A traditional Middle Eastern lentil soup with potatoes and carrots. Perfectly spiced, healthy and completely delicious, made very simply in 30 minutes. This recipe has all the steps you need to perfect this Middle Eastern staple either for a starter or main meal option!
What is Middle Eastern Lentil soup?
It’s a staple soup in the Levant region. The most important parts of the base are the lentils, broth, and spices especially cumin powder. The cumin is used both for flavor and for digestive purposes. Arabs sometimes find lentils hard to digest and gas forming, and cumin revs up digestive enzymes to help you digest food easier. Iome people keep it simple with pure lentils and spices, but I like to add a few vegetables like potatoes and carrots to offer a hint of creaminess and sweetness and body to the soup. It’s served with a generous squeeze of lemon juice, usually one chopped fresh parsley, and sometimes fried pita bread croutons, although I don’t usually bother. It’s a powerhouse of nutrition and substantial enough to be a meal on it’s own!
What are the health benefits of lentil soup?
This article gives you a great overview of the different health benefits of lentils. In summary:
Polyphenols: Lentils are a fantastic source of polyphenols (compounds that fight against harmful agents in the body like UV rays, heart disease and cancer).
Protein: They are high in protein, which is why vegetarians and vegans should really emphasize their intake.
Iron: They are a good source of iron (1 cup of lentils
Fiber: They are full of fibre, great for keeping your digestive system moving and also great for keeping you full for longer.
They are also a good source of magnesium and folic acid.
How to make lentil soup:
Very simple! You sauté the onions, carrots and potatoes in olive oil, then add the rinsed lentils and saute those for a few minutes too. In goes all your seasoning and your broth ( I usually just use stock cubes and water). You can use either vegetable stock or chicken stock cubes. The entire mix comes to a boil, and then continues on a rolling simmer for 25-30 minutes until all the vegetables are cooked through.
Optional: the thickener:
I’ve made this recipe both with the butter flour thickener added to the soup and without. There’s barely any difference, but it’s slightly richer if you add the butter/flour mix. You can do it either way!
How to blend lentil soup:
Some people may choose to keep the lentil soup chunky, but I think it becomes magical once it’s creamed with an immersion blender or regular blender.
If using an immersion blender: You can blend the soup directly into the pot
If using a regular blender of food processor: transfer the soup in batches to the blender to avoid overfilling and blend until desired consistency.
I like to leave a few chunks of potatoes and carrots, but have the majority of the soup totally blended through.
FAQs:
How do I store leftover lentil soup?
In the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Either way, when reheating, just add a little water to thin it back to desired consistency.
Is this lentil soup vegetarian/vegan?
It’s vegetarian if you use a vegetable stock cube, and vegan if you omit the butter/flour mixture, so definitely adaptable!
What are the calories in this Middle Eastern lentil soup?
Under 250 calories of goodness a bowl!
How to serve lentil soup:
With a lemon wedge on the side, green onions, and green olives is how we do it in Jordan 🙂 Fried pita bread croutons are optional but always appreciated.
Middle Eastern Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 1-2 carrots, finely diced
- 1 peeled potato, finely diced
- 1 cup red lentils
- 6 cups water
- 2 chicken or vegetable stock cubes
- 1 tablespoon dried mint
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus any extra to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 heaped tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the diced onion, carrot and potato. Sautee for about five minutes until onions have softened, stirring occasionally.
- Rinse the lentils well, removing any debris. Add to the saucepan, and saute for three minutes, stirring constantly so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the six cups of water, the stock cubes, and all the dried herbs plus the salt and pepper.(The dried mint all the way through to black pepper). Let the soup come to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat to medium and let the mixture cook uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until lentils and vegetables are cooked through.
- In a separate small skillet, add the butter and let it melt over medium heat, then add the flour, and whisk constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens slightly. Add this to the lentil soup pot.
- Once soup is totally cooked through, use an immersion blender or a normal blender (And blend in batches), and blend soup to desired consistency. I like it creamy and smooth but with a few chunks of veggies.
- Serve hot, with a slice of lemon, and green olives on the side.
Nutrition
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Kathie says
Amazing flavor! I had this soup several years ago at my favorite Lebanese restaurant and this is the identical recipe. It’s fabulous! It’s rich, creamy and flavorful! Thank you for sharing it!
Farah Abumaizar says
I’m so happy that it lived up to your memories! One of our favorites for sure!
MZ says
Wha kind of potatoes do you use? I have russet – will that work?
Farah Abumaizar says
Absolutely- it’s such a flexible recipe! Go with anything you have on hand.
Tara says
Mine is turning out really well. I decided to sautee onions to a kind of before burn caramel, added the powdered spices and a bag of riced cauliflower to sub for potato and covered. Got that hopping and added the carrots. Then the super rinsed lentils. Got it back to super hot again (I’m half Irish). Tossed watching to make sure nothing burned in the meantime. Got it super hot and added the water and some liquid chicken stock. Took it to a boil.. Turned it off and put the slow cook on for 3 hours to cook the bigger carrot chunks. Tasted, and it’s already delicious. Going to emersion blend when I get there. Thanks for reading!
Farah Abumaizar says
I love this very useful play by play! I also really love the idea of adding riced caulifilower, yum. I’m so happy that you enjoye dit! Thanks for takign the tiem to comment Tara
Alia says
Best lentil soup I’ve ever made! So happy you have an Instagram!
Farah Abumaizar says
Awwww Alia! thanks for the incredibly motivating comment, truly appreciate it! One of my absolute faves!
Meredith Gorden says
Can I substitute with green lentils?
Farah Abumaizar says
I wouldn’t, the orange/red lentils are a signature for this soup! Theres another soup I make with brown or green lentils that you could try, also delicious: https://everylittlecrumb.com/adas-bi-hamod/
Gail says
Made this for dinner today. absolutely delicious 😋!!!!!
Farah Abumaizar says
I’m so happy to hear that! One of our absolute faves, always on rotation!
Boho says
What spices? The only one I saw listed was cumin .
Farah Abumaizar says
The below in the recipe card! Enjoy
1 tablespoon dried mint
▢1 teaspoon cumin
▢1/4 teaspoon paprika
▢1/2 teaspoon turmeric
▢pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
▢1/2 teaspoon salt, plus any extra to taste
▢1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Keegan says
really delicious! it is so good. only thing i did differently is add double the amount of seasoning and less water (or more lentils). i’ve had it three days in a row so far
Farah Abumaizar says
That’s awesome! I love when a recipe is yummy enough to eat day after day without getting bored. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Mary says
We loved your lentil soup recipe! I had all the ingredients, but I added some cream of mushroom at the end there as I usually like a thicker cream in my soups. Had some brioche bread and butter with it, and it was sooo good!! Thank you so much!!
Farah Abumaizar says
That sounds like an absolute feast! Yum!
Shannon says
We regularly frequent a Syrian restaurant in our city and love their lentil soup. This one is very close to their recipe. We sprinkle a little ground sumac berry to the soup when we are serving it in place of lemon to give it a mild citrusy taste. Thanks for sharing such a fabulous recipe that is so easy to prepare!
Farah Abumaizar says
That sounds delicious, I love sumac! Thanks Shannon for taking the time to comment!
Lindsay says
I tried this without the butter because I am off dairy but it was still so delicious and exactly what I was looking for in a middle eastern lentil soup! Thank you! I blended it really well so it is hidden veggies for my kids.
Farah Abumaizar says
Yes, I totally omit the butter/flour when I’m in a hurry, and it’s still great! Thanks so much for letting me know Lindsay and happy eating!
Kasey says
What is the serving size for the calories listed?
Farah Abumaizar says
About 1/6th of the recipe so a good 1-1.5 cup or so!
Duncan says
Rather than 6 cups water / stock cubes, could one use 6 cups of chicken broth? Or would a mix of broth and water work better?
Farah Abumaizar says
Absolutely you could!
clay says
Canned or dried lentils? This feels important. Thanks!
Farah Abumaizar says
Dried!! Sorry for that!
Kristy says
Do you have to soak the lentils prior?
Farah Abumaizar says
Nope! Just rinse them thoroughly and pick through them for debris
Jo says
I love this soup! Not only because it’s delicious, but because my husband adores it and asks me to make it over and over again. I make a pot most Sundays for dinner, and then we have several servings left over to provide lunches for the week.
I did have a question today, though. Why do you saute the lentils for 3 minutes before adding in the broth? I wondered what would happen if I just put the lentils in with the broth and everything else in the next step.
Farah Abumaizar says
Thanks so much for the comment! I’m so happy that you make such good use of the recipe- I bet you wouldn’t even notice a difference if you didn’t sautee the lentils in advance, I find that it just slightly enhances the flavor of the lentils in the soup. You’ll be fine either way!! Enjoy Jo!
Harriett Bowen says
I didn’t have all the spices and no potato, but added bay and the onions made quite a difference. The soup was delicious thank you.
Farah Abumaizar says
I’m so glad you liked it! It’s quite versatile, so I love that you adapted it to what you had on hand. Enjoy Harriet!