This Middle Eastern Lentil soup is a Rich, warming, and soul-satisfying soup recipe. It is easy to make, freezes well for later, is naturally vegan, and is gluten-free. It gets ready in under 30 minutes in an Instant pot You can enjoy a bowl on its own or with some crusty bread or with rice. I love making lentil soups. I tend to make them more in the fall and winter when I am looking for something warm and hearty. This Arabic lentil soup is my go-to soup, especially during winter. It’s a perfect soup when I want something filling, and something diet-friendly. This soup is a staple in Lebanese homes. You will also see this soup at most of the Lebanese restaurants on menus. There are many versions of this soup. Some make it without carrots, others make it the rice. There is no right or wrong way of making it. Make the way your family enjoys it. I am sharing the basic version. No cream or anything. But I do add some extra spices in there that I like. I always make a big pot of this Mediterranean lentil soup and it’s on rotation. This soup is rich, comforting, and delicious and is super healthy with clean, wholesome ingredients!
Why do I love this Lentil Soup so much?
Vegan, Low in calories, Easy to makeMade with staple ingredientsCompletely utterly cozy and comforting!So creamy without adding creamIt has lots of fibers, and it’s high in proteins from the lentilsThis soup gets done in less than 30 minutes.The spices are highly customizable. You can add any veggies or greens of your choice.
Ingredients required
Lentils – Red lentils work best in this soup because they cook in less than 30 minutes without pre-soaking and have a great creamy texture.Vegetables – you’ll need a mix of onion, carrots, celery stalks, and potatoes. We are using a potato to get a more creamy texture. You can skip if you don’t want to use potatoes.Spices – I use a blend of ground cumin, black pepper powder, salt, and paprika powder for a bit of a kick.Vegetable stock – make sure the stock you’re using is vegan and low sodium. You can add more or less than recommended in the recipe card below, depending on how thick you want the soup to be. You can also use water instead of stock.
Step by step process
Heat oil in an instant pot on sauté mode.Once the oil is hot, add onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes. Saute for a few seconds.Now add washed lentils, vegetable stock, salt, cumin powder, paprika, and crushed black pepper. Mix everything well.Cover the instant pot with its locking lid, turn off the instant pot from sautéing mode, press the manual/pressure cook button, and set the timer for 12 minutes under high pressure.Once cooking time is done, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then quickly release the remaining pressure.Open the instant pot and stir the soup once.Using a hand blender (immersion blender), blend until it’s super creamy, leaving no chunks behind. I blend for at least 1 minute on high to get a very nice creamy texture.Now add lemon juice and stir well.
Take out a ladle full of soup in a serving bowl, garnish it with Italian parsley, some black pepper powder, and some red crushed pepper for a spice kick. Enjoy Lebanese Lentil Soup with some toasted pita bread or plain rice!
Finely dice the vegetables.You can use sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes.If you want the soup to be spicier, add some red chili powder or use ½ seeded and minced red thai chili instead.There is no need to blend the soup if you don’t want to.Adjust the amount of thickness to suit your tastes. You can add more water/stock during cooking and after blending if needed.
More Lentil recipes
Moroccan Lentil SoupMujadaraCoconut spinach lentil curryLentil vegetable nuggets
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