This soup is easy to get excited about as it is delicious, satisfying, comforting, and beautiful–but it’s also, thanks to the lentils, kinda meaty. When you’re eating this, it really doesn’t seem like a vegetable-based soup. Garnish with thinly sliced mint.
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste, or more to taste
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 quart chicken broth
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1 rib celery, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
For the Lemon-Mint Yogurt:
- 6 leaves fresh mint, thinly sliced
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt, or more to taste
Step 1
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, salt, and tomato paste. Cook, stirring often, until the onion softens and the tomato paste turns a deep brick red or brown color, 5 to 7 minutes.
Step 2
Add garlic, cumin, and cayenne; cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Stir in the broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the lentils, celery, and carrots.
Step 3
Stir and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils and vegetables are very tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
Step 4
Meanwhile, grind the mint and salt into a paste using a mortar and pestle. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and yogurt, and stir together until combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Step 5
Taste the soup and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve as-is or use an immersion blender to puree about half of the soup to achieve a creamier texture. Serve hot with spoonfuls of the lemon-mint yogurt.