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This Lebanese crushed lentil soup is one of my childhood favorite recipes. It’s vegan and easy to make and is the perfect comfort food. Made with a handful of ingredients, this healthy and hearty soup is the perfect winter warmer! Ready in 30 minutes.
Today I want to share with you one of my favorite childhood soups that I group up eating! It’s crushed lentil soup (Shorbat Adas in Arabic), which is basically made with red lentils, short grain rice, onions and cumin. We also like adding carrots to it to make it more hearty and colorful. You’re going to love this soup as much as I do.
Why this lentil soup is so good!
We make this soup so often and it is so delicious! It’s:
- Vegan
- Easy to make
- Low in calories
- Made with staple ingredients
- Completely utterly cozy and comforting!
RECIPE VIDEO TUTORIAL
How to make Mediterranean lentil soup
Like most soup recipes, you’ll start by sautéing some onions with olive oil in a large deep pot. Then add the red lentils on top.
Next, add the short grain rice along with the spices you’re using. What spices to include in lentil soup? The traditional crushed lentil soup recipe is only made with cumin, salt and pepper. So I stick to that and keep it pretty basic. You can also add a dash of paprika, cinnamon and turmeric if you’d like – all of them would work really well with this soup.
The next step is mix everything together, throw in some carrots cover with water and cook for half an hour until the mixture is all fluffy and well cooked.
The soup is ready to serve as is. But I like to use an immersion blender to give it a smooth texture. Then, stir in some lemon juice to finish it up with a fresh zing!
Tips to make the best lentil soup
- Use red lentils (they technically look orange) or yellow lentils for this recipe. Both kinds are small split lentils as the crushed lentil soup name suggests and have very soft texture when cooked. So that makes them ideal for this soup recipe.
- Stir a few times while the lentil soup is cooking to avoid the lentils burning or sticking to the pot, which can happen sometimes. You can also gradually add more water as you’re stirring for a thinner consistency if you’d like. Keep in mind that the soup will thicken as it simmers and especially the next day.
- Sauté the onions before adding the lentils, rice and spices which really enhances the flavor of the recipe. But if you’re in a rush, you can absolutely just toss everything together in a pot at the same time and bring it all to a boil together.
- Use brown rice instead of white rice if you prefer. If you’re using brown rice, make sure to allow for extra cooking time so that the rice fluffs up. And it’s best to use short grain if possible for the best consistency.
Frequently asked questions
How long does this soup keep?
Let the soup cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container, it will last about 5 days in the fridge and you simply reheat it on the stovetop.
Can you use green lentils to make this soup?
I would not recommend using green lentils have a more firm consistency as compared to red lentils. The essence of the crushed lentil soup is how crushed the red lentils become when cooked. So you would lose that aspect if you use green lentils. Instead try my Green Lentil Soup, which is very similar but uses kale instead of rice.
Can you freeze lentil soup?
Yes, this soup is very freezer friendly and works great. Make sure to cool the soup completely before freezing it. It helps to freeze the soup in smaller serving sizes instead of freezing the entire quantity so it’s easier to reheat as needed. Reheat the soup on the stovetop or in the microwave and be sure to add some water as it will thicken.
This Mediterranean lentil soup is my go-to soup when it’s cold outside, I want something filling, something diet-friendly and something that my kids will eat without complaining. In fact, they do a little soup dance when I make this. And if you’ve eaten at Lebanese restaurants, you’ll see this as a staple soup on all menus. Some make it without carrots, others leave out the rice. I say throw in the carrots and the rice and go crazy with the lemon juice in the end!
For more soup recipes, check out:
- Vegetarian Lemon Rice Soup
- Chicken Lemon Orzo Soup
- Classic Chicken Noodle Soup
- Mediterranean White Bean Soup
- Peanut Soup
I always make a big pot of this Mediterranean lentil soup and it’s on rotation at least once a month. This soup is rich, comforting, delicious and is super healthy with clean, wholesome ingredients! Gahhhh…just make it already and let me know what you think!!
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Crushed Lentil Soup recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
Lebanese Crushed Lentil Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 ½ cups red lentils
- ½ cup short grain rice
- 2 carrots large, roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 cups water
- 1 lemon juiced
- Chopped green onions for garnish
- Chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil and saute the onions until they soften, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the lentils, rice, carrots, cumin, salt and pepper, and cook stirring frequently until they are well mixed and the spices are fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add 8 cups of water, and bring mixture to a boil. Turn the heat to low and cook covered until the rice and lentils are fluffy and fully cooked, about 20-30 minutes. Make sure to stir a couple times while cooking to prevent any lentils from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Using an immersion blender, pulse a few times to get the desired consistency. Stir in the lemon juice.
- Garnish with green onions and parsley, if desired, and serve warm.
Video
Notes
- If you can’t find red lentils, you can use yellow lentils in this recipe. You can also skip the carrots.
- To add more flavor, you can use vegetable broth instead of water. Although I love the simplicity of the soup with just water
- You can skip the carrots if you’d like since they’re not essential to the traditional recipe
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Another Detroiter here, so crushed lentil is a favorite. This was the closest recipe I found for the one I lost, and it’s a good one. Although, I don’t think I’ve ever made any soup without garlic, so I added that. And I always chunk up cilantro stems in mine, and garnish with cilantro leaves. I’m with you on a lot of lemon at the end.
For those who asked if you could make it in the instant pot, here is what I did. Sautéed all the veggies on medium for a couple minutes, then added the garlic and spices to “bloom.” After adding the broth/water, rice and lentils, I cooked at high pressure 15 minutes and let the pressure release naturally. Red lentils cook so quickly, that was probably more than enough, but it came out beautifully silky after blending.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Garlic is always a good idea. Thank you for sharing your Instant Pot instructions!
At the end. A vinegar instead of lemon
I need to try that – that sounds like it’d be good too!
Made this tonight – soooooo good. Only had whole cumin seeds and not the powder, and they added a really nice texture. Can’t believe how delicious this is with such simple ingredients!
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed!!
Love all your recipes, your my go to for cooking.
Thank you so much! That makes me incredibly happy to hear!
I absolutely loved this recipe! Never thought to add rice but it’s a perfect thickener! Love food I can feel good about eating!
Thank you so much! Happy to have shared!
OMG, attempting to type this review while shoveling this into my mouth! I’m originally from the Metro Detroit area and we had a ton of fantastic Lebanese restaurants, but now live in Florida, where… yeah, not so much lol. I crave lentil soup when I’m in need of a hearty, healthy and healing pick-me-up and THIS right here is the absolute closest I’ve ever made to those family-owned places from back home. I had some leftover Progresso spicy chicken broth in the fridge and used about 2 cups of that with the 8 cup liquid total… such a great addition if you like a bit of heat! Also a tiny pinch each of turmeric and ginger for some anti-inflammatories. 5 very enthusiastic stars!
I’m so glad this hit the spot and resembled what you used to have back in Michigan! I definitely need to try that for a bit of heat. Thanks for sharing!