Name: Turkish Red Lentil Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons olive oil; 2 onions finely chopped, I puree them in a mini food-chopper until they're smooth; 1 teaspoon paprika; 1 cup red lentils, rinsed; 1/2 cup bulgur, rinsed; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 8 cups vegetable stock; 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1 lemon

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This satisfying red lentil soup uses just a few pantry ingredients, is vegan-friendly, and perfect for cold weather.

This year, I resolved to cook more meatless meals. One of the biggest hurdles to this has been my lifelong aversion to beans and lentils.

But as a recovering picky eater, I’m trying very hard to grow up and get over it. In my quest to like lentils, I’ve tried lentil casserole, lentil tacos, and a version of lentil sloppy joes that a friend promised I would like (alas, I didn’t).

Then I remembered a lentil soup I’d had years ago at a friend’s house and asked for the recipe.

At last! A lentil recipe I really, truly love. It’s also inexpensive, uses staples I can keep in my pantry, and requires only about ten minutes of hands-on prep.

Make a batch of this soup and a loaf of bread and you’ve got two easy, hearty (and healthy) meals–perfect for cold weather.

Turkish Red Lentil Soup

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions finely chopped, I puree them in a mini food-chopper until they're smooth
1 teaspoon paprika
1 cup red lentils, rinsed
1/2 cup bulgur, rinsed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
8 cups vegetable stock
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 lemon

Instructions

Saute onions in olive oil.
Add paprika, lentils, bulgur, and tomato paste.
Add stock and cayenne pepper and cook about an hour, stirring occasionally.
Squeeze a lemon wedge into each bowl before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 Serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 171Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 973mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 5g