Lentil soup is super healthy but can get a little boring after a while. Spice things up with this Persian Red Lentil Soup with tahini, beets and fried mint – this is one more lentil soup recipe you won’t get tired of. Tinged with warming spices like cumin, coriander, cinnamon, sweet and hot paprika and served with a dollop of garlicky tahini, this soup is the epitome of hearty. I will be making it a lot this fall.
To keep the recipe vegetarian, I use vegetable stock. For a bit more heft and protein, feel free to use chicken stock (homemade or your favorite store-bought stock) and serve the soup with a poached egg on top.
To make the Persian Red Lentil Soup, you will need the following ingredients:
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until shimmering. Add 1 finely chopped onion, 1 sliced celery stalk, and 2 finely chopped garlic cloves. Sauté until tender, about 4-5 minutes.
Stir in 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 2 teaspoons sweet paprika, ½ teaspoon hot paprika, and 1 pinch ground cinnamon and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add ¾ cup chopped tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 1-2 minutes.
Add 6 ⅓ cups stock and 1 ½ cups red lentils and stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium and simmer, half-covered with a lid, until the lentils are very tender, about 20-25 minutes.
In the meantime, make the garlic tahini. In a bowl, stir together ⅓ cup tahini, ⅓ cup thick yogurt, 1 finely chopped garlic clove, juice of 1 lemon, and ¼ cup hot water until smooth. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the remaining olive oil. Fry mint leaves until crisp, about 1-2 minutes. Remove the mint leaves with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Discard the oil.
Using an immersion blender, partially purée the lentil mixture. Then stir in the zest and juice of a lemon and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Ladle the soup into bowls, add a swirl of garlic tahini, and top with thinly sliced beets and fried mint. Serve with a poached egg if you wish. Enjoy!
Prefer to make your soups at home? Try this Persian Red Lentil Soup! It’s filling, deeply flavorful and heart-warming. If you make this delicious red lentil soup, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating! We love hearing from you!
