Turkish Red Lentil Soup with Mint

This soup is divine and much like you will get at any authentic Turkish restaurant. It has dynamic flavors and a lovely mild heat. I make a big batch and eat it for lunch with crusty bread and salad the entire week. Optional: Serve with additional mint and lemon wedges.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 60 mins
• Calories: 168 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ½ cup red lentils
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (Optional)
• ½ onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon dried mint
• ¼ cup diced tomatoes, drained
• ¼ cup fine bulgur
• ¼ cup rice

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Cook and stir the onion in the hot oil until it begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Stir the garlic into the onion and cook another 2 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes to the onion mixture; continue to cook and stir another 10 minutes.

Step 2

Pour in the chicken stock, red lentils, bulgur, rice, tomato paste, paprika, cayenne pepper, and mint to the tomato mixture; season with salt and black pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook at a simmer until the the lentils and rice are cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Step 3

Pour the soup into a blender to no more than half full. Firmly hold the lid in place and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth; pour into your serving dish. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup in cooking pot.