Lentil soup with a sweet-tangy twist. This is great with a warm piece of black bread slathered with creamy butter.
So good. Per the suggestions of others I wanted to add a whole grain with the lentils. I threw in about a half cup of dry rinsed quinoa -wonder food!! I also 2x the spices and garlic, reduced the oil to 1-2 tsp, and because I like a heartier soup, I added 1 sweet potato, cubed and then roughly mashed to the consistency I wanted. This soup was sooo good, and so good for you. A perfect meal. Enjoy.
Read MoreThis was a tasty dish. I used cranberries instead of apricots which turned out well.
Read MoreSo good. Per the suggestions of others I wanted to add a whole grain with the lentils. I threw in about a half cup of dry rinsed quinoa -wonder food!! I also 2x the spices and garlic, reduced the oil to 1-2 tsp, and because I like a heartier soup, I added 1 sweet potato, cubed and then roughly mashed to the consistency I wanted. This soup was sooo good, and so good for you. A perfect meal. Enjoy.
Don't make the mistake I did: I added extra apricots on the second try and the soup was far too sweet.
Made this soup tonight and it was awesome. i've been into experimenting with moroccan flavors and recipes lately and this soup, with it's slightly sweet and very rich flavor definately has a moroccan influence. The modifications I made included using regular instead of red lentils, doubled up on the cumin as suggested by another reviewer, and I added an extra tomato. I also added the spices and tomato to the onion and garlic saute and sauteed until it started to stick. Then I de-glazed with a touch of red wine and added all the liquid and lentils. This sped up the cooking time a bit though I ended up letting it simmer for a couple hours because I had the time. Next time I will double the recipe because my girlfriend and I plowed through almost the whole recipe all by ourselves!
This is a very good soup. Different but in a good way. I didn't think pureeing half at the end was necessary. Also I didn't seed or peel the tomatoes. Just diced them up and added to the soup. I also used non stick spray and "sweated" the onions, garlic and apricot to cut most of the fat out of it. I will definately make this soup again.
5 stars +!!!!! Excellent soup!!!! The only thing I changed was I used canned diced tomatoes (19oz) instead of fresh ones. I can't wait to make this for company. Thanks for sharing!!!
Really good. I needed more liquid in it because the lentils soaked all the water up. Put over double the amount of spices in it and added some cayenne pepper to it for some spice! Served with brown rice because lentils aren't a full protein without a whole grain.
This is great! I love the lentil-apricot combo. Next time though, I think I might chop up the apricots a little more so I can have them more dispersed throughout the soup. I served this with the Blueberry Cornmeal muffins also on this website, and I thought the two recipes went well together. Added a 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper and a couple shakes extra of the cumin and thyme. As leftovers, this soup is delicious with some shredded cheddar cheese sprinkled on top! Thanks for the recipe!
After getting over my fears of lentils and apricots together... I decided to trust the good ratings and reviews and tried this recipe myself... I'm so glad I did. I made it for family and everyone, including my picky-eater niece & nephew loved it. I took other reviews advice and served it with rice, which was tasty, but it didn't need it, this soup was super filling all by itself. I didn't puree the soup as I like more of a chunky stew texture, and I didn't peel the tomatoes before chopping either, but it was delicious. I will definitely make this again!
This is probably my favorite soup. It's a recipe I've made over and over again. It's filling and unique. This recipe makes exactly enough for four people as a main course, but make more if they're a hungry four people. It's a must try!
Looking at the ingredients this soup looks a little unusual but the resulting taste is fantastic! I will be revisiting this one often.
I would give this recipe SIX stars if I could! I have been giddy ever since we sat down to dinner. We almost went out to eat tonight, and we were all so glad we stayed home and tried out this recipe. The sweetness of the apricot blended with the savories was just heavenly. I added a cubed sweet potato as another reviewer recommended, and the heartiness was perfect for this cold and crisp day. Love, love, love!
We love this recipe; especially for when our gluten-free friends come over for dinner. I add one or two sweet potatoes (cubed) to add heartiness, and I double the spices and garlic as other reviewers stated.
This recipe was fabulous with some tweaking. I increased the apricots to 1/2 cup, diced, used 1/2 cup red lentils and the rest regular brown to make 2 cups, plus added 1/2 tsp. each of curry pwdr, cardomom, and ground coriander. Because we are vegan, I used 6 cups vegetarian chick'n broth (to compensate for the additional lentils), and then cooked it in a pressure cooker for 15 minutes. After that, I stirred in the lemon juice, and 1 can of diced tomatoes NOT drained, and added salt, and 1 tsp. sugar. PERFECT! What a review it received from my out of town guests! My husband asked if we could have it once a week from now on. I highly recommend giving this soup a try, especially if you have a pressure cooker-the flavor is deep and throughout.
This soup was awesome. The only issue we had was hubby added a little more apricot than it called for an it was a little too sweet. Not the recipes' fault.
I love this dish. I've made it exactly following the recipe and another time I made it with pre-cooked lentils that I had. Both times it was very good. I love it served with grilled cheese smeared with sweet chutney or toasted bread with apricot preserves. Yum!
This is such a versatile, tasty recipe. I couldn't find dried apricots, so I used dried mangos instead...it turned out great! I also wanted to use up some leftover pinto beans, so I subbed 2 cups of those for the lentils. I made mine a bit more asian, so I used a 1/2 cup OJ, mandarian seasoning, ginger, and added some extra garlic. I used 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes instead of fresh, and added in some leftover wheat rotini that I had to make it a bit more hearty. I also added 1 tsp crushed red pepper to spice things up a bit. Thanks for the idea to use dried fruit in a soup!
Really interesting concept! I skipped the spices and added ginger, carrots, and curry powder instead. Definitely go lighter rather than heavier on the apricots---a little bit goes a long way. Spinach, raisins, and/or almonds would give this a more attractive color, I think.
WOW-EE! If I could give 10 stars, I would. Looking at the ingredients, I had a feeling I would love this and the end result didn't disappoint. My only regret was that I didn't make a double batch. I used veg stock since I'm vegetarian and subbed undrained, diced tomatoes for the Roma's. Amount of cumin was doubled and ample amounts of curry powder and cayenne pepper were added. This is fabulous!
YUM! I think that I boiled the lentils a bit to long because the puree part wasn't necessary and I didn't have any whole lentils in it. I didn't peel or seed the tomatoes and threw in some chopped green peppers for color. It was still delicious. Thanks for sharing.
My family & I loved it this soup. I realized I was out of cumin so I used 3/4 tsp. of curry powder instread. It was delish! Thanks for sharing.
Love it! Original recipe only yields 3 servings for our family. Needs the spices doubled. Needs more stock because the lentils sucked up the liquid pretty good. I used half a can of peeled & diced tomatoes instead of 3 roma or one regular tomato works fine too. Delicious- this will be on the rotation.
This has been awesome both times I've made it, getting rave reviews from my friends. I've doubled the amount of cumin & consider the tomatoes optional. I also add everything except the lemon (also double the lemon) up front, and this seems to help cut down the cooking time.
This was good! my husband and 12 month old liked it. It was a nice twist to have soup that was a little sweet. I used canned tomatoes and chicken bouillon - very good.
Incredible soup!! Made it for company and served it with fresh wheat bread--everyone loved it. A nice change from other lentil soups. I'll make this one again!
I've made this recipe so many times - I can't believe I haven't reviewed it. Many people have asked for the recipe. It's absolutely wonderful. We often have it with rice - to round out the protein. We also like to sprinkle a bit of hot sauce on it - even the kids. One time I made it with sweet potatoes, instead of apricots.
I love the ingenuity of this soup. Followed recipe to a tee, but next time I won't blend it (as it looked much more appetizing before pureeing it).
It took me a while to come around to this soup, but after a few bowls and a couple of days in the fridge its flavor has melded and I'm really liking it. Part of the initial issue was due to the canned tomatoes which left a tinny top note that thankfully went away. I also think I'd have preferred vegetable broth in it for a purer vegetable essence (and this is coming from the consummate carnivore). In addition to the canned tomatoes I followed advice to add curry powder and sweet potato. I didn't find the apricots too sweet. Maybe some people are using sweetened apricots and that accounts for the issue.
awesome, comforting, tasty. i also doubled the seasoning and used canned tomatoes (i only added 4 c of broth to make up for the canned tomato juice). will make again.
This soup is the most delicious lentil soup I have ever had! I was looking for a recipe that was like a healthy canned soup (used to be "Too Good to Be True" by President's Choice) that is no longer made and this one is like it, but even more delicious. The canned one had a tang to it because it had lime juice, so I think next time I will try lime instead of lemon - but it still was wonderful as it is.
I forgot the lemon juice at the end, but this still was fantastic. Very thick, next time I might use more liquid.
Nice combination of flavours, love the sweet and tangy harmony of it. Doubled the apricot and used regular lentils because I had them on hand. I'm sure the red ones would make for nicer presentation so I'll try them next time. Served this soup with some toasted cheese & mango chutney sandwiches - a killer combo!
Delicious! I didn't change the recipe at all. I make a double batch for lunches. It's definitely more flavorful the next day.
Thank you, Karena, for this wonderful recipe. It is so unusual, I wasn't sure my family would like it, but everyone practically cheers when I serve it! The color and taste are special. I always double the recipe, and instead of peeling tomatoes, I just add a 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes. This freezes well too.
This is the best! My husband took one bite and said YUM. Based on other reviews I used a can of diced tomatoes (with juice)instead of fresh, doubled the spices and added a few shakes of cayenne pepper. Also I didn't have chicken stock so I used 2 chicken buillion cubes. And I used regular lentils instead of red, which took longer to cook, over an hour simmering, and I had to add a bit more water-I filled the tomato can with water and that was enough. I chopped the dried apricots and didn't use any salt since the buillion is pretty salty, and didn't blend it at all. Sounds like a lot of changes but its not, its very easy to make and seriously one the best soups I've ever had. Thanks!
i have never given anything 5 stars but this came very close to being the first!! i didnt change a thing even after reading the reviews of at least 20 helpful gr8 people who were nice enuf to leave their helpful hints and this was amazing!! i had to fight myself to keep from doubling the spice as so many had suggested but wanted to see how it was first as it was submitted, my sweetheart isnt as fond of this style food as i, so i figured if it lacked i could always add the next day because i was making this a day ahead of eating it anyway. i did double the recipe as i had promised some taste testing at the office ahead of making it!! lol!! i loved it without the extra spices and in no way found this to be bland or boring!! i did find i had to add only 1 cup additional broth (which since we are vegetarians i used veggie broth)in cooking and that is between the double recipes as it got too thick the last 15 min of cooking and i like very thick soup! i was just a little afraid it would scorch so i added the cup of broth to be safe. there was no need to blend the soup, the lentils broke down nicely and it was nice and creamy when cooking was complete. i did peel and seed my tomatoes and really think the fresh peeled an seeded tomatoes are worth the little extra tinme it takes so come people dont be so hurried spoil urselves!! i found the red lentils at whole foods market and they were worth the drive!! this is an awesome soup and next time i will try with the cubed sweet potato an
This was really good. Loved the hint of apricot in it. I will also add that I can only eat about a half bowl. It's quite odd, but I become extremly full, and it stays with me for hours. Low fat, delicious,nutritious and filling. What more could you ask for. I would call this a one pot wonder, and I rarely say that about a dish. Thank you for sharing this.
the best lentil soup i have ever made! i added double spices, 1/2c quinoa, and one sweet potato. a new fav!
This was a tasty dish. I used cranberries instead of apricots which turned out well.
Really good flavor! Used a can of diced tomatoes, 2 cups of green lentils (8oz bag), double cumin, and 2 more cups of broth. Also did not puree at the end. Definitely will try next time paired with brown rice.
Absolutely delicious! I used canned lentils which cut the cooking time down significantly
Good & unusual flavor. Made a day ahead for a holiday get-together and everyone loved it. Used veggie broth rather than chicken and canned tomatoes. Added a lot more cumin & thyme than recipe called for! Thanks.
Very nice. I always pre-soak lentils. Sort of cold cooking. And I keep acids away from them until they are cooked, including tomato and the apricot. In fact, a way to keep lentils from falling apart is to add tomato or lemon juice while they are still intact. But this was too good to make so little of.
This was soo good. i love apricots. they really added a nice sweet flavor to the lentils! to make it vegetarian, i used homemade veggie stock instead of chicken. these with veggie samosas and a selection of chutneys makes a great dinner!
I made this recipe because I had dried apricots that I wanted to use up. I wasn't expecting this soup to be so outstanding! I followed the recipe but used green lentils instead of red just because I couldn't find them. I will make this again! Thanks for the recipe!
Honestly, this was my first attempt at ANY soup. I was looking for something high in fiber that I could freeze (I'm a college student). I love it! I took the advice of others and used diced tomatoes, as well as added more cumin. Also, I put in some paprika. It is awesome. You can't really taste the apricots per say, but it is definitely good.
I came across this recipe in my ongoing quest to find foods for someone on a pureed diet. Potato, cream, and cheese based soups were getting a bit old, and pureed bean in general doesn't really need to be soup. This one seemed different without being off the rails. SUCCESS! Another soup to add to the arsenal. I was worried about the apricot, but read the reviews and was careful not to add too much. Since the recipe doesn't say what to do with the apricot, I diced them fairly small, and measured that way. The taste was very slight, but enough to give it character. I didn't peel the tomatoes either. Only one tablespoon of lemon, and I thought it was way more than enough. Red lentils are kind of important as they break down better. Found them at Sprouts whole foods. I used a stick blender to puree the whole batch, and it made a wonderfully thick, tasty soup, perfect for what I was looking for. Good protein and fiber are a bonus!
I love this recipe! The trick the soup is to COVER the stock pot and then let the soup simmer 30 minutes, so that way the water stays in the pot, it won't boil out and leave you needing to add more water. I pureed the soup completely with a stick blender, and then right before serving, I swirled in a dollop of plain yogurt for some extra creaminess. It was awesome! Thanks for the great, inexpensive, recipe!
Sweet onion salsa instead of tomatoes. Doubled cumin. Left out lemon. Delicious! Husband loved it! Will make this a regular soup in our home! Served with fresh mozzarella grill cheese.
This was a delicious and hearty soup that we both enjoyed. I followed the recipe exactly with the exception of replacing raw garlic with 4 cloves of roasted garlic. I also chopped the apricots prior to sauteing. This soup is a wonderful alternative to the lentil soup I'm used to with it's slightly fruity taste. I served it with the Homesteader Cornbread recipe I found on this sight and we will definitely be having this duo again.
Wonderful soup -- and much more interestig than run-of-the-mill lentil soup. I doubled the amount of cumin and added some ancho chili powder to make it a little spicier.
This was a good recipe as long as you like lentil soup (which I just found out that my husband does not). I think I will add more apricots next time. I was expecting it to be a bit sweeter. I followed the advice of others and added extra cumin (1 tsp. extra).
This is a very nice and quickly put together soup. I found the cooking time a bit long for the simmering stage-red lentils cook so quickly--so I shaved at least 10 minutes off of the simmering time. I added much more Cumin and Thyme than the recipe called for, as well as a dash of Nutmeg which really brightened all of the flavors. Surprisingly good--inspires you to try different fruit/legume combos like pumpkin for example!
I fond this very bland. The apricots added nothing to the flavor and it was so thick it was more like a stew than a soup. Threw it out.
This was really easy and really good. I doubled the cumin and thyme, and used a whole can of whole tomatoes. I will definitely make this again!
I LOVE this soup! It's easy to convert to vegetarian; just sub veggie broth for the chicken broth. The flavor does not suffer for the substitution. My only suggestion/recommendation would be to finely chop the apricots before adding; you don't want big chunks of them in the soup. (Use a greased knife or oiled scissors for this.) DO NOT omit the lemon juice; it adds a very important flavor dimension. Thank you, Karena, for a terrific recipe!
This is a healthy, easy, delicious recipe! I am now inspired to try dried fruits in different dishes!
This is a delicious soup, and easy to prepare -- a winning combination! Like some others, I doubled the cumin and I added 1/2 tsp curry as well -- everything else was as per the recipe. Will make again!
I cooked the soup in a pressure cooker. (I grew up in India and we always cook lentils in a pressure cooker.) I made this ahead of time for a dinner party at my house. When it was time to serve, the soup had thickened to large lump. I diluted with chicken broth. I had four guests and they all agreeed that this soup was the bomb. It was really yummy. Cannot wait to make it again. However, if you plan to make it ahead of time, you may want to reduce the lentils to one cup.
A wonderfully different tasting soup! I needed to cook my lentils longer than 30 minutes (used brown lentils) and so needed to add some more broth so it wasn't too thick. My soup-loving husband went back for seconds and has booked the leftovers for Sunday supper. I also added 1 tsp cumin instead of half and blended it all as suggested by another reviewer. Thanks Karena
Yes! This is a simple, hearty, flavorful soup that's healthy and a snap to throw together. I did not puree the soup, which didn't matter since it was already creamy from simmering. I chopped the apricots before adding them, and I used two large tomatoes instead of the Romas called for. That was a mistake, as the Romas would have had a better flavor. Next time -- and there _will_ be a next time -- I'll probably add a can of chopped tomatoes as so many have suggested here. Thanks for the recipe!
This is a great substantial, filling soup. I didn't process it because I like my soup thick and chunky. I enjoyed it with cornbread and plan to make it again.
This was good! I have to say I disagree with those who said increasing the amount of apricots made it too sweet. I only used the 1/3 cup (finely chopped) apricots that the recipe called for, and I could barely taste any apricot/sweetness at all in the finished product. Next time I will definitely increase to 1/2 cup at least. That said, the soup was super delicious! I doubled the thyme and cumin (as suggested by many reviewers), and I'm glad I did. Perfect blend of spices!
Don't skip this because of the ingredient list! It was delicious and the apricots cook down, adding a slight sweetness to the broth, with the consistency of a cooked yellow pepper. It was different flavors than I usually serve, but my family thought it was definitely one to try again.
This one really surprised me. I was expecting a "knock my socks off" taste but it just wasn't there. The cumin seemed to take over. I will try again and alter the amounts.
SO AMAZING. I've been trying to enjoy lentils for so long but always used recipes that left me disappointed. UNTIL I FOUND THIS. Om nom nom. I followed exactly as is, except used canned tomatoes and doubled the spices. Definitely pair this with a whole grain of some sort - over rice, with bread, etc. It becomes a meal that way and leaves you full for quite some time. Will be making this one again, for sure. (:
Maybe I expected too much but it didn't seem that the apricot flavor came thru very much. It was overpowered by all the other flavors.
This soup is PERFECT. I've made it so many times this winter (sometimes without tomatoes) and it is always delicious.
A delicious soup! The texture is perfect- like a bisque - creamy without any cream. Definitely do not add more apricot - it is exactly the right level of sweetness as is. A great winter soup!
I found this recipe perfect as is. If you truly simmer slowly in a Dutch Oven, you won't have to cover it or add any water.
Great soup! I used only 1 T. of oil (cuts about 40 calories per serving, and it's plenty for sauteing); used a 14 oz can of diced tomatoes (drained) instead of messing with peeling and chopping romas. I'm not too fond of cumin, so substituted with 2 t. of curry powder. I think the lemon juice is optional -- I tasted the soup several times during the cooking process, and don't think the lemon juice added anything essential. Turned out fabulous! Really, really tasty.
I don't know why it took me so long to rate this. We love it, and we've served it several times over to guests. Everyone raves about this soup. We maybe have added a few more apricots and a few more lentils. I don't really know. Cooking is an art, not a science, right? This is a great soup!
This is great! I can't wait to eat it tomorrow, when it's had a chance to get even better. I doubled the cumin, but kept the thyme at 1/2 tsp. I also used veggie broth, since I'm a vegetarian. I didn't seed or peel the tomatoes and didn't blend half of the soup. It was still great. A real keeper!
This was just ok, I've made much more satisfying lentils before. This could have been because I used fresh apricots ( almost a cup). I also added cayenne powder, turmeric and a bit of curry powder all of which lent the soup a spiced flavor, but overall this just didn't wow me. I will have to try it with dried apricots next time.
I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out great. It was very easy,too. Reminds me of an indian dal. Highly recommended!
I actually wrote the recipe down wrong and put in 7 cups of stock so I added a can of garbanzo beans, doubled the cumin and added cayenne pepper. I used a couple tablespoons of fresh German Thyme from my garden. My husband and I loved it.
This is a nice change from the usual lentil soups. The only changes I made to the recipe were that I added twice as much apricot (and heck, next time I'll triple it) and I also had to add an extra cup of water because it got very thick.
Delicious! It sounds strange initially, but once you try it, it's absolutely amazing. Very easy to make. I chopped up the apricots into small pieces first.
This was surprisingly fantastic! I wasn't sure about the apricots. I was just searching for recipes with lentils and had dried apricots on hand. I thought that this might be an okay way to use them. Everyone in my family thought that the combination sounded horrible. They were quite pleasantly surprised by how excellent this soup is! I used regular tomatoes instead of roma and didn't peel or seed them. I also did not place 1/2 of the soup in the blender. It was still wonderful! I will be making this again! It is healthy and unusual and tasty enough to serve to guests!
I added a tsp of Garam Masala as well as one Tbsp honey, just for fun. Everyone loved it, and I would definitely make this again.
So simple and delicious. Really easy to make and it smelt so good my 7 and 4 year olds wanted to try it - and liked it! Next time I will use fresh thyme - not dried - for a more authentic flavour. This will be a regular on our dinner menu from now on. Thanks.
I tried this recipe just because I was intrigued by the combination of flavours, and I'm so glad I did! Very tasty - I made no changes.
Great soup. Making it tonight for the thrid time in as many months. Like others, I increased the spices and used a can of diced tomatoes. Yummy
Thks for sharing this great, quick recipe. I read the reviews and made a few changes re spices etc. and it turned to be a wonderful cold day dinner. Served with Irish Spicy Cornbread from this site. Thks
Hmmm, not to my liking! I followed the recipe to the letter, with the exception of using regular lentils, not red ones.
I love this! The only two things I do differently: I don't puree it. Wish I could, but I don't have a blender! Also, I use veggie stock (I'm a vegetarian). Very good... sometimes I crave it!
This is a wonderful soup. My family enjoyed it with bread. I followed the recipe exactly except for adding an extra tomato. Apricots added such a lovely sweet flavor. Thank you for sharing.
This was very good! The apricots added a nice sweet taste. I didn't add tomatoes because they aren't in season, aside from that I followed the recipe as is. Very easy and healthy, too!
I felt adventurous today, so gave this recipe a try. It's not a recipe I would make every day, but if you are tired of the same old soups, it's a nice change. The taste is quite unique, but good. Tending to the tomatoes took longer than everything else--about twenty minutes. The instructions did not specify what size to cut the apricots into, so I left them whole, but will probably dice them next time. When I put 1/2 of the soup in the blender, I put all of the apricots I could fish out in the blender as well. I didn't want any of my family members to freak out when they bit into an apricot. The rest of my family isn't as adventurous as I am. Everybody liked the soup though.
