Lentil Soup

There is one dish on the table every night in Ramadan and that’s soup! Lentil soup or sharbat addis in Arabic is packed with so much flavor and is the definition of comfort. This is my mom’s secret (now, not so secret recipe) so hope you enjoy it from my family to yours!

Making the Soup

Lentil soup is one of the easiest recipes you can make! It all comes together in one pot and is super hands-off. Let’s start with sauteing some onions, garlic, and carrots in olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute for a few minutes until the onions develop some color, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add in some red lentils and saute for another 2 to 3 minutes just to toast the lentils.

Now add chicken broth and water. You can also opt for just only adding chicken broth or only adding vegetable broth to keep this vegetarian. Bring to a boil and once boiling, lower the heat to simmer. Cover with the lid and let the lentils cook for 45 to 50 minutes until completely softened.

After the lentils are cooked through, remove the lid and use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. If you have a large blender that can handle high temperatures, you can also use that to blend everything until creamy. For the best part, let’s get to the seasoning! We’re not going to do anything crazy here. The best part about lentil soup is its simplicity. Here are the spices we will add:

• black pepper
• turmeric
• cumin
• salt
• red pepper flakes

Season the soup, mix together, taste, and adjust anything to your liking. Finally, the lentil soup is ready to enjoy!

What If I Don’t Have an Immersion Blender

An immersion blender is a great investment to have in the kitchen if you like to cook a lot. It’s also not too expensive and you can make all sorts of creamy soups and sauces with it. Now that being said if you don’t have one and don’t want to purchase one, here’s what else you can do.

You can use a large blender like the kind for smoothies. Just make sure it’s heatproof otherwise you’ll have to let the soup cool down first. Another option is to use a wooden spoon or potato masher and just break down the lentils as much as you can. This soup is totally fine to make not super creamy. In fact, when my mom makes lentil soup, she leaves it a little chunky which is my preference.

Variations to Try

There are a few variations some people do when making lentil soup but I don’t make it any other way than what I have in this recipe already!

Some like to add potatoes to the soup to make it extra thick and creamy. I personally don’t think the soup needs this since it is already creamy and thick from the starch in the lentils. It kind of makes the soup too heavy for me.

Another variation that I like a bit more than potato is adding zucchini. It’s a great way to get some more vegetables in without anyone ever noticing!

You can also keep the soup a little more chunky which is how my mom truly makes it. Instead of using an immersion blender, just use a potato mashed or wooden spoon to smash the veggies and lentils down a bit more after it’s all cooked/softened.

Craving More Soup? Try These Recipes Out!

• Tortellini Soup
• Creamy Tomato Soup
• Chicken Gnocchi Soup
• Broccoli Cheddar Soup
• Lasagna Soup

If you tried this recipe and loved it, drop by down below and let me know how you liked it with a rating and comment! Feel free to also leave a question there about this recipe and I’ll get right back to it.

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