031 / 75 · Beans, Lentils and Chickpeas

Red Lentil Soup with Yogurt Ribbons

2 large main-meal soup bowls, each with half the yogurt and 40 g bread · Active 25 min · Total 1 hr 5 min

Print recipe · PDF

Red lentils soften and break down into a soup without a blender. Carrot and tomato give the bowl a warm orange color, while plain Greek yogurt makes a cool ribbon through each portion. The important sequence is to cook the lentils fully before adding tomato and lemon and to warm a little soup into the yogurt before drawing it across the surface.

Jump to ingredients

Original hand-drawn illustration of red lentil soup with yogurt ribbons.

Expect a changing texture

Rinse red lentils in a fine sieve and look for small stones or damaged pieces before they enter the pan. At first the pot looks like vegetables floating in water; as the lentils soften, the liquid becomes more cohesive. Stir along the base as that happens. A thickening soup can catch while its surface still looks quiet. If the lentils have a firm or chalky center, add a little of the plain-water allowance and continue rather than turning up the heat and boiling the pan dry. This dish is supposed to have small soft pieces, so a blender is unnecessary. Tomato and lemon are added after the pulses become soft because their acidity can slow that process.

Make the yogurt a finish

Take a small amount of hot soup into a clean bowl and mix it gradually through the yogurt. That warms it without sending a cold lump into the middle of dinner. The yogurt is not boiled in the saucepan; spoon half over each served portion and draw one or two loose lines through it. A few broad ribbons look clearer than stirring until the whole bowl is pale. Taste for the lentils’ texture before the lemon goes in, then divide the whole pot and yogurt between two large bowls. The measured bread makes this a substantial lunch or supper rather than an undefined starter. Use bowls with enough headroom to carry safely and refrigerate any reserved portion promptly instead of leaving the milk-containing finish on the counter.

Ingredients

  • About 2/3 cup dry split red lentils (120 g), sorted and rinsed
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced (100 g)
  • 2 small carrots, peeled and finely diced (150 g prepared)
  • 2 medium tomatoes, diced (200 g)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced (6 g)
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil (10 ml/about 9 g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (1 g)
  • 3 cups drinking water (700 ml), plus up to 150 ml if needed
  • About 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon plain nonfat Greek yogurt (200 g)
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice (20 ml/about 20 g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt (1.5 g)
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper (0.3 g)
  • 2 generous slices whole-wheat bread (80 g total)

Set out

3-litre/3-quart saucepan, Fine sieve, Wooden spoon, Small heatproof yogurt bowl, Knife and board, Kitchen scale, Ladle, 2 bowls, at least 900 ml capacity

Allergens

Milk, Wheat; check bread for soy, sesame or other allergens. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Heat oil in the saucepan over medium-low heat. Soften onion and carrot for 7–8 minutes, stirring. Add garlic and cumin and stir for 30 seconds.
  2. Add the rinsed lentils and 700 ml water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and cook partly covered for 20–25 minutes, or the packet requirement, stirring along the base, until the lentils are completely soft and breaking down. Add some of the extra water if the soup thickens before the lentils are tender.
  3. Stir in the diced tomatoes and simmer gently for 5–8 minutes until they soften. Add lemon, salt and pepper. Put yogurt in the small bowl and gradually stir in 4 tablespoons/60 ml hot soup taken from the pot. Do not boil the yogurt mixture.
  4. Divide the entire soup between 2 large bowls. Spoon half the warmed yogurt over each and draw it through in loose ribbons. Serve each with 40 g of the measured bread.

A useful kitchen skill

Use the natural breakdown of split lentils to thicken soup, then temper yogurt with a little hot liquid instead of boiling the cultured dairy.

A useful detail

The 65-minute total includes vegetable preparation, a complete lentil simmer and a separate tomato finish. Add tomato and lemon only after the lentils soften. The final volume is roughly 1.3–1.5 litres, varying with evaporation and water adjustment; divide the batch equally rather than assigning nutrition to a guessed ladle.

Another way

  • Replace 150 g carrot with 150 g peeled squash in similarly small dice, cooking until tender and recalculating for squash.
  • Use 200 g plain whole-milk yogurt instead of nonfat Greek yogurt, keeping the gentle finishing method but using its different protein and calorie values.

Keep it well

Refrigerate soup and reserved yogurt separately in shallow containers at 40°F/4°C or below within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C. Use within 3 days or the shorter yogurt label. Reheat soup to 165°F/74°C throughout and add refrigerated yogurt only when serving. If already mixed, reheat gently while stirring to the same temperature.