Turkish Red Lentil Soup (Mercimek Corbasi - Soy-Free)

Ingredients

• 1 cup Red lentils
• 6 cups Vegetable broth
• 1 medium Onion
• 1 medium Carrot
• 1 medium Potato
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 tbsp Dried mint
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 0.5 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Salt
• 0.5 tsp Black pepper
• 6 wedges Lemon wedges

Instructions

1. 1Measure 1 cup of red lentils and rinse them thoroughly under cold running water until the water runs clear.
2. 2Place a large pot or Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium heat (350°F / 175°C). Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
3. 3Once the oil is shimmering, add the 1 medium onion, chopped, and the 1 medium carrot, chopped. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. You should see them becoming slightly translucent.
4. 4Add the 1 medium potato, diced, and the 2 tablespoons of tomato paste to the pot. Cook for 1 minute more, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste darkens slightly.
5. 5Stir in the rinsed 1 cup of red lentils, the 6 cups of vegetable broth, 1 teaspoon of paprika, 0.5 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 0.5 teaspoon of black pepper. Stir everything together well.
6. 6Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a rolling boil. Once boiling, immediately reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with a lid, and let it simmer gently for 25 to 30 minutes. The lentils should be very tender and easily mashed.
7. 7Carefully use an immersion blender to blend the soup directly in the pot until it is smooth and creamy. If you do not have an immersion blender, you can transfer the soup in batches to a regular blender, being careful not to overfill it, and blend until smooth, then return it to the pot.
8. 8Stir in the 1 tablespoon of dried mint. Heat the soup gently for another minute to allow the mint flavor to infuse.
9. 9Serve the Turkish Red Lentil Soup hot. Place 6 lemon wedges on the side for each person to squeeze into their soup.

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