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Soups · Turkish

Turkish Red Lentil Soup

Mercimek çorbası: silky red lentil soup with a sizzle of paprika butter and a squeeze of lemon.

Hands-on
25 min
Hands-off
40 min
Total
1 h 5 min
Makes
6 bowls
Serves
6

10 minutes chopping, about 10 minutes softening the vegetables, 40 minutes simmering, then blending, a 5-minute boil and 2 minutes for the paprika butter.

  • easy
  • soup
  • lentils
  • winter
  • budget
  • freezer-friendly

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Turkish Red Lentil Soup
Amount
Units

Ingredients

You need: large, deep pot with a lid · stick (immersion) blender, or a jug blender · small frying pan · wooden spoon · ladle

Contains: milk · wheat

Method

  1. Soften the onion

    Heat 45 ml (3 tbsp) sunflower oil in a large, deep pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring, until soft.

    Ready when: The onion is soft and see-through and smells sweet, about 5 minutes. It shouldn't brown much.

  2. Toast the flour, add the vegetables

    If using, stir in 1 tbsp flour and cook for about a minute. Add the chopped carrot and potato and stir.

    Ready when: The flour smells toasty and has barely changed colour.

  3. Add lentils and water

    Stir in 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper and 255 g (1 1/4 cups) rinsed red lentils. Pour in the 1.2 litres (5 cups) hot water with the stock cube dissolved in it.

  4. Simmer

    Bring it to a boil, cover and simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring now and then so nothing sticks.

    Ready when: The lentils have collapsed and the potato and carrot crush easily against the side of the pot with a spoon.

  5. Blend

    Take the pot off the heat and blend with a stick blender until smooth. Then boil it for 5 more minutes. If it's too thick, stir in a little more hot water.

    Ready when: Completely smooth, with no bits of carrot, and bubbling again.

    Otto tried this firstOtto blends after 15 minutes and gets crunchy carrot flecks in his soup. Wait until everything is completely soft.

  6. Make the paprika butter

    Heat 45 ml (3 tbsp) sunflower oil and 2 tbsp butter in a small pan. When the butter foams, add 1 tsp paprika, let it sizzle (up to 2 minutes), then take the pan off the heat.

    Ready when: The fat turns bright brick-red and smells of paprika. Take it off the heat before it darkens or smokes.

  7. Serve

    Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle each with the paprika butter and serve hot with lemon wedges for squeezing.

Swaps

  • Instead of red lentils: yellow lentils, same amount verified; the soup comes out paler
  • Instead of beef stock cube: vegetable stock cube (or vegetable stock instead of the water and cube)
  • Instead of the flour: leave it out for a thinner soup

Make ahead, store & reheat

Make ahead
The soup keeps 3-4 days in the fridge, so it can be made ahead. Reheat it and make the paprika butter when you serve.
Storage
Cool it, then keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, or freeze for 3-4 months. Refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking.
Reheat
Reheat on the hob, stirring, until steaming hot all the way through (74°C / 165°F). It thickens in the fridge, so loosen it with a splash of water.

If something goes wrong

  • Too thick Why: Lentils keep soaking up liquid, especially after a night in the fridge.
    Stir in hot water a little at a time until it pours from the ladle.
  • Grainy, with bits in it Why: It was blended before the vegetables and lentils were completely soft.
    Simmer until everything crushes easily, then blend again.

Good to know

  • Fry cubes of bread in butter with dried mint and chilli flakes for crunchy croutons on top.

Safety

  • Blending hot soup: a stick blender in the pot is the safest way. With a jug blender, let the soup cool down a lot first, blend in small batches, and hold the lid down with a folded towel.
  • Hot fat and paprika can spit. Keep kids back from the small pan; they can help rinse the lentils and squeeze the lemons.
  • Stock cubes can contain wheat, celery or milk. Check the label if you cook for allergies. Leave out the flour for a wheat-free soup.