Vegan-Friendly Turkish Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 Turkish bay leaves
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups red lentils, picked over and rinsed
• 1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups water
• 4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 lemon, sliced into wedges

Step 1

Warm some olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Toss in the chopped onions along with a teaspoon of salt and cook them gently, stirring now and then, until they’re soft and fragrant—this usually takes about 8 minutes. Then add the thyme sprigs, garlic, cumin, and bay leaves, stirring everything together for another minute to let the spices wake up.

Step 2

Pour in the vegetable broth along with the tomatoes, red lentils, tomato paste, oregano, the rest of the salt, and some pepper. Give it a good stir, then partially cover the pot and let it simmer gently. Keep an eye on it and stir occasionally until the lentils are really tender and starting to fall apart, which should take anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes.

Step 3

Once the lentils are soft, fish out the thyme and bay leaves and set them aside. Let the soup cool for about 10 minutes—it makes it easier to handle when blending. Then, scoop about 4 cups of the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour the blended soup back into the pot and stir in some water to loosen it up to your liking.

Step 4

Finally, ladle the soup into bowls and finish it off with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice for a bright, fresh touch. Enjoy!