The BEST Red Lentil Soup Recipe
Fast and easy for a delicious weeknight meal
I’m pulling this post from my old archives because I STILL talk about this soup frequently.
My soup obsession continues and this Red Lentil Soup with Lemon recipe from Melissa Clark at the New York Times** has been in my weekly rotation. I’m not the only one raving about this soup - it has 5 stars and almost 32,000 likes (big numbers for the NYTimes Cooking app!).
This soup is a marvel, and I recommend it all the time to clients. It's off the charts delicious, couldn't be easier to make, inexpensive and good for the body and soul this time of year.
Unlike dried beans, dried lentils need no soaking time and cook in about a half hour, making them an ideal ingredient for an easy weekday lunch or dinner. Lentils are an excellent source of protein and fiber, as well as rich in vitamins and minerals like iron, potassium and magnesium.
My recipe tweaks: Made as is, I think the recipe soup is a bit too thin. I bump up the red lentils to 1.5 cups and add more carrots. The big splash of lemon juice at the end is key. And then a little drizzle of my “good” olive oil to top it off.
**Unfortunately this recipe is only accessible if you already have access to NYTimes Cooking. I do highly recommend subscribing if you don’t already. It tends to be my go-to source for trying new recipes and the comments section is invaluable.