Red Lentil Soup

Name: Red Lentil Soup
Total time: 3600 s
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons, plus more for drizzling olive oil; 1 large onion, chopped; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; Salt and black pepper; Pinch chili powder or ground cayenne, plus more to taste; 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth; 1 cup water; 1 1/2 cups red lentils, rinsed well; 2 large carrots, peeled and diced; Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste; 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Ricardo @tallcook

Manhattan, New York, United States

Based on a Turkish lentil soup, mercimek corbasi, this recipe by Melissa Clark is light, flavorful, and a bold orange color (no murky brown here). It takes less than an hour to make.

Ricardo @tallcook

Manhattan, New York, United States

Based on a Turkish lentil soup, mercimek corbasi, this recipe by Melissa Clark is light, flavorful, and a bold orange color (no murky brown here). It takes less than an hour to make.

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Ingredients

1 hour

6 servings

3tablespoons, plus more for drizzling olive oil
1large onion, chopped
2garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoontomato paste
1 teaspoonground cumin
Salt and black pepper
Pinchchili powder or ground cayenne, plus more to taste
5 cupschicken or vegetable broth
1 cupwater
1 1/2 cupsred lentils, rinsed well
2large carrots, peeled and diced
Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste
3 tablespoonschopped fresh cilantro

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Steps

1 hour

1

In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium high until hot and shimmering. Add onion and sauté until golden, about 6 minutes.
2

Add in center garlic, tomato paste, cumin, ¼ teaspoons each salt and black pepper and the chili powder, and sauté for 2 minutes longer. Mix.
3

Add broth, water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partly cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.
4

Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup, then add it back to pot. The soup should be somewhat chunky.
5

Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder, if desired.