Vegan mercimek soup
This dish is something that I tried while on vacation. Vegan mercimek soup is a Turkish lentil soup that I fell in love with this summer. So I challenged myself to recreate it in my own kitchen. I have to say that is worked out pretty well. I fell in love with Turkish cuisine on my first trip there, and I have been making these dishes ever since. To be fair, I have not been able to recreate everything that I liked, but that’s okay. It only makes me want to go back to Turkey again.
Vegan mercimek soup is a perfect soothing soup for cold autumn days, and on top of that, it is very easy to make. I was surprised that it worked out this well, I might even say it was better than the one from the restaurant. It is also very healthy, and if you have been reading my blog lately you know I need more posts like these.
If you are interested in how some of the mercimek soup ingredients can benefit your health, feel free to read the next section of this post.
Some health benefits
As you already know, this soup is mainly made from lentils. Lentils are an excellent source of B vitamins, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc. They’re also a great source of plant-based protein and fiber.
Lentils are a great source of health-promoting polyphenols, which have strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties with potential cancer-cell inhibiting effects.They may protect your heart by supporting weight loss, preventing homocysteine accumulation in your body and improving cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
Carrots are a particularly good source of beta carotene, fiber, vitamin K1, potassium, and antioxidants. They have some great health benefits. For example, they can help your blood pressure and cardiovascular health, your digestive health, improve bone health, and play a role in immune function and healing.
Onions contain decent amounts of vitamin C, folate, vitamin B6, and potassium, which provide a number of benefits. They are rich in plant compounds and antioxidants, especially quercetin and sulfur-containing compounds. Colorful varieties, such as yellow or red ones, pack more antioxidants than white ones.
Onions have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. They may lower blood sugar levels, improve bone health, and reduce the risk of several types of cancers.
These are just some of the reasons to incorporate more of these ingredients into your diet. I think it’s pretty easy to do that, there are a ton of good recipes out there (and on this website).
I usually write a section with some tips and tricks in most of my posts. However, I don’t think that I need to do that for vegan mercimek soup. It is a very simple soup and anyone can make it. You will not have problems with this recipe, trust me. The ingredients are also easy to come by, so I don’t have to tell you where to get them either.
Vegan mercimek soup
Ingredients
1 tbsp of olive oil
½ of onion
½ tbsp of tomato paste
½ of carrot
180 g of red lentils
½ tsp of salt
½ tsp of cumin
½ tsp of black pepper
640 ml of water
Directions
- Chopp the onion and the carrot into small pieces. Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sautee it until it becomes translucent. Add the tomato paste to the pot and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the chopped carrot and cook for a few more minutes. Put the red lentils, salt, pepper and cumin in the pot and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour the water into the pot and bring it to boil over medium heat. Cook it for 20 minutes. Cover the pot with a lid and cook for another 10 minutes. The lentils should be completely cooked by the end.
- Transfer everything into a blender and blend until you get a smooth, creamy soup. Serve the vegan mercimek soup while it’s still hot (or warm).
If you liked this recipe, make sure you check out my other recipes like:
Feel free to tell me what you think about this in the comments below, or send me the pictures of your own vegan mercimek soup. If you did something differently, I would also like to hear that, I’d love to see the things you come up with.
P.S. for more recipes like this and a bunch of other stuff, follow me on instagram, @margo_drobi.
Also, I recently started a Patreon page, where you can subscribe and help me create more/better content. In return, you will get an exclusive piece of content (recipe) each month. My plan is to increase the amount of that content if I gain a few subscribers. If you are interested and you want to find out more, I will leave the link to my Patreon right – here