Lebanese Red Lentil Soup

Oodles of butter transform this gently spiced Lebanese Red Lentil Soup into an extra creamy, lip-smackingly good lentil soup.

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• Ingredients for Lebanese Red Lentil Soup
• Useful Equipment
• How to Make Lebanese Red Lentil Soup
• More Soup Recipes using Pulses
• 📋 Recipe Card

Ingredients for Lebanese Red Lentil Soup

• Onion.
• Red lentils.
• Butter. I prefer to use unsalted butter to help avoid the risk of burning the butter when frying the onion in it.
• Cumin. The only spice in this soup, and all that is needed for a bowl of deliciousness.
• Salt.
• Lemon. Perhaps not strictly an ingredient, since the lemon is sliced into wedges and served alongside the soup. However, a squeeze of lemon truly transforms this soup, so don't leave out.

See the Recipe Card below for quantities and the full recipe.

Useful Equipment

No special equipment is needed for this Lebanese Lentil Soup recipe. I have listed the key useful items below.

• chopping board
• chopping knives suitable for chopping the onion
• two large saucepans
• spoon for mixing
• food processor or hand held blender for blending the soup

How to Make Lebanese Red Lentil Soup

You will have this Lebanese Soup ready in no time. Red lentils are particularly quick to cook, and there is just one onion to chop. Here's how to make Lebanese Red Lentil Soup.

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• Prepare the onion. Finely chop 1 medium-sized onion.

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• Cook the red lentils. Put 1 ⅓ cups of red lentils in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil and then turn down the heat so that the water comes to a simmer. Gently simmer the lentils for about 20 minutes by which time they will be soft and easily crushed. Add more water if needed to keep the lentils covered. Whilst the lentils are cooking, start cooking the onions and butter as described in the next step.

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• Melt the butter. Put 4 tablespoons of butter into a saucepan and melt over a low heat.

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• Fry the chopped onion. Add the chopped onion to the melted butter and gently fry for about 5 to 10 minutes.

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• Combine the lentils and onions. Add the cooked red lentils, together with the cooking water, to the onions and butter. Add 1 ¼ tablespoons of cumin, a generous pinch of salt and mix all ingredients well. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 more minutes.

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• Blend the soup. Blend the soup to a smooth consistency. Once blended, check the seasoning and add more salt if needed.

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• Ladle into soup bowls, sprinkle with a little cumin and serve with a wedge of lemon. Lipsmackingly-good lentil soup!

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More Soup Recipes using Pulses

Lentils. I love lentils. They have saved me so many times when I've been short of options in the pantry. Lentils are particularly great for last minute healthy meals. They generally take under 30 minutes to cook and, unlike other pulses, do not require any soaking beforehand.

Red lentils are particularly quick to cook and this delicious Mediterranean Red Lentil Soup with Carrots has the added spices of paprika and ginger for a little extra heat.

For the more earthy taste of green lentils, try this Simple French Green Lentil Soup with Bacon or our family's Simple Hungarian Lentil Soup.

Chickpeas. Chickpeas are great when canned, unlike some forms of beans which do not can well, becoming mushy and losing some of their taste. This makes canned chickpeas the perfect choice for last minute meals such as this Quick Chickpea and Tomato Soup with Peppers.

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📋 Recipe Card