I know it’s only barely fall, but I’m ready for some creamy lentil soup! I’m usually the one dragging my feet as we leave summer. But the leaves are popping out in their bright reds and oranges, the air is crisp, and pumpkin spice everything is available. There’s no fighting it, especially here in Minnesota! So it’s time to start rolling out some soup recipes, right? I made this staple soup last night, ate it while wrapped up in a chunky sweater, and was kinda okay with all the autumn vibes. Just don’t expect me to be this happy when winter rolls around!
Why should you make this delicious soup?
I can’t promise that all the coziness of fall will wrap itself around you with the first spoonful of this red lentil soup… but I also can’t say that it won’t! It’s also super easy, amazingly delicious, vegan, and gluten free!
Whether you tasted a version at your favorite middle eastern restaurant or are just looking to round out your repertoire of comforting soups for any season, this vegan lentil soup is definitely worth trying.
I’m not going to get too arrogant and say it’s the best lentil soup ever… but it is my favorite for sure! It’s also a very nutritious soup, the cooking time is pretty quick, and it uses staple ingredients that you most likely have in your pantry already. It’s the perfect starter, or can stand alone as a light meal, served with crusty bread, this gluten free flatbread, or a pita bread!
A few simple ingredients:
- Potatoes, peeled and diced
- Chopped onions
- Some fresh cloves of garlic
- Red lentils. If you can’t find red lentils in the grocery store near the dried beans and other lentils, you might find them in the bulk bins. Or, you can get them on amazon, here, if you can’t find them in stores. Otherwise, yellow lentils can work too! They cook down quickly and easily. I wouldn’t recommend green lentils though!
- Vegetable broth, vegetable stock, or vegetable stock cubes (bouillon cubes)
- Coconut oil,
- Cumin
- Turmeric
- Salt
- Cilantro or parsley, depending on your preference
- Lime or lemon juice.
Special Equipment
This is such a simple recipe, you don’t need much besides a stove, large saucepan, and a blender. You can pour it into an upright blender or use a handheld blender, like an immersion one.
Method
According to the recipe mine is inspired by, over here at Food.com, you can basically just throw it all in a big pot, boil it up, and blend until smooth. But I like to finesse just a touch. It’s still super easy though!
- Chop up your onions first. I chop them in fairly large chunks, 1/2 inch or so, since we’ll be blending it later.
- Melt a little bit of coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat, sauté onion.
- While onions are cooking, peel and roughly chop potatoes. Chop garlic and rinse lentils.
- When onions are softened and a little charred, add in potatoes, garlic and lentils and cook for about a minute, or until garlic is fragrant.
- Add vegetable broth or water and bouillon, bring to a boil, and simmer until potatoes and lentils are soft, about 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool down for just a moment while you toast your spices.
Toast the spices + blend
This extra step really livens up the spices and adds such a rich flavor! Don’t skip out on it, even if your significant other comes into the kitchen and asks “what smells so bad?” Don’t let that scare you. I think toasted cumin in coconut oil smells delicious, even though my hubs thinks it smells like extreme body odor. You’ll have to decide for yourself.
- Heat some more coconut oil in a small skillet or saucepan.
- Add cumin, turmeric and salt and toast, stirring continuously, for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the toasted, smelly spices into the soup.
- Now you can leave it chunky or blend it up. I like it blended to get that really creamy texture. You can do it either in batches in a traditional blender, or by using an immersion blender. If you’re worried about splashing hot soup, you can wait until it cools to room temperature before blending. Just reheat it afterwards! Also, it doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth. You can play around and see what your favorite consistency is.
Serve
Once it’s blended to your liking and toasty warm again, ladle it out into serving bowls, squeeze a wedge of fresh lime or lemon juice over it, and top with chopped cilantro parsley. Serve with bread, naan, flatbread, or cooked short grain rice.
Store
If you have leftovers of this hearty soup, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days, or freeze for 2-3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight if desired, before reheating and serving.
Egyptian Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 5 cups vegetable broth or water (or half water/half broth)
- 1 cup dried red lentils
- 2 cups onions, chopped
- 2 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp coconut oil (divided)
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 lemon, wedged (or 1/2-1 tsp lemon juice per bowl)
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp coconut oil in large pan or dutch oven. Add chopped onions and cook until transparent and browning.
- Add potatoes, garlic, and lentils, saute for 1 minute or until garlic is fragrant. Add broth or water, bring to a boil, simmer until potatoes are cooked through. Remove from heat.
- In small skillet, heat remaining 1 tbsp coconut oil until hot, but not smoking. Add cumin, turmeric and salt. Cook and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes. Add to soup.
- Transfer to blender, in batches if necessary, or blend with immersion blender until desired consistancy. Return to pan and reheat.
- To serve, ladle into bowls, top with a squeeeze of lemon juice and a spoonful of fresh cilantro.
As always, I would love to hear what you think if you try this recipe! Let me know in the comments below, or come connect with me on Instagram!
