Lentil Soup with Lemon

This lentil soup with lemon is a delicious purée of red lentils, aromatics, and spices. It can be blended fully or left a little chunky — it's up to you!

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
• Calories: 351 Calories

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 cup red lentils
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 pinch chili powder
• 1 (32 ounce) carton chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
• 0.25 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 0.25 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• 0.125 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon chili powder. Cook and stir until spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Step 2

Stir in chicken broth, lentils, and carrot. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes.

Step 3

Working in batches, fill a blender halfway with soup. Cover and hold the lid down with a potholder; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Pour into a pot. Repeat with the remaining soup. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and purée the soup right in the cooking pot. Do not purée all of the soup; leave it a little chunky.

Step 4

Stir in lemon juice and cilantro, then season to taste with salt. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with chili powder, and serve.