Turkish Red Lentil Soup (Mercimek Çorbası)
Silky red lentil soup finished with crispy browned butter and Aleppo pepper — a Turkish classic that's warming, deeply savory, and ready in 35 minutes. Serve with crusty bread and lemon wedges.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Servings
- 6
- Calories
- 218
- Protein
- 11g
Ingredients
11 items — tap to check off
Missing one? Custrd suggests a swap that works.
Open the appInstructions
Step 1
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until shimmering, ~60 seconds.
Step 2
Add onion and carrot; sauté until softened, ~5 minutes.
Step 3
Stir in tomato paste and cumin; cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Step 4
Pour in broth and add rinsed lentils; bring to a boil over medium-high.
Step 5
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until lentils are completely soft, ~15 minutes.
Step 6
Blend soup using an immersion blender until smooth and creamy.
Step 7
Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
Step 8
In a small skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat until it foams and turns golden-brown, ~3 minutes.
Step 9
Stir Aleppo pepper into browned butter and remove from heat.
Step 10
Ladle soup into bowls and drizzle each with a spoonful of Aleppo-butter mixture.
Step 11
Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over the top.
Tools you’ll need
- large pot
- small skillet
- immersion blender
- wooden spoon or spatula
- ladle
- cutting board and knife
Cook smarter
Get matched recipes for what’s in your fridge
Custrd is an iPhone and Android app that finds real recipes from the ingredients you already have. No more grocery-list aspirations. Try it free for 7 days.
