Turkish · Lunch · Dinner
Turkish Red Lentil Soup
Mercimek Çorbası
A silky, golden soup of red lentils, onion, carrot and potato, blended smooth and finished with a sizzle of mint and Aleppo pepper and a squeeze of lemon. It is comforting, filling and naturally plant-based.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 64% · Fat 16% · Protein 20%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 1 cup200 gred lentils, dry
- 1 medium110 gonion
- 1 medium70 gcarrot
- 1 small100 gpotato
- 2 cloves6 ggarlic
- 1 tbsp14 golive oil
- 1 tbsp16 gtomato paste
- 1 tspground cumin
- 1 tspAleppo pepper (pul biber) or sweet paprika
- 1 tspdried mint
- 6 cups1,500 gwater
- 1 tsp6 gsalt
- 1 medium, cut into wedges60 glemon
Steps
- 1
Rinse the lentils in a sieve under cold water until the water runs mostly clear.
- 2
Dice the onion, carrot and peeled potato; mince the garlic.
- 3
Heat 2 tsp of the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, reserving 1 tsp for the topping.
- 4
Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft.
- 5
Stir in the garlic, carrot and potato and cook for 2 minutes.
- 6
Stir in the tomato paste and cumin and cook for 1 minute.
- 7
Add the lentils and water, bring to a boil and skim off any foam.
- 8
Lower the heat, partly cover and simmer for 25 minutes, until the lentils and vegetables are very soft.
- 9
Blend the soup until smooth with a stick blender, adding a splash more water if it is too thick.
- 10
Season with the salt and keep warm.
- 11
Warm the reserved 1 tsp olive oil in a small pan, take it off the heat and stir in the Aleppo pepper and dried mint.
- 12
Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with the spiced oil and serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use sweet paprika with a pinch of chili flakes instead of Aleppo pepper if you can't find pul biber.
- Swap the potato for a small sweet potato or an extra carrot for a sweeter soup.
- Replace the water with vegetable stock for a deeper flavour, choosing one labelled vegan and gluten-free so the soup stays that way, and taste before adding all the salt.
- Use dried oregano or fresh parsley instead of dried mint if you prefer a different herb finish.
Storage
Cool and refrigerate the soup within 2 hours in a covered container and eat within 3 to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months. It thickens as it sits, so thin with a splash of water and reheat until steaming hot, making the mint and pepper oil fresh.
Make ahead
Make the whole soup up to 3 days ahead and keep it in the fridge, then reheat and add the freshly made spiced oil and lemon just before serving. You can also dice the onion, carrot and potato a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
No major allergens in the ingredients.
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (522 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 259 kcal | 50 kcal |
| Protein | 13.4 g | 2.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 42.6 g | 8.2 g |
| of which sugars | 3 g | 0.6 g |
| Fiber | 7.4 g | 1.4 g |
| Fat | 4.9 g | 0.9 g |
| of which saturated | 0.7 g | 0.1 g |
| Sodium | 620 mg | 119 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
