Easy Red Lentil Soup Recipes

EASY GREEK RED LENTIL SOUP RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil until shimmering but not smoking. Add onions, carrots and garlic. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring regularly. Add spices and bay leaves. Cook for a few seconds till fragrant, keep stirring so spices don't burn.
• Add crushed tomatoes, broth, lentils. Season with kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until lentils are fully cooked.
• Remove from heat. If you have the time, let soup cool a bit before using an immersion blender to puree. Pulse a few times till you reach the creamy consitency you are looking for.
• Return soup to heat, and stir to warm through. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and fresh parsley.
• Transfer soup to serving bowls and top with extra virgin olive oil. If you like, top each bowl with a generous sprinkle of feta cheese. Serve with your favorite crusty bread!

RED LENTIL SOUP WITH LEMON

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.
• Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.
• Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.
• Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.
• 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.

RED LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the ginger and heat, stirring, for about a minute. Add the ground cumin and stir another 30 seconds.
• Add the onion and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently.
• Add the lentils and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are soft.
• Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender (or in batches in a blender or food processor). Add salt and pepper to taste, although I usually do not add any.
• Add a squeeze of lemon in each serving, if you wish - I find that it adds a bright note.
• Note: A spoonful of plain yogurt is a nice addition.

LEBANESE-STYLE RED LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Bring chicken stock and lentils to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic and onion, and cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 3 minutes.
• Stir onions into the lentils and season with cumin and cayenne. Continue simmering until the lentils are tender, about 10 minutes.
• Carefully puree the soup in a standing blender, or with a stick blender until smooth. Stir in cilantro and lemon juice before serving.

LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 minutes.
• Add celery and carrot. Cook for 7 - 10 minutes or until softened and the onion is sweet. Don't rush this step, it is key to the flavour base of the soup.
• Add all remaining ingredients except the lemon and salt. Stir.
• Increase heat and bring to simmer. Scoop scum on the surface off and discard (do this again during cooking if required). Place lid on and turn heat down to medium low. Simmer for 35 - 40 minutes or until lentils are soft.
• Remove bay leaves.
• Thicken Soup: Using a stick blender, do 2 or 3 quick whizzes to thicken the soup (see video below). Or transfer 2 cups to a blender, let it cool slightly, then hold lid with tea towel and blend then transfer back into pot.
• Add a touch of water if you want to adjust soup consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Grate over the zest of the lemon then add a squeeze of lemon juice just before serving. Garnish with parsley if desired and serve with warm crusty bread slathered liberally with butter!

EASY RED LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Boil red lentils and water for one hour.
• Chop celery, carrots and garlic.
• Add stock and water to pot of lentils.
• Add celery, carrots and garlic to pot of lentils.
• Bring to boil.
• Add tomato paste, cayenne pepper and salt.
• Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Serve the thick, rich soup and enjoy!
• Add more or less stock and/or water depending on how thick/thin you like your soup.

RED LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Start by putting the lentils in a sieve and rinsing them under cold water to remove some of the excess starch.
• Heat the oil in a pot and add in the onions. Turn the heat down to low and leave the onions to gently cook until soft and translucent, about 5-10 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato purée until all the onions have been coated and cook for about 2 minutes.
• Next, add in the red pepper and mix in with the onions.
• In the meantime, dissolve the two stock cubes in a litre of boiling water.
• Add the red lentils and the ham stock to the pot and stir. Leave the soup to simmer for 10-15 minutes.
• If you would like to purée the soup, do so now. I like to give it a few quick pulses with my stick blender to remove any large chunks of onion or pepper, but don´t purée it until completely smooth.
• Season the soup to taste with chilli flakes (if you like a little spice), salt and pepper.
• Serve hot, with some crusty bread and butter. The soup can also be easily reheated the next day or frozen.