Vegan Turkish Red Lentil Soup

This Turkish red lentil soup is super easy to make, full of fresh herb flavors, and suits a vegan diet well.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 55 mins
• Calories: 285 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1 lemon, sliced into wedges
• 2 Turkish bay leaves
• 2 cups red lentils, picked over and rinsed
• 4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1.5 tablespoons tomato paste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add thyme sprigs, garlic, cumin, and bay leaves; cook, stirring, for 1 minute more.

Step 2

Add vegetable broth, tomatoes, red lentils, tomato paste, oregano, remaining salt, and pepper to the saucepan. Cover partially and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lentils are very soft and falling apart, 30 to 45 minutes.

Step 3

Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Let soup cool briefly, about 10 minutes. Transfer 4 cups of soup to a blender; blend until smooth. Mix back into the saucepan. Stir in water. Ladle soup into bowls; garnish with chopped parsley and a squirt of lemon juice.