Red Lentil Soup
A quick, comforting red lentil soup with sweet vegetables, warm spices, and fresh toppings that make it feel anything but basic.
Equipment
- Immersion blender (or regular blender, for partial blending)
- Food processor (for the cilantro topping)
Ingredients
For the red lentil soup
- 250 g red lentils, rinsed
- 1 medium onion (about 200 g), finely diced
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 300 g), diced
- 300 g pumpkin, peeled and diced
- 70 g celeriac, finely diced (or 1 celery stalk, very finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1½ liters water or stock (vegetable or chicken)
For the cilantro topping
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ bunch fresh cilantro (mostly leaves)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Salt, to taste
- Optional: fresh green chili
For the pita croutons
- 1 Pita bread
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Flaky salt
Instructions
Soup
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add the onion, celeriac (or celery), and sweet potatoes. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
- Add the pumpkin and rinsed red lentils.
- Season with cumin, salt, and black pepper, then pour in the water or stock.
- Bring to a boil, taste, and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Lower to a simmer and cook for 25–30 minutes, until all the vegetables are very tender.
- Blend the soup partially using an immersion blender, keeping some texture. Taste again and adjust seasoning.
Cilantro topping
- Add the garlic, cilantro, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt to a food processor and blend until smooth.
- Taste and adjust, adding green chili if using.
Pita croutons
- Cut the pita into strips, toss with olive oil and a pinch of flaky salt, and spread on a baking tray.
- Bake at 180°C / 350°F for 10–15 minutes, until golden and crisp.