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Turkish Red Lentil Soup

Turkish Red Lentil Soup Recipe

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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 260
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup red lentils, rinsed
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, diced small
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • A small pinch of salt

Method
 

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and a pinch of salt; cook for 5 minutes until softened.
  2. Stir in the minced garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the broth, lentils, cumin, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes until the lentils fall apart.
  3. Remove from heat and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Thin with water if desired.
  4. Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat. Stir in the Aleppo pepper, a pinch of salt, and the lemon juice. Spoon over each bowl of soup and serve right away.

Notes

The soup will thicken as it sits, so add a splash of water when reheating leftovers. The Aleppo butter tastes best made fresh, but you can prep the garlic and measure the pepper ahead to save time at the table.