Growing up, lentil soup was a staple in our home. If my mom didn’t make it at least once a week, we would all feel like something was missing in our diet. This soup is simple, entails a few ingredients, and is super nutritious! It is also packed with flavor – you won’t regret making this delicious dish!
- Preparation time: 20 minutes
- Cook time: 30 minutes
- Total: 50 minutes
- Serving: 8 generous servings
Ingredients For Lebanese Lentil Soup
- 2 large onions finely chopped
- 5 medium-sized carrots finely chopped
- 10 celery sticks finely chopped
- 1 cup finely chopped parsley
- 2 1/2 cup red lentils (I buy the cedar brand)
- 2 tbsp cooking oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 5 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp black pepper and salt to taste
- 3 cups water or 2 cups vegetable stock and 1 cup water
Read Also: Healthy and Easy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Muffins Recipe
Instructions
- Rinse and drain the red lentils in a bowl and set aside.
- Heat the cooking oil or extra virgin olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add finely chopped onions and let them cook for about 5 minutes or until they become tender and translucent
- Once the onions are cooked, add the finely chopped carrots and celery to the pot. Sauté for about 10 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.
- Add the rinsed red lentils and mix with the vegetables. Once they are mixed, add 2 cups of water (you could use vegetable stock instead of water, but I prefer water).
- Add black pepper and salt to taste.
- Bring mixture to a boil and then lower heat to medium/low. Add the last cup of water and let the soup simmer for 30 minutes or until lentils are tender. (Make sure to mix the soup every 5-10 minutes so the lentils don’t sink to the bottom and stick to the pot. Also add water as needed, as the soup simmers it may need more water. It should have a soup consistency rather than a porridge consistency).
- Once the lentils are tender and fully cooked, about 30 minutes, add the freshly squeezed lemon juice and finely chopped parsley. Mix them well into the soup and adjust the seasoning if needed. Let them cook for 1 more minute and remove from heat. NOTE: if you are planning to blend the soup as in my next optional step, wait to add the chopped parsley until after it’s been blended
- This step is optional: I don’t like my soup too chunky and I don’t like it too creamy, so I usually use my hand mixer and give it one or two pulses just to blend the soup a little but not fully. I like to still see my vegetables in the soup. If you like a chunkier soup, keep it as is and don’t blend. If you like a very creamy soup, blend a little longer.
- Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and some parsley leaves.
- Serve warm with some crackers. Enjoy.