Easy to Cook Lentil Soup

When the nights get darker, and the winter seems never ending, sometimes all you want are quick meals for dinner which are easy to cook, but warm and satisfying as well. This rich, flavourful, easy to cook lentil soup ticks all the boxes, and is a perfect healthy meal idea for the family.

This easy to cook lentil soup is a classic Turkish dish, a lovely winter warmer, and quick and low fat too! I absolutely love cooking this, and it is one of my favorite healthy meal recipes. It is one of the most common easy meals in Turkey, both at home and in restaurants, and a favourite for lunch and dinner…sometimes even for breakfast!

There are loads of Turkish lentil soup recipes around, but so often they use cream, which is unusual in Turkish cuisine – we don’t really ‘do’ creamy soups. I love the authenticity of this recipe, and avoiding the cream makes it a great healthy diet recipe too! You can easily replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock, making it vegetarian, and a great source of protein!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup of red lentils
• 1.5 cups of chicken stock
• 4 cups of water
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp of butter
• 1 tbsp of flour

TO SERVE

• 2 tbsp of butter
• 1 tsp of crushed chilies
• A squeeze of lemon juice – 2-3 drops
• A pinch of dried mint leaves

METHOD:

1. Rinse the red lentils
2. Melt the butter in a large pan until sizzling; add the onion and garlic cloves. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion and garlic is golden brown.
3. Add the flour. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes using a whisk
4. While stirring the flour, onion and garlic, pour in the chicken broth
5. Add the rinsed red lentils and water, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened
6. Add salt to taste, and puree the soup in a blender
7. To serve, melt the butter in a saucepan, fry the crushed chilies and pour into the lentil soup.
8. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of dried mint leaves

This recipe always makes me feel warm and satisfied, and brings a smile to my face. I hope you enjoy this little slice of classic Turkish cuisine as much as I do!