Let's Make Turkish Lentil Soup!

Lentil soup is an incredibly popular soup all over Turkey and can be found on the menu at almost every restaurant. It is easy to make, cost-effective, and incredibly versatile. While you will most likely not see spice variations when ordering the soup in Turkey (they like tradition), I think this is a fantastic soup foundation to try out other flavors, maybe even a garam masala spice blend. As the months get colder, this lentil soup will warm you up from the inside out! If you make this at home, let me know how it goes.

Try out the recipe and watch the video below to learn a few tricks for preparing Turkish Lentil Soup.

To purchase the illustrated print of Turkish Lentil Soup, check out the shop! We have all our prints available for purchase!

Turkish Lentil Soup/Mercimek Çorbası

Ingredients for the soup:

• 1 medium-sized white onion, peeled and diced

• 1 medium-sized potato, peeled and diced

• 1medium carrot, diced

• Salt + Pepper to taste

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

• 1 cups red lentils, rinsed and cleaned

• 4 cups water or vegetable/chicken stock

• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin (optional)

Ingredients for the topping sauce:

• 3 tablespoons of butter

• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste

• 1/2 teaspoon of chili flakes (Allepo pepper/cayenne/paprika)

Directions:

1. Add olive oil to a medium-sized pot, add onions and let them brown to build flavor.

2. Then add carrots and potatoes to the pot, once they start browning, add the lentils.

3. Fill up the pot with water/stock and cover the vegetables with liquid, bring the mixture to a boil, turn down the heat slightly and let simmer for 15 minutes.

4. While the soup is simmering, start making the topping sauce. Over low heat, add butter to a sauté pan.

5. Add the tomato paste and whisk or stir into butter. Add the chili flakes to your preference and let sauce cook until golden brown.

6. Turn off heat and set aside.

7. Once the pot of vegetables has simmered for 15 minutes, remove from heat source. Take an immersion blender and slowly blend vegetables until no chunks remain. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and cumin.

8. If the mixture is too thick, add water or if the mixture is too thin, put the pot back on the stove and allow the soup to further reduce.

9. Eat immediately with a garnish of the delicious butter topping sauce and squeeze of lemon!