Orange lentil soup is thick, full of nutritional value, and serves as a complete meal. I like to cook it until the lentils break down and thicken the soup, and then it becomes truly indulgent.
And no, there is no need to cook or soak the lentils before cooking. It’s just important to use orange lentils here and not green/black lentils, which require longer cooking and usually soaking.
By the way, if you decrease the amount of water, you can serve it as a side dish with rice.
3/4 teaspoon Baharat (spice mixture available in specialty stores)
1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cut the onion, celery, parsley root, carrots and garlic into small cubes. - In a medium-large pot, sauté the onions, celery, parsley root, garlic, and carrots for 10 minutes until softened and browned. If the vegetables stick to the bottom of the pot after a few minutes, you can add 1/3 cup of water, no more, and continue to cook together until the water evaporates completely. - Add turmeric, paprika, Baharat and salt and mix. Cook for 2 minutes. - Add lentils and boiling water and mix. - Cook over medium-low heat for an hour until the soup is thick and the lentils are soft, stirring occasionally so that the lentils do not sink to the bottom.
Orange Lentil Soup
Notes
- To enhance the flavor and color, you can add a teaspoon of tomato paste or 2 tablespoons of crushed tomatoes. Personally, I don’t add tomatoes to soups that don't require their presence because the soup tends to turn sour. Tomato paste, on the other hand, will be perfectly fine and will add color and a little sweetness. - Instead of or in addition to the carrots, you can add a small sweet potato or grated butternut squash. - If the soup turns out too thick, you can add another cup of boiling water during cooking. Just remember to continue cooking the soup after adding it so that the water and lentils combine. - If you like a spicier soup, you can increase the amount of hot paprika to 1/2 teaspoon. - Only taste the soup after the lentils have softened and the soup has thickened. It is at this stage that the flavors set, and then you can adjust your spices if you wish. - For an Asian twist, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of red curry to the soup when cooking the vegetables, which also adds heat and great flavor. A most singular orange lentil soup. - Want to make this even better? Add 3/4 cup of coconut cream or coconut milk to the soup 5 minutes before the end of cooking and cook for a few minutes. - For those who like it, I recommend you serve with finely chopped cilantro and a little lemon squeezed on top. - If you discover towards the end of cooking that the soup is a bit watery, you can add 1/2 cup of rolled oats (quick-cook) and cook for 10 minutes until the soup thickens.
