Ingredients
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2 tablespoons butter
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1 large yellow onion, diced
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3 tablespoons tomato paste, or more to taste
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1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
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4 cloves garlic, crushed
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2 teaspoons ground cumin
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⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
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1 quart chicken broth
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1 cup red lentils
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1 rib celery, diced
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1 large carrot, diced
Lemon-Mint Yogurt:
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6 leaves fresh mint, thinly sliced
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1 pinch salt
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3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt, or more to taste
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½ lemon, juiced
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½ teaspoon lemon zest
Directions
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Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, tomato paste, and salt to melted butter. Cook, stirring often, until onion softens and tomato paste turns a deep brick red or brown color, 5 to 7 minutes.
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Add garlic, cumin, and cayenne pepper; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in broth and bring to a boil. Stir in lentils, celery, and carrot. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lentils and vegetables are very tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
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Meanwhile, make lemon-mint yogurt: Grind mint and salt in a mortar and pestle to a paste. Add yogurt, lemon juice, and zest; stir together until combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
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Taste soup for seasoning. Use an immersion blender to purée about 1/2 of the soup to achieve a creamier texture. Serve hot with spoonfuls of lemon-mint yogurt.
Chef's Notes:
To make this dish vegan, use olive oil instead of butter, vegetable broth instead of chicken, and plant-based yogurt instead of Greek yogurt.
Other varieties of lentils will work.
If making the soup ahead, blanching the mint for a few seconds in boiling water and then shocking it in ice water will help retain its green color when mixed into the yogurt.
Crumbled feta cheese is a nice substitution if you're not into yogurt.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
294 | Calories |
8g | Fat |
41g | Carbs |
16g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings Per Recipe 4 | |
Calories 294 | |
% Daily Value * | |
Total Fat 8g | 11% |
Saturated Fat 4g | 22% |
Cholesterol 22mg | 7% |
Sodium 1654mg | 72% |
Total Carbohydrate 41g | 15% |
Dietary Fiber 17g | 62% |
Total Sugars 7g | |
Protein 16g | 32% |
Vitamin C 21mg | 23% |
Calcium 78mg | 6% |
Iron 5mg | 28% |
Potassium 790mg | 17% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.