This Lebanese lentil soup recipe has a split pea-like flavor. For texture, I occasionally add grilled chicken breast or cooked, diced sweet potatoes when serving it with lemon wedges. Fun with it, please!
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 50 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 pound red lentils
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¾ cup fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Bring chicken stock and lentils to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic; cook until onion has softened and turned translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Stir onion mixture into lentils; season with cumin and cayenne. Continue simmering until lentils are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Purée soup in a standing blender or with a stick blender until smooth. Stir in lemon juice and cilantro.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 276 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 39 g |
| Cholesterol | 1 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 9 g |
| Protein | 17 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Sodium | 524 mg |
| Sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 7 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Love this recipe. Definitely making it again and soon! Replaced cayenne with paprika was my only change.
Wasn’t a fan. I followed the recipe and it just tasted too lemony. Very overpowering. Not enough seasonings. Rudimentary flavor profiles. Not anything close to what I’ve tasted before. I wouldn’t make it again or recommend it
I had this style of soup in a mediterranean restaurant. It was garnished with garlic pita chips. This recipe is pretty close to tasting like it. I made some crushed chips to sprinkle on top – brush a pita bread (thin pocket style ones) with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder, then cut up in small pieces and bake on a cookie sheet till crisp. Savoury and delicious!
This was delicious! I cooked everything in one pot starting with sauteing the onions and garlic. I put a little less lemon juice than called for and reduced the cayenne by 2/3 and put in a little paprika instead. Salt to taste at the end and added some ghee right before serving.
This soup was so delicious! I didn’t have some of the ingredients and added some stuff to make it heartier so here are some changes I made: – we’re vegan so I used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. – used red onion instead of white (ran out) –Added 4 chopped red potatoes and 3 carrots to the last 15 mins of it simmering. -used the juice of 2 lemons -didn’t use a blender as the red lentils fell apart nicely. The cilantro is a delicious addition! Will be making again for sure. Thank you!!!
Doubled the cumin as several others suggested. Left out cayenne with kiddos. Otherwise made as written. Expected lemon to be overpowering but it wasn’t, which is a good thing…wouldn’t change it. Good change of pace soup but not sure I’ll make again.
This soup was delicious! I did add carrots and sweet potatoes, but it was approved by all 5 kids! Will definitely make again.
Very easy to make. I used my instant pot and pre-soaked my lentils so it was fast and easy. Very tasty also.
My Armenian Mommie made this often. She didn’t use cilantro in it but going to try it with the cilantro next time. Thank you for sharing!
Loved it! My riffs on the recipe: Add 1tblsp sweet curry to oil w garlic. Then add finely chopped cilantro leaves, shallots, mushroom, onion, celery and carrot to sautée. Put all into boiling lentils. Lentils will soften after 20 min or so. Add juice of 1/2 lemon to soupHand blend some – not all. Leave some pieces of veggies. Garnish w cilantro leaves
Delicious soup. I wound up having to sub in shallot and harissa for the white onion and cumin because I ran out of both without realizing it but the soup still came out amazingly well.
I made it. My whole family loved the flavor and smoothness of this soup. Easy to make in 30-40 minutes.
This soup is ridiculously good!! I did sauté diced carrots with the onion and garlic. Did not have fresh lemon or cilantro, so instead I put in a hefty amount of lemon pepper seasoning, ground coriander, and some smoked paprika, leaving out the salt, cayenne pepper, ground black pepper, fresh cilantro, and lemon juice. So basically subbing what I did have to mimic the original of those particular ingredients, while trying to stick as closely to the recipe as I could! And I ate so much of it I was almost miserable, that’s how delicious it was!! Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe!
Bland, too much lemon. Doubled the other spices. Wouln’t make again.
I would definitely make this again. Very tasty. Next time I may add some sweet potato.
THIS IS FABULOUS.
I made this vegan with vegetable broth. OUTSTANDING.
Most of my changes were because I’m too lazy to go shopping. Also, if it helps, I’m not normally one for spicy. I find that the additions I made resulted in a soup that was warmly spiced but not HOT. I doubled the amount of cumin, plus a little bit more, added a little water, and used one cup of veggie broth because I didn’t have enough chicken. I also used waaaaay more garlic than the recipe calls for. Also I added some chili powder. I juiced 3/4 of a lemon because that’s what I had without going to the store. This is AMAZING. It feels like a warm hug to your stomach. I will be making this in this way for a long long time.
I loved it. Its simple, yet flavoursome. I decreased the lemon juice to my own taste. I can see this to be firm favourite in my home.
This soup is very easy to make and turned out pretty good. I used a slow cooker so I didn’t need an immersion blender. I added carrots and a little curry powder. I served with lemon wedges so everyone could add lemon juice to taste. Thanks for the recipe:)
I make this often, and don’t bother pureeing. Easy, delicious & cheap–it’s a keeper!