This is a wonderful soup that sort of resembles split-pea. I serve it garnished with lemon wedges, and sometimes add grilled chicken breast or cooked and cubed sweet potatoes for texture. Have fun with it!
Very good. I am a Palestinian and we cook this all the time. I double the Cumin. and get rid of the cayenne pepper and use regular pepper. Also no need to puree, if you leave the soup on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes the lintels will dissolve completely. I add the onions last because I like the crunch.
Read MoreI think the reviews are a little overrated, since I felt the lemon was quite overpowering. The soup is very different before and after the lemon is added. One should add it gradually, to taste, I think.
Read MoreVery good. I am a Palestinian and we cook this all the time. I double the Cumin. and get rid of the cayenne pepper and use regular pepper. Also no need to puree, if you leave the soup on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes the lintels will dissolve completely. I add the onions last because I like the crunch.
This soup is delicious. I did alter it a little. If you saute onions, garlic, celery and carrots and add them at the end, it makes it that much better. Then I let it simmer a while longer until the vegetables were soft. Loved it.
I really like this recipe..and after I "Owned" it, I liked it evern more!! First of all, not everyone can deal with spicy..no worries about eliminating the Cayenne Pepper, lemon pepper is so much better! I also absolutely love the texture of the lentils in this soup, so blending them and ommitting the reason this soup is so good feels wrong, I instead sauteed the onions with carrots and garlice, and pureed them and added them to the soup. I also browned some chicken breast bits and threw them in as well. Doubled the cumin and omitted the cilantro. Great recipe!!!
This soup is fantastic. It tastes just like what I enjoy from our local Mid-Eastern restaurant. I highly recommend using lemon juice or a wedge of lemon for a garnish. My personal preference is to serve the soup with a little long-grain rice like Basmati or Jasmine, fresh cilantro and a dollop of plain yogurt.
I have been looking for a traditional middle-eastern lentil soup for ages, and this one is PERFECT! I substituted veggie broth for the chicken broth to make the recipe vegetarian. 2 cups of red lentils worked well for me with 6 cups of broth.
I think the reviews are a little overrated, since I felt the lemon was quite overpowering. The soup is very different before and after the lemon is added. One should add it gradually, to taste, I think.
I loved this recipe. I cut the portions in half for a single persons portion. I minced the onion and garlic very small and added them to cook for about 15-20 minutes longer. Because I cooked the lentils longer and stirred frequently, I chose not to blend and get more texture. I used store bought lemon juice and only used about half of what the recipe called for. No time for fresh cilantro, so I added coriander for the minty flavor and it was perfect.
This soup is super quick and easy. We usually serve this with hot naan and sometimes over basmati rice. It's delicious!
i am Lebanese,and this is my first time cooking red lentil soup i just made today and loved it so much it's going to be on my dinner table at least ounce a week i added black pepper,and dry cilantro to the onion and garlic it was so delicious
This is good! I basically used whatever I had, which meant I added cauliflower and carrots to the sauteed veg. I also only had canned lentils, and no cilantro, but it still turned out yummy! I also had to use lime juice instead of lemon and veggie stock instead of chicken, but this versatile recipe handled it all great! Thanks!
Delicious. I used brown lentils (that was all I had). Cooked as directed, did not puree/blend at the end. So lemony and fresh tasting! Would be wonderful with chicken in it, but is great on its own.
This has been a favorite in our family for some time - we dont use cilantro we use middle eastern mixed spices, garlic, pepper and lemon. for added flavor you can add some carrots and potatoes to the soup and blend right along with the lentils. Everyone from Grandma - right down to my kids love this soup!
My Lebanese family makes this as well, only, vegetarian style. No chicken broth. I do saute garlic, onions, celery and carrots. And the key ingredient for us is swiss chard and potato diced added at the near end. The last ingredients to add are cilantro and lemon juice. YUM
Great! Had to do a bit of a different spice combo due to what I had in the house, but I'd definitely make this again.
Had wanted to replicate a Lebanese Lentil soup from a nearby restaurant. This is even better! I didn't use the cayenne, used vegetable stock instead of chicken (as we're vegetarians) and used parsley instead of cilantro. DELISH! The lemon juice and cumin MAKE IT!!
I cooked up the onion and some red peppers in some olive oil and once everything was cooked I pureed it all. Next time I'll add more stock as it came out too thick.
Oh my goodness was this good. My Egyptian husband says that this is a dish the Orthodox Christians eat during fasting season. He said it was better than his mother's. Followed the recipe to a t--but next time will add more lemon. The pepper was so mild I fed it to the 2 year old.
Perfect! I replaced the cayenne with fresh ground black pepper so it wouldn't be too spicy and added 3/4 teaspoon salt, but otherwise I kept everything else the same. It was thick but not too thick and had delicious flavor. The cilantro and lemon juice really add the perfect final touch!
UPDATE: Made this again and made some more changes. First, I used 8 cups of homemade Vegetable Broth (Worlds Greatest Vegetable Broth listed on this site). Then I added 1 carrot (cooked the SWEET onion until translucent, then added the garlic and finely diced carrot). I upped the cumin to 2 tablespoons and added just a little less than a 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper and 3/4 teaspoon turmeric to the mix. Did NOT add the white pepper this time around (good call on my part). I also added 1/2 teaspoon of salt because I didn't salt my broth. I added about 3/4 cup lemon juice (freshly juiced), but continued to added more to my bowl separately. My husband said I NAILED it. He loved the added heat and said it was perfect. Thank you for such a great base recipe that allows changes easily. While it is not exactly like the soup we get at our local Lebanese restaurant, he LOVED it. ORIGINAL REVIEW: Great base recipe. Had to make some changes. First, I used vegetable broth (going vegan) in place of the chicken broth. After simmering for 20 minutes, I noticed the soup was way too thick so I added the rest of my broth (I used a total of 64 oz. of broth) and it was still very thick so I added some water (maybe 2 more cups). PERFECT! I let it simmer some more while I finished the rest of the prep. We felt it was a little bland so we added a lot more cumin - sorry, didn't measure, just kept adding until we liked it. Left out the cayenne pepper and used white pepper instead.
Delish! I used Split red lentils - so they cooked a little faster. Also, did everything right in the stock pot. Sauteed onion, garlic, 2 carrots and 2 celery stalks in olive oil. Then added stock (used 2 boxes = 8 cups) and then added rinsed lentils. cooked everything until tender. Then, did a quick whir with the immersion blender. Added less lemon juice. Fast, easy, inexpensive and healthy. A winner! PS: Could also be served over rice.
I really liked this. I dry-roasted the spices in a pan before adding them, just to release a bit more flavour. Also, I'd add the lemon juice to taste, as the lemons we get here in my neck of the woods are very acidic/bitter - I'd go gradually! Wonderful recipe, thanks!
Easy and good. Added a couple sticks of celery too, and had folks add their own lemon and cilantro. A keeper and healthy too.
Wow - surprisingly good -- like split pea but lighter and no need for the ham fat. I didn't follow the recipe exactly -- I cooked the lentils in chicken broth -- I think a 30 minute simmer is too long -- then sauteed onion, carrot & celery in plenty of olive oil. Added the cumin (twice as much), some salt & pepper to the mix, then lastly added the garlic to saute. Threw all of that in the lentils and added lemon juice from a jar. Yummy!
subbed chicken bouillon and water but other than that followed to a T. this was so great and did not need to add a thing (not even salt)
I LOVED this soup. I added a couple teaspoons of turmeric and didn't bother puréeing, but otherwise followed the recipe almost exactly. So delicious.
After reading everyone's reviews, I realized just how versatile & forgiving this recipe is...use what you have & don't worry about what you don't! I used vegetable broth instead of chicken stock. Added some sliced carrots and celery as I sauteed the onion and garlic (if you get a bit of browning on the veggies it brings out more flavor). I reduced the cumin to less than half of what's called for, and added dried thyme & ground coriander (sorry, I didn't measure...just a good shake into the palm of my hand). Fresh tomatoes cut into chunks & added at the finish are wonderful...along with a bit of coarse sea salt. Sadly, the cilantro I had on hand wasn't the freshest, so I decided not to use it...also left out the lemon juice...but will try both next time. This has just enough heat to not be overwhelming; this comes from someone who doesn't like hot, spicy food...in fact my husband was surprised that I was enjoying it, since the heat was just right for him :) Thanks for this recipe...it's found a permanent home in my recipe box.
This was a big hit in our house. Reminded us alot of split pea soup with a slight kick. It has a creamy smooth consistancy and pairs well as side dish to a baked potato, sweet potato or even a ham sandwich.
I used less cumin and cinnamon than called for. This soup is a 5 star soup. Just fantastic!
This delicious soup is ridiculously easy; I did not bother blending it, and we enjoyed the texture. I did not use cilantro, and it did not lack anything. I did add a tiny bit of coriander as suggested by another reviewer, to make up for the lack of cilantro. So easy, so delicious!
This was good and spicy. I added 1 cup of chopped celery and 1 cup of chopped carrots and sauteed them with the onions in 3 Tbl. of butter instead of olive oil. I added the garlic when the onions were translucent. I was nervous about adding the full amount of lemon because others had said it was too strong. So I only did 1/3 cup of lemon. I couldn't taste the lemon at all so I will do 3/4 cup next time. I'm glad I added the celery and carrot. I think the soup would have been a little boring otherwise. It was pretty spicy for my kids, but they still enjoyed it. I did add a little sour cream to tone it down a bit and that tasted good as well. We aren't cilantro fans so we didn't add any. I will definitely make it again, but I will probably add a little less liquid next time. I think I'd like it better more as a chili and less of a soup. It was pretty thick as written, but I'd like it even a little more so. Yum! good recipe.
Growing up in Lebanon, and tasting many different kinds of lentil soups I would say that this one is my new favorite! I did not alter this recipe except for adding a bit of chili powder & flakes since my husband and I like our soups spicy! Thank you for the great recipe, will make now all the time!
I saw no reason to cook the onions and garlic separate...I sautéed them first and added the spices, broth and lentils. I used about 1/3 c lemon juice at the end and a liberal amount of cilantro. This soup is excellent. It Is also attractive and I would not hesitate to serve this to company. Thanks, JENP1.
This was really delicious up until I added the lemon juice, it was way too much for me and drowned out all of the other flavors. Doubling the cumin helped. Next time I would only put a tiny bit of lemon, otherwise it was really delicious and healthy.
I love this recipe. I throw diced hot peppers (chiles) in to saute with onions and garlic (instead of adding cayenne pepper later on). I also double the cumin and don't use the lemon juice.
I made this soup at the coffee house and everyone loved it, it sold out! I did make some changes. I added 4 chopped carrots,it added some sweetnes and 2 cups of hummus for thickness and more flavor. this has become a regular on the menu.
This recipe is easy, delicious, filling and comforting - and so cheap to make! I halved the recipe because I live alone (there are plenty of leftovers for the week). Since I didn't have cayenne on hand, I used black pepper, plus a little ground red pepper for kick. I will definitely be making this again! It's hard not to over eat it :) I think this would be great with carrots, too.
This soup is seriously good. I made a few alterations after reading other reviews: 1) I used onion, carrot, garlic and celeriac (I had one lying around) and sauteed this. When it softened I blended it and added to the cooked lentils. I did NOT blend the soup at the end as I wanted some texture from lentils. (note: when cooking lentils for the first 20 mins keep an eye on it as I kept having to add more water to it and stir frequently to stop it from sticking and burning) 2) I used about 1/8 c lemon juice (I made half the recipe) - it's better to add less and then add more when you serve if you think you need it. 3) I added 1/4 tsp lemon pepper and slightly more cumin as I love cumin. 4) I served it with a sprinkling of paprika and shredded fresh mint which really adds to the flavour.
So delicious! I loved the lemon flavor and I think this will be in my regular winter rotation. I added some small star pasta that I had on hand to make it a little more of a complete meal. I think next time I might add some chopped celery and carrot too. I decided not to blend it just due to personal preference. I found that 2 1/2 lemons gave me the juice I needed. Also, 1 lb of lentils was about 2 1/2 C. I did have to add about a quart of water because it got pretty thick as the lentils boiled.
Tastes like Schwarma in a bowl! Yummy! I followed this recipe exactly except I added one chicken breast. It could stand on its own though without the chicken. Add the lemon! It sounds strange but it tastes good.
Very good! I decided not to puree the soup because the texture reminded me of split pea soup, which we like. If I make it again, though, I think that I would puree it per directions. The flavor is very lemony, which we liked, but I would caution you to use less if you do not like a strong lemon flavor.
My husband is Egyptian and a total foodie. He said this soup is better than any soup he's ever had. He prefers it not pureed, but I like the smoothe texture better, so I just puree my serving with my imersion blender. Thanks for sharing such a yummy recipe!
Great recipe. Really yummy, and pretty easy, especially if you skip the blender, which is unnecessary. Next time I will try a little less lemon juice.
So tasty! I didn't have cilantro, so used about 1 tsp of coriander, and only added a couple tablespoons of lemon juice, as my husband doesn't like lemon flavored things. This is a really easy and delicious recipe. For those who have made this with green lentils, really try to find red ones... they cook quickly and become so creamy. Definitely a recipe to make again and again.
I made this with dinner tonight and we liked it a lot. I used just 1/4 tsp cayenne and it was plenty spicy for us (I have a 5 year old daughter), 2 Tb oil, the juice of just one medium lemon, more salt, vegetable base instead of chicken, and 2 chopped carrots. Also some extra cumin: it's hard to get too much of this awesome spice in my household. I did not have any cilantro on hand so I skipped it but it was great anyway. Highly recommended for weekday supper; try with salad and a baked potato. Easy, high fiber, and healthy!
I am used to making green lentil soup,so it was nice to find this recipe.It is tasty and I did not have to modify except for the addition of carrot.Thank you!
Really good and easy! Followed recipe almost exactly, just subbed fresh parsley for the cilantro. I added lemon juice. I actually tried a taste w no lemon juice, then one with the fake lemon juice (didn't do a thing), then the fresh lemon. Definitely use fresh lemon! Yum!
Yum! Loved it! Spicy and filling. I didn't add the cumin, since I don't care for the taste of it--added a little turmeric instead. Will be making this again! EDIT-So I made this again today and this time I broke down and added cumin (1/4 tsp)--made it taste even more excellent! I LOVE this soup.
This was incredible! Tasted just like the lentil soup served in an Arabic restaurant. I did not have the red lentils on hand so I used regular lentils and added a little turmeric to give it some color. I also halved the recipe with no problems. The cilantro, cumin, and lemon flavors all compliment each other perfectly in this soup.
This soup was excellent and very easy to make - this recipe is a keeper! I also did not need to puree the soup, I just let it cook for an hour or so and time did the work for me. I mistakenly forgot the lemon juice and it was still wonderful.
I've made this recipe three times now and it always turns out great. The cilantro gives a crisp, fresh flavor to offset the heat of the pepper. Delicious!
This was a great recipe and super easy! My whole family loved it..especially with the Cumin for taste. I had red lentils in my cupboard for months and now I had to go buy more because they wanted me to make it again! No need to change anything.
This soup is divine! I made it vegan by using veggie stock instead of chicken. My red lentil fell apart in the pot, so their was no need to blend anything in the end. I did have to add more water to keep the lentil from clumping up, and to make it more soupy. I had no cilantro, so I added a dash of coriander instead. This soup is very flavorful and nutritious. Love!
great recipe on its own but also open for modification. I made with diced carrots with red onions (will try white onions next time for softer flavour), scallions towards the end and extra cracked pepper! so delicious and soothing on a cold day! EDIT: I tried green lentils yesterday but had trouble getting them to the pulpy/melting consistency of the red lentils. Stirred in some canned corn, ground coriander and fresh coriander to garnish. delicious!
This soup is incredible, smooth (didnt need to mash the lentils) and very tasty. I dont believe in meassuring things (unless ur baking) so I liberally added incredients to my liking. Lots of cumin and cilantro, also used pork bones and half a habanero. The lemon juice is definetly needed, I kept feeling like the soup was missing somethings until I added the lemon juice. It was perfect, one of the best lentil soup I have ever had. thanks for a delightful recipe.
Very good. Doesn't really need blending. I had to seriously scale back the recipe as I cook only for myself. I used the tool on this site to re-calculate but the lemon taste was strong so next time I will use less. But I will be making this again.
So good! I used green lentils since I didn't have red lentils. Also, didn't have cilantro, but it turned out very good. The lemon juice really made it!
Loved it! My riffs on the recipe: Add 1tblsp sweet curry to oil w garlic. Then add finely chopped cilantro leaves, shallots, mushroom, onion, celery and carrot to sautée. Put all into boiling lentils. Lentils will soften after 20 min or so. Add juice of 1/2 lemon to soupHand blend some - not all. Leave some pieces of veggies. Garnish w cilantro leaves
I added sweet potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms. The spices were perfect and with the additions I made, the texture was wonderfully "stick to your ribs!"
I added a bit of turmeric and included some extra vegetables I had around. Turned out great, would have been good without the additions as well.
Tasty, easy, kept well in fridge but did need a little water added the next day. Didn't change a thing in the recipe and likely wouldn't. Served with naan bread; complimented it nicely.
I needed to add extra chicken stock as this dried up pretty fast while simmering...the ratio was closer to 1 cup lentils to 4 cups broth. I added the cumin to cook with the onion/garlic to get it in a bit earlier and also left out the cayenne and cilantro. Great soup and will make again!
i really liked this. the lemon was wonderful. as others recommended i added celery and carrots, doubled the spices, subbed coriander for cilantro (didnt have any), and added 2 more cups of broth. these small changes resulted in a very flavorful soup. i may try this in a crock pot next time
This soup is great! It has a wonderful flavor and texture. I used vegetable stock and a lot less lemon juice (around 1/4 cup.) I decided not to blend it because I liked the texture the way it was when I took it off the stove. I'm sure it tastes just as good blended.
This soup is delicious. My only comment is while it's fine to garnish it with lemon wedges, I would not squeeze those lemon wedges into the soup, as it is overkill. We added all the cumin and extra cayenne because we love spicy food. We're going to be eating this a lot. Thank you JENP1!
very good! I did not puree but let it cook a little bit longer and the lentils were mushy enough. I also did not add all the lemon juice based on other reviews.
I had a bag of red lentil in the house and wanted to use them. I stumbled upon this recipe and gave it a shot. Although I didn't have lemon juice nor cilantro and replaced the onion with green onion, it tasted wonderful. Also my lentils were tender after 18min.
This was a delicious and refreshing recipe. I followed Ahmad Ghosheh's advice and forwent the cayenne pepper in favor of black pepper. I was looking for a lentil soup recipe that would mimic my MIL's (she's Egyptian and I LOVE her cooking), and while this didn't taste the same, it was a great alternative soup. Definitely had that delicious middle eastern tangy/savory flavor. Loved it!
Delicious! This will be one of my go-to soup recipes now. I did have a hard time finding the red lentils (had to go to an ethnic store since they were not available in my chain grocery store) - but it was well worth it. Thanks for a delicious, easy recipe.
Flavor was not all I hoped it would be. I added a lot more of each spice, and it still did not taste like the lentil soup I ate in the middle east.
Very easy and delicious. I also made this for a soup swap recently and received great reviews and recipe requests.
liked it when i first tasted it and then realized i couldn't eat a whole bowl. too lemony and just not what i was expecting...i think i'll keep looking....
This is pretty close to how I make mine, though I skip the garlic, and add finely diced carrots, celery, zucchini, and a little tomato paste ... I also use ample salt, turmeric, and cumin (Cayenne pepper does not seem like a great fit to me) ... lastly, I don't bother with a mixer, just dice your vegetables right, and the texture is just fine ... This is very robust, healthy food, and goes with almost anything .... Even my hard-to-please children love this one.
KILLER SOUP!!!! I love this. It is completely simple to make and the taste is amazing. A tiny bit too hot for my heat wimpy hubby but that is easy to fix for next time. My only change was to add about 4 stalks of celery to the onion and garlic sautee. Love this ~ Thank you!!!!!
My husband ate most of the soup in one evening. I happened to make it on a cold, rainy day, so it was very comforting. Thanks!
Since this was last reviewed in '08 I thought I would just add a note that this recipe still holds up in 2011. I had only a handful of red lentils, so I made a very small batch and estimated the seasonings. Delicious. I didn't get the color shown in the picture but the flavor was terrific. So quick too.
Wow!!! Talk about comfort food. This is right up there with mashed potatoes, Texas Chili and Black Beans and Rice. It was smooth and creamy, spicy, and (yea) healthy. I look for foods for my family that meet 4 criteria: tastes good, good for you, easy to make and cheep. This is a keeper!!
very good but excellent for our taste preference with few changes others mentioned. First we added sauted onion, celery, carrot and quartered grape tomatoes at the end and stirred them in to maintain some crunchy texture. We also added 1 1/2-2 x cumin and extra hot Hungarian paprika, again our pref for spicy things. Per others rec to 1/2 the fresh lemon juice and add to taste worked for us and we stopped at 1/4-1/3c. Thanks for great recipe as with all recipes, they have to be tweaked to everyone's own preferences.
Absolutely fabulous! I added more cumin and some carrots. I also didn't blend it very much either.
Good! I used a little less cayenne pepper, and it came out with just the right touch of spicyness.
this was super easy to make and tasted good too. I too didn't blend all of the soup. I blended only about half of the soup so there would still be chunks.
I did not used as much lemon juice and still tasted very sour. I might make it next time without the lemon juice.
This soup is incredibly flavorful, much more so than I expected it to be. The only changes I made were to cook the onions and garlic in a large pot, add the spices to the onions, and then add the lentils and broth to that pot, in order to save the flavors and juices from the onions and garlic. I also threw in half a cup of bulgur to the lentils and broth in order to add a little more protein and fiber. I did not puree the soup. The soup is good with or without the lemon juice. Without the lemon juice, you get more of the cumin flavor. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!
I love this soup so I'm giving it five stars even though I had a few problems with it. I had trouble getting 3/4 cup of lemon juice from two whole lemons so suggest using part fresh squeezed and the rest from a bottle. My soup didn't come out very yellow (red lentils are yellow) and I wonder if I didn't blend it well enough. I liked it a bit "chunky", as did my boyfriend, but the color was a bit difficult to swallow! I had red lentil soup at a restaurant once and it was spectacular. I think this recipe could be too!
This is very similar to my the soup at my favourite Lebanese restaurant. It's just so comforting. I followed the directions exactly and was very pleased. I want to make some fattoush with this... what an authentically yummy lunch that would be!
I used beef stock instead of chicken bc it was what I had on hand. I threw the cilantro in the food processor too. Very quick and easy. very good.
we used Green/Brown lentils from the pantry, which seemed to hold their shape more and gave the soup a more chewy texture. It was more like a dhaal than a soup, but either way, I love it!
