Mercimek Çorbası – Turkish Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

Preparation mode:

👉 Mercimek çorbası is the soup you find in every Turkish home and lokanta: silky red lentils blended with onion, carrot and a little potato, finished with sizzling mint-and-paprika butter and a squeeze of lemon.

It costs very little, is ready in about 35 minutes and is naturally vegan if you use olive oil.

How to Make Mercimek Çorbası

1. Soften the vegetables. Melt the butter in a pot and cook the onion, carrot and potato for 5 minutes until the onion is soft.
2. Add paste and spices. Stir in the tomato paste and cumin and cook for 1 minute.
3. Simmer. Add the lentils and water, bring to a boil and simmer for 20–25 minutes, until the lentils fall apart and the vegetables are soft.
4. Blend. Blend until completely smooth. Add a little hot water if it is too thick and season with salt and pepper.
5. Make the topping. Melt the butter for the topping, take it off the heat and stir in the dried mint and paprika.
6. Serve. Ladle into bowls, drizzle with the red butter and serve with lemon wedges and bread.

👉 More cheap, filling meals: 15 Cheap Dinner Recipes from Around the World

Footnotes:

Tip: always squeeze lemon on top – it brings the whole soup to life.

Storage: keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes well. It thickens as it cools; add water when reheating.