beautifully with a touch of middle eastern flair.

Similar soups can be found in countries in the area, such as Lebanon and Syria.

🇹🇷 What is this soup known as in Türkiye?

In Turkish, the famous lentil soup is known asmercimekçorbası.

Mercimek (pronounced asmaertschimek) means lentils, andçorbası (pronounced tschorbasi) means soup in general.

👁️ More Plant-Based Lentil Soups

Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (19)

Global Food Recipes

with Spices and Herbs

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Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (20)
Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is Moroccan lentil soup made of? ›

Add the water, lentils, chick peas, white kidney beans, diced tomatoes, carrots, celery, garam masala, cardamom, cayenne pepper and cumin. Bring to a boil for a few minutes then simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or longer, until the lentils are soft. Puree half the soup in a food processor or blender.

Is red lentil soup good for you? ›

Incorporating red lentils to your diet can help you easily meet your fiber and protein needs. Red lentils also contain a significant amount of folate, which is a superhero involved in cell division. If someone eating plant-based does not get enough folate, it can affect the way DNA is made in our body.

Do you have to pre soak lentils for soup? ›

NO! Personally, I love the texture of this soup made from scratch. Lentil soup is delicious when the lentils are simmered from scratch in all of those flavours and develop a nice, creamy texture from the beans into the soup. You don't need to pre soak them!

Why does my lentil soup taste bland? ›

Why does my lentil soup taste bland? Lentils have a relatively mild taste and take well to seasonings. To avoid a bland lentil soup, use a flavorful broth—whether that's homemade or store-bought chicken or vegetable broth. The other key is building flavor.

What is the white foam on lentil soup? ›

That means the foam will typically appear when making meat-based broths and, to a lesser degree, soups made from high-protein vegetables such as chickpeas and lentils. When those coagulated proteins cluster together, they can create air pockets, which is what causes the “sudsy bubbles,” says Trout.

Is lentil soup healthier than split pea soup? ›

Peas have 6 grams of fiber, less than the almost 9 grams provided by lentils. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, lentils provide 7 milligrams of iron, while split peas only have 2.7 milligrams. Both foods are beneficial sources of potassium, with split peas providing 750 milligrams and lentils 772 milligrams per 1 cup.

What happens if you don't soak red lentils? ›

Here's why soaking lentils is important

Fact 1: Soaking lentils improves digestion and nutrition absorption as it can neutralise lectins and phytates present that may cause gas and bloating. Fact 2: Soaking lentils also reduces its cooking time.

What happens if you don't wash lentils before cooking? ›

Rinsing lentils will allow you to get rid of any accumulated dust, dirt, small rocks, twigs and possibly bugs that have come along for the ride: you don't want any of that in your food! None of this will hurt you however.

What color lentils are best for soup? ›

Red lentils are the fastest cooking and they dissolve as they cook and make for a smooth soup. Others, such as green and brown lentils, hold their shape and make a soup with more texture.

Why does my stomach hurt after eating lentil soup? ›

Eating lentils can cause gas and bloating because they're high in fiber that your body is unable to break down. While fiber plays a large role in supporting and regulating your digestive system and bowel movements, it can also produce bacteria that leads to cramping and gas pains.

Why do I feel nauseous after lentil soup? ›

Lentils are frequently cooked with strong spices, which can cause indigestion in some people. Lentils are a good source of potassium, however, too many lentils in the diet can cause hyperkalemia (symptoms may include vomiting, fatigue, irregular heartbeat and difficulty breathing) in people with poor kidney function.

What makes lentils taste better? ›

Add some salt, maybe a bay leaf, and maybe a clove of garlic (peeled but left whole). Some recipes will warn you to never add salt to beans or lentils while they're cooking (they say it'll prevent them from cooking through), but it's simply not true! Salt brings out their best.

What is lentil soup made of? ›

Made with dried lentils, fresh vegetables, flavorful spices, and hearty greens, it's simple, nourishing, and delicious. This lentil soup recipe might surprise you. Sure, it's simple. But that doesn't mean it's bland or boring.

How many calories are in Moroccan lentil soup? ›

Nutritional Stats, Facts, and Figures
Table of Nutritional InformationPer 100gPer serving
Energy (Kcal)85.9390
Fat (g)3.717
of which saturates (g)0.73
Trans Fats (g)00
9 more rows

What is the difference between lentils and chickpeas? ›

Chickpeas have the thin film covering, takes longer to cook. Lentils are smaller, the outer skin has been hulled, so faster to cook. Garbanzo or chickpeas become lentil when the outer cover is hulled it's called gram, used in India cooking ( channa Dal) also made into powder basen, used in Indian cooking fo pakora.

What is lentils in Moroccan Arabic? ›

Fun fact: in Darija, Moroccan Arabic, this is simply referred to as Lentils (عدس). That's it.

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