Red Lentil Soup with Lemon and Cilantro

This bright and tasty Red Lentil Soup with Lemon and Cilantro will become a quick favorite in your kitchen. It comes together in very little time, and with just a couple of ingredients, it couldn’t be easier to make

Recipe by Vicky and Ruth on November 1, 2020

Prep time: PT10M

Cook time: PT40M

Total time: PT40M

Rating

5 stars ( reviews)

Keywords

Red lentil soup, recipe, lemon, cilantro, how to cook red lentils

Ingredients

1 lb of red lentils about 2 1/2 cups
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large bunch of cilantro, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon

Cuisine

Middle Eastern

Steps

Spread the lentils on a large plate and remove any small stones and other debris
Rinse lentils in a fine-mesh colander and rinse well until the water runs clear
In a large soup pot, boil lentils in 8 cups of water with the salt until tender, about 20 minutes. The lentils will turn yellow. Skim and discard any white from the surface, if any.
While the red lentils are cooking, heat olive oil in a medium-size skillet sauté cilantro and garlic for 3-4 minutes or until the cilantro turns dark green. Set aside
When lentils are tender and cooked garlic and cilantro, lemon juice and stir well.
Simmer for an additional 20 minutes.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 250 calories
Carbohydrates: 39
Protein: 14.5
Fat: 4.8
Saturated Fat: .7
Trans Fat: 0
Cholesterol: 0
Sodium: 586
Sugar: .3
Unsaturated Fat: 3.9

Reviews

marta on 2016-04-24 (5 stars):
I am excited to have the lentil soup today! it is simmering now.. This is exactly what I wanted, and I believed it must be possible to make a great red/yellow lentil soup with just the garlic lemon and cilantro...but all the other recipes out there were cumin heavy and canned broths and so on... simplicity is the best...I cant wait to share this with my vegan friends. thank you
Mary on 2025-01-03 (5 stars):
I have no appetite due to Covid, but this looks so simple and delicious I am making it afternoon. ♥️ These are favorite ingredients and so healthy! Thank you.
Rebeca on 2021-01-04 (5 stars):
Thank you for sharing! This soup is really good and excellent for this time of the year.!
Lexi on 2021-04-28 (5 stars):
Just made this and it was so simple and delicious! Had some low sodium broth in my pantry, so I used that to boil the lentils instead of water- so good!
juleezee on 2022-02-11 (5 stars):
OMG, how did I not know about this version of red lentil soup until now? I've been making red lentil soup for years, but sautéing the garlic AND cilantro, then adding it to the pot of simmering soup is genius. Switching to this recipe pronto.
susan g on 2022-02-11 (5 stars):
Just right! You didn't mention the salt in the directions -- I put it in the skillet with the garlic and cilantro, since I read somewhere that it controls spattering (is that true?).4
alfonso none cabral on 2022-02-11 (5 stars):
very good! i used brown lentils
edgar tipton on 2024-08-06 (5 stars):
Best lentil soup I have ever fixed. Thanks