Mercimek Çorbasi (Turkish Red Lentil Soup)

Turkish Red Lentil Soup or kırmızı mercimek çorbası as we say in Turkish is super easy to make and perfect on cold days to warm you up. Cook everything in one pot and blend them together. It’s that easy! One of the best vegan soups because it is super filling and loaded with flavors.

If you happen to go to a restaurant in Turkey, you see that there is one soup they always have on their menu: Red Lentil Soup (merci corbasi).

It is a staple at restaurants and you can find it at any time of the day. Even in the early mornings. And it is always served with a lemon wedge and some pide bread on the side.

If you need a satisfying soup that is not heavy and comes together quickly, this recipe fits the bill perfectly. Plus, it is naturally vegan and gluten-free.

Is Mercimek Çorbası the Same as Ezogelin Çorbası?

No, it is not!

Mercimek Çorbası is often confused with Ezogelin Çorbası as they are both made with red lentils. They are not the same though. The former is made with red lentils, onions, potatoes and carrots while the latter is made with red lentils, bulgur, rice.

Also, mercimek çorbası has a mild taste but ezogelin is spicy. And finally, mercimek çorba is a blended soup, so it has a smooth texture whereas ezogelin çorbası is not blended and has a thick and chunky texture.

Why Should You Make This Soup?

• It is incredibly easy to make.
• Our recipe is versatile. You can make your own vegetable additions.
• You can also make it ahead of time. It freezes very well for up to 6 months! And, to thaw and reheat is incredibly easy.
• It’s rich, creamy and uber hearty.
• It really fills you up. Because lentils are used, it adds a ton of protein which fills you up quickly.

About The Ingredients

This Turkish lentil soup consists of two parts. The first is the soup itself, and the second is a spicy oil sauce. Although the sauce is optional, we promise it will take your soup to the next level. So it is highly recommended. And it literally takes a minute to make that sauce. 

Soup Ingredients

• Red Lentils: There are several types of red lentils at the market. It would be great if you can find Turkish kırmızı mercimek (red lentils), which are round and thick. No worries if you can’t. Any red lentil works fine. The only difference you might end up with is the color.
• Vegetables: We use onion, potato, carrot and garlic to have more flavor. Among these, the only must-have one is onion. Although the other veggies are totally optional, almost everyone in Turkey uses them in a classic Turkish red lentil soup recipe. Why? Potato gives a little more consistency. Carrot gives a subtle sweetness. And garlic makes it even tastier. 
• Spices: The spices in a traditional lentil soup in Turkish cuisine are cumin, black pepper, red pepper flakes, paprika and dried mint. But if you want a plainer taste, you can use salt and pepper only. Also, you can replace red pepper flakes with Aleppo pepper or crushed chilies. And you can replace paprika with cayenne pepper.

Sauce Ingredients

The sauce is an optional element. But for us, it is a must-add. It helps take the flavor of the entire dish to a whole new level! It is a combination of oil, tomato paste, paprika and dried mint. 

You can make the sauce only with oil and paprika or leave the tomato paste out and make it with oil, paprika and dried mint. You can replace oil with butter. In Turkey, you can see that the sauce is made with a combination of pepper paste (biber salçası) and tomato paste. So the sauce itself is quite versatile as well.

How to Make It

Now let’s move onto how to make Turkish red lentil soup with a step-by-step guide. It’s incredibly easy and quick too!

1. Combine the ingredients. Put lentils, onion, potato, carrot, garlic, spices and water in a large pot or a saucepan. 

2. Cook the soup. Put the pot over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and allow the Turkish lentil soup to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the ingredients from sticking to the bottom. Remove it from the heat when all of the ingredients are tender.
3. Blend the cooked mercimek soup. Place the tender ingredients into a food processor or use an immersion blender (hand blender). Blend it until you have a completely smooth soup.
4. Finish off the soup. Finally, place the blended lentil soup back into the pot. Set it over the lowest heat and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes so the flavors can merge.

5. Make the sauce. Add the olive oil, tomato paste, paprika and dried mint in a saucepan. Place it over medium heat. Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. 
6. Serve. You can either stir the sauce into the blended lentil soup or drizzle it over the top of bowls when serving. Traditionally, lemon wedges and extra spices like red pepper flakes and mint are always served on the side. 

Variations

There is another method of making mercimek corbası. You sauté the veggies, lentils and spices with some oil and tomato paste in a pot, pour water over them and then blend. We don’t see much difference in taste. So you can go with whichever method you like.

This soup is naturally vegan and completely free of gluten. However, you can easily use chicken stock to add more richness to the flavor profile. Or use vegetable broth if you still want to keep it vegetarian.

Want a more nutty flavor in your soup? Make a roux as a base before adding all the soup ingredients in the pot as we do in our tomato soup recipe. Then don’t leave the potato out. The soup would become too thick otherwise.

Serving Suggestions

This Turkish red lentil soup is great on its own. Always serve it with some lemon wedges on the side as the soup gets even tastier when you add in some lemon juice.

You can also serve it with a mint and red pepper flakes garnish. Most authentic Turkish lentil soup bowls are served this way.

Tips

• This Turkish lentil soup recipe isn’t supposed to be very thick. So, if you see yours becoming too thick, add about ½ cup of hot water before removing the soup from the heat. Whisk it in well.
• For this recipe, you can use any type of blender or food processor that you have. If you don’t have any, you can pass them through a fine-meshed sieve. Or, you can just leave it as-is (chunky).
• Be careful when blending as the soup will be really hot.
• To reheat, add a little bit of water, about ¼ to ⅓ cup. When the soup sits in the fridge, it thickens up quite a lot. And as we’ve said, it shouldn’t be a thick soup.
• You don’t have to add the oil sauce to this soup, but we highly recommend it. It deepens the flavor and adds some color.
• You can add the soup either in the soup pot and blend everything well or just drizzle it over the bowls when serving.

Storage

In the fridge: After the soup completely cools down, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. 

In the freezer: Just place the cooled soup inside an airtight container or resealable plastic bag. The bags are great because you can portion better, and they can be frozen flat to take up less space. Then, store it in the freezer for up to 2 months. 

FAQs

Is this soup healthy?

This soup is not only decadent and comforting but also super nutritious. Lentils are a good source of protein and fiber, that’s why it is perfect for vegans. Plus, they have a low glycemic index when you cook them yourself. It might be higher though if you are using canned lentils. Also, it is low in calories. To put it in a nutshell, red lentil soup is a great option for a healthy diet.

My soup is too thick, what should I do?

Add in about ¼ cup of hot water and let it simmer for a minute. If it is still too thick, add some more water. Don’t forget to taste it to check whether you need to add a little more salt too after adding water.