Red Lentil Soup Recipe (2024)

Was looking forward to this making this, and after seeing the comments, made a few changes...used chicken stock, and, instead of water, one 14oz. can of diced tomatoes and more stock. I used 3 carrots instead of 1, and didn't bother to blend....and added a bag of spinach, finished with grated parm, and it was fabulous.

This is a very tasty recipe but I have two suggestions:
1. There is too much liquid for the amount of lentils; therefore add one or two small potatoes, diced, to give the soup more body.
2. Step 4 - No need for more mess of moving half the soup into another pot; get the same rougher consistency by pureeing in one pot but in short bursts until somewhat, but not entirely smooth.

This recipe makes 4 small bowls of soup. Double the recipe to serve 4-6

Absolutely delicious! I will never buy lentil soup again. This soup is better than any I've had at any Persian, Arabic or other mediterranian restaurant.
I did add an extra 2 cloves of garlic, extra 1/4 c of lentils, an extra carrot, and used 1/4 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne, and 1/4 tsp of kebab spices ( mostly coriander and cumin)
Consistency and flavor were perfect!

I followed the suggestion to use 2 carrots, 3 garlic cloves, and 5 cups of chicken broth, 1.5 cup red lentil and no water. I grated my carrots and sauteed it with the garlic and onion. I normally don't like red lentils, but this was fantastic. The lemon really rounded the soup. Will make this again.

Jules: for this quantity (1 cup lentils), a couple of plum tomatoes should do. Important to get nice juicy ripe tomatoes, and to sauté all the vegetables until the oil rises to the top and takes on the red tomato color, otherwise it will retain a somewhat raw taste no matter how long you simmer the soup. That first step ensures the full release of flavor of the spices.

I ate this soup almost every day in Turkey, where sumac and/or mint are added at the end. Sumac is not hard to find in the US (Whole Foods carries it), and adds a lovely tartness more mellow than lemon. The mint is also a nice touch.

You'll get more color out of the carrot and the tomato paste than the lentils. Red lentils fade rapidly to pale pink and then yellow as they are exposed to prolonged heat. But forget their color, it's the flavor and texture that makes them so desirable. If you want more red bump up the tomato or add some sweet smoked Spanish paprika--the subtle smoke note is terrific with lentils of all hues.

We like to zest the lemon as well. The brightness of flavor this adds is incredible. The flavor just explodes in your mouth!

I make this all the time. At the end I often add fish (a pound of tilapia works nicely) to make a rich one-pot dinner - like a thick chowder. (The fish cooks in the hot soup.) I like things spicy so I then adjust the seasonings (including the amount of lemon) accordingly; and I let the volume reduce a bit by not covering the pot tightly when simmering.

Just made this for the first time, and it was delicious. I understand that some people do not like cilantro, but it really does benefit from that flavour, as well as the lemon juice. Keep those two ingredients in there, and you won't be sorry! I followed the recipe exactly, and didn't find it too thin. I have leftovers, and keep going back to the pot for another spoonful. I will say that it gets thicker as it cools. Highly recommend, and will definitely make again.

After I used the immersion blender, I added a bunch of lacinato kale torn into small pieces and cooked for a few more minutes until wilted. Delicious!

I have made this soup at least 3 dozen times, always yielding the same delicious results. It freezes beautifully making it a great option for make-ahead menu item or impromtu dinner party. In addition to the cilantro, I like to garnish with toasted pepitas. It's so good I've served it as light lunch item on Thanksgiving.

This is such an easy, healthy, inexpensive soup. I add two tablespoons of barley to give it a little silkiness. Also use ground chipotle pepper. I cook this in my pressure cooker for about 9 minutes, which results in no need for the immersion blender step.

On a trip to Morocco I discovered delicious roasted vegetable soups. With that inspiration, and guidance from Ali Slagle’s recent article on roasting vegetables, I roasted 1 lb cubed butternut squash and added to the red lentil soup for the last five minutes of cooking. I puréed 2/3 of the soup with a stick blender, mixed it into the chunky 1/3, and reheated.

On a recent trip to Morocco I discovered delicious thick roasted vegetable soups. With that inspiration, and guidance from Ali Slagle’s article on roasting vegetables, I roasted 1 lb of butternut squash cubes and added them to MC’s red lentil soup for the last five minutes of simmering. I puréed 2/3 of the lentil-butternut mix, then continued with the last step of MC’s recipe. After brief reheating I served the red lentil butternut squash soup with a squirt of lemon in each bowl. Delightful!

My contribution- A few hours before cooking (or the day before, doesn’t matter) toss a handful of tomatoes, a head of whole garlic cloves, and half of a roughly chopped onion with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in a tightly covered dish on 400 for 45 minutes, then turn the oven down to 200 for two hours until you have a delicious carmelized mush. Once this has cooled, purée in a food processor until smooth. Add along with the broth, carrot, and lentils.

I'm surprised this recipe has 27k 5 stars! Way too thin...I followed directions to a T. Thickened it with white bean puree, otherwise wasn't that great.

I love this soup and make it often! I use one cup of water instead of two. Otherwise it's a bit too thin for my taste. Turmeric and coriander are also nice to add.

Delicious and healthy. Even better when served with plain Greek yogurt

This soup was next level, so good. I had plenty of Rancho Gordo bean broth so I experimented using it in place of the vegetable broth. Otherwise followed recipe as is. FANTASTIC, can’t wait to make this again. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to others and double the recipe.

I was excited about this recipe as it seemed like an easy enough, hearty vegetarian recipe my young kids could like. I tripled it and it did not come out well (in spite of following the recipe precisely): it was very watery and lacked substance. I’m going to try to salvage it by adding new cooked red lentils and trying to burn off excess water when I reheat it on the stove. I wish I would have read folks' notes first but I will definitely be giving it another go!

Good but thin. Next time I would leave out the second cup of water and purée less.

This did not have much flavor. I made the recipe as written, and I didn’t think it tasted like anything. I also thought the consistency was way too thin. I ended up adding more salt, more cayenne, and more chili powder. Next time, I would take the suggestion of other reviewers and not add the 2 cups of water.

My wife and I were living in the Czech Republic and access to cumin is difficult. I substituted hot paprika for cumin and cayenne and it was delicious.

Instead of tomato paste, which I hate wasting the rest of the can, I replaced the two cups of water and tomato paste with a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes

I'm so confused by this recipe's rave reviews. It tastes minimally different than my standard no-recipe lentil routine. Mine leaves out the tomato paste and carrots, so I hoped those additions would foment an exquisite umami to warrant the 5th star. Both are are lost in the quantities prescribed here. To improve the appeal of the lumpy light orange pile you get here, blend fully and top with greek yogurt and omething green—cilantro is fine, green onion works better.

All as in original recipe except:4 garlic cloves, minced1 small can tomato paste2 teaspoons ground cumin3/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon chorizo powder6 cups chicken broth (no water)1 1/2 cups red lentils3 medium carrots, dicedjuice of 1 small lemonI did not use pepper or cilantro (my spouse dislikes both, and the extra chipotle power made up for the lack of pepper). This was addictively delicious. I will make it again and again.

Made with 2 tablespoons oil, 1 cup water, puréed all of the soup. 5 year old said it was the most delicious soup she ever tasted. Family agreed that 1 recipe does not serve 4 as a main dish, and leaves no highly desired lunch leftovers.