0286kcal[9.0][9/10] Red Lentil Soup with North African Spices

Name: *0286kcal[9.0][9/10]* Red Lentil Soup with North African Spices
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Moroccan, African
Ingredients: ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1 onion (large, chopped fine); Salt (to taste); Pepper (to taste); ¾ tsp coriander (ground); ½ tsp cumin (ground); ¼ tsp ginger (ground); ⅛ tsp cinnamon (ground); Pinch cayenne pepper; 1 tbsp tomato paste; 1 garlic clove (minced); 4 cups chicken (or vegetable broth, plus extra as needed); 2 cups water; 300g red lentils (picked over and rinsed); 2 tbsp lemon juice (plus extra for seasoning); 1½ tsp mint (dried, crumbled); 1 tsp paprika; ¼ cup cilantro (chopped, fresh)

4 steps

Prep:15minCook:25min

The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook Small red lentils are one of our favorite legumes; they do not hold their shape when cooked but break down quickly into a creamy thick puree—perfect for a satisfying soup. Their mild flavor does require a bit of embellishment, so we started by sautéing onion in olive oil and used the warm mixture to bloom some fragrant North African spices. Tomato paste and garlic completed the base before the addition of the lentils, and a mix of broth and water gave the soup a full, rounded character. After only 15 minutes of cooking, the lentils were soft enough to be pureed with a whisk. A generous dose of lemon juice brought the flavors into focus, and a drizzle of spice-infused oil and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro completed the transformation of commonplace ingredients into an exotic yet comforting soup.

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 10:37:00 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Great

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

Moderate

Nutrition per serving

Calories286.3 kcal (14%)

Total Fat10.6 g (15%)

Carbs36.2 g (14%)

Sugars3.2 g (4%)

Protein13.9 g (28%)

Sodium730 mg (37%)

Fiber6.3 g (22%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

6 servings

¼ cupextra-virgin olive oil

¾ tspcoriander

½ tspcumin ground

¼ tspginger

ground

⅛ tspcinnamon

ground

cayenne pepper

1 Tbsptomato paste

1garlic clove

minced

4 cupschicken broth

or vegetable, plus extra as needed

2 cupswater

300gred lentils

picked over and rinsed

2 Tbsplemon juice

plus extra for seasoning

1 ½ tspmint

dried, crumbled

1 tsppaprika

¼ cupcilantro

chopped, fresh

Instructions

Step 1

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in coriander, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Step 2

Stir in broth, water, and lentils and bring to vigorous simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils are soft and about half are broken down, about 15 minutes.

Step 3

Whisk soup vigorously until broken down to coarse puree, about 30 seconds. Adjust consistency with extra hot broth as needed. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt and extra lemon juice to taste. Cover and keep warm.

Step 4

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in small skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Off heat, stir in mint and paprika. Serve soup, drizzling individual portions with 1 teaspoon spiced oil and sprinkling with cilantro.