Turkish Red Lentil Soup with Mint Recipe- Turkey Special
This flavorful vegan Turkish red lentil soup features mint, sumac, lemon, paprika oil, carrots, and potatoes, making it both easy and quick to prepare—and incredibly delicious!
- Prep Time10 min
- Cook Time50 min
- Total Time1 hr
Turkish Red Lentil Soup with Mint:
- carrot
- 1 onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 stalk celery (optional)
- 1 small potato
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves (use about 1/2 tablespoon if using dried mint)
- A few stalks (approximately 2-3) of fresh parsley (both leaves and stalks can be used)
- 1 tablespoon homemade vegetable stock powder
- Some chili powder (to taste, if desired for spiciness)
- 1 cup red lentils
- 6 cups water
- Juice of 1 lemon (about 5 tablespoons, plus a little more for serving)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Black pepper
- Optional for serving: Sumac (provides a lemony note), dried or fresh mint, fresh parsley leaves.
- For paprika butter (or paprika oil): Approximately 2 tablespoons vegan butter or oil mixed with 1/2 to 1 tablespoon paprika powder.
How to Make Turkish Red Lentil Soup with Mint Recipe:
Cut the vegetables (carrot, onion, garlic, and celery, if using) into large pieces, as they will be blended later and do not need to be finely chopped.
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté the carrot, onion, garlic, and celery (if using) until the onion turns translucent.
Once the vegetables are sautéed, add cumin, paprika powder, tomato paste, mint, parsley (including stalks), and vegetable stock powder. Add chili powder if desired. Stir and cook for 1–2 minutes.
While the vegetables are cooking, rinse the lentils under cold water in a sieve until the water runs clear.
Add the rinsed lentils, water, and chopped potato to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables and lentils are tender.
Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
Blend the soup until smooth. If the soup is too thick, adjust the consistency by adding more water.
Serve the Turkish red lentil soup with lemon wedges and freshly baked soft bread.
Recipe Notes:
Instead of paprika powder, you can substitute with mild Turkish pepper paste. Alternatively, skip the tomato paste and use Turkish tomato and pepper paste instead.
To enhance your red lentil soup, consider adding sumac, mint, parsley, and/or paprika butter before serving: simply melt vegan butter, mix in sweet paprika powder, and sauté briefly. You can also incorporate dried mint into the paprika butter.
This soup will stay fresh in the refrigerator for approximately 3 days and can also be frozen. When reheating, add water as needed since the soup thickens upon cooling. Blend again to ensure a smooth consistency, as reheating without blending may result in lumps.
