Simple and quick to make Turkish lentil soup is as nutritious as it is delicious.
Turkish lentil soup or Mercimek çorbasi, is a light soup with the slightly earthy flavour of lentils, a creaminess of potatoes and a good kick from the Aleppo pepper.
It is then finished with a squeeze of lemon juice before serving, for a delicious tanginess.
Turkish red lentil soup is a healthy, comforting, satisfying soup, and it is super easy to make at home.
In Turkey this is a very popular soup, served throughout the country for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and prepared in every home.
Enjoy it hot or cold with some warm bread, for a light meal, or simply poured into a thermos to take to work.
And because lentils contain slow releasing carbs, this soup will keep you feeling full for longer!
Serve this simple red lentil soup as a starter along with Turkish meatballs, Turkish rice and cacik, a cooling cucumber and yogurt dip.
If you would like to read more about Turkish cuisine you may be interested in my post on Antepliler.
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Its good for you
This red lentil soup is also good for you, as a study by the University of Guelph has shown, combining lentils with potatoes can help reduce your blood glucose levels by more than 20 per cent.
How to cook red lentils
Unlike other varieties of lentils, red lentils do not require hours of pre-soaking so you can make this soup without much pre-planning. All you need to do is rinse the lentils till the water runs clear, similar to washing rice.
Red lentils are the fastest to cook, taking just 15-20 minutes to become soft and tender, while green lentils take the longest to cook, around 35-40 minutes (after pre-soaking).
Make it ahead
This soup tastes even better the next day when all the flavours have had time to come together.
Storing leftovers
Cover and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Reheat or serve it cold, it is great either way!
Are you looking for more lentil recipes? You may like my red lentil dal or spiced Moroccan lentil soup.
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Recipe
Mercimek Çorbasi (Turkish Lentil Soup)
Ingredients
- olive oil - extra virgin 2 tablespoons
- onion - medium diced 1 medium
- potato - diced small 1 large
- carrot - medium diced 1 medium
- tomato paste 1 tablespoon
- Aleppo pepper - or red chilli flakes ½ teaspoon
- red lentils - 1 cup, washed in cold water and drained 190 grams
- hot water - 6 cups 1½ litres
- mint - optional 2 leaves
- lemon juice - juice of half a lemon 1½ tablespoons
- salt - adjust to taste 1 teaspoon
- freshly ground black pepper - to taste ½ teaspoon
- butter 2 tablespoons
- cumin powder 1 teaspoon
Instructions
- In a medium size saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil, add 1 medium onion and sauté on a medium heat till light brown.
- Add 1 medium carrot, 1 large potato, 1 tablespoon tomato paste and 1 teaspoon cumin powder and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in 190 grams red lentils, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper and 1½ litres hot water and stir well.
- Simmer till carrots and potatoes are soft, for approximately 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and blend the mixture till smooth or to your taste.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons butter and add 1½ tablespoons lemon juice, then garnish with ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and 2 leaves mint. Serve with warm bread or Turkish rice.
Notes
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically per serving and accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
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Marlen says
Ops! What do we do with the butter?
Nicole says
Oh dear, something went wrong. I’ve fixed it now. Many thanks for letting me know. I really hope you enjoy it 🙂