Lentil soup is the most popular middle eastern soup, made all across the region. This Turkish-style lentil soup goes by the name of Mercimek Corbasi and uses red lentils combined with onions, garlic, tomato paste and spices, simmered and blended into a velvety soup. This addictive soup is ready in under 40 minutes and it’s very easy to make.

Mercimek Corbasi, lentil soup in beige rimmed bowl with 2 metal spoons on the side, drizzled with spiced butter with two mustard coloured salt and pepper shakers, a small bowl with dried mint leaves and another bowl of soup in the top corner on a blue tie dyed background

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Lentil Soup Across the Middle East

If you just say “soup” most places in the middle east, you’ll be served some version of lentil soup. It’s the soup that has taken over the region, and each country has its own version. The most classic version is the Arabic style lentil soup made with red lentils and spiced with cumin, served across Arabic countries.

The Turkish equivalent is this Mercimek Corbasi (which literally translates to “lentil soup”), with a bit of Turkish flair added to it. As with many Turkish dishes like Bulgur Pilaf or Ali Nazik, this soup uses flavours like aleppo pepper, lots of butter, and dried mint.

The main distinguishing feature of the Turkish-style lentil soup is serving it with an Aleppo pepper, dried mint and butter drizzle. And don’t forget a squeeze of lemon juice to instantly brighten it up and cut through the richness of the butter.

If you’ve gone to Turkish restaurants, you’ve likely had this served to you at the start of the meal, usually free of charge, especially in Turkey!

Ingredients for Mercimek Corbasi

The ingredients for this soup are simple and can also be customized based on what you have in the fridge.

Ingredient shot for Mercimek Corbasi with red lentils in a medium sized glass bowl, a white bowl of chopped onions, a white bowl of chopped carrots, a small glass bowl of olive oil, a small glass bowl of butter, a small brown rimmed bowl of 3 cloves of garlic and a small plate with paprika, salt and pepper on a blue tie dyed background
  • Red Lentils: this type of lentils will disintegrate when cooked and result in the creamy texture of the soup. I don’t recommend swapping for brown or green lentils, since they’ll have a different texture.
  • Aromatics & Vegetables: onions, garlic and carrots. The carrots can be omitted if you don’t have any. You can also add potatoes to bulk it up.
  • Spices & Seasoning: Aleppo pepper, dried mint, paprika, salt and pepper. This is the base combination for an authentic Turkish flavour. Cumin and coriander are sometimes added too, so experiment with those if you like!
  • Fats: An olive oil and butter combination gives the best flavour! You can omit one or the other depending on what you have on hand.

How to Make Mercimek Corbasi

This is the sort of soup that takes about 5-10 minutes of hands on work, then it simmers away on its own.

The first step is to add the butter and oil and sauté the onions until translucent and golden.

Chopped onions sautéing in a beige pot with a light blue wooden handled spatula on a black induction hot plate on a white background

Next, add the carrots and cook them for 4-5 minutes. Then add all of the spices and stir, allowing them to toast for a few minutes.

Add the tomato paste and garlic and cook them for a few minutes until the garlic is fragrant. It goes in at the end because it burns quickly!

Chopped onions and roughly chopped carrots sautéing in a beige pot with a light blue spatula
Chopped onions, carrots, garlic, spices and tomato paste sautéing in a beige pot with a light blue wooden handled spatula on a black induction hot plate on a white background

Add the washed and drained red lentils, and stir all the ingredients together.

Red lentils on top of sautéed onions, carrots, spices, garlic and tomato paste with a light blue spatula in a beige pot

Add the water, or you can also use chicken broth or vegetable broth. Stir, cover with a lid, and allow the soup to simmer on medium heat for 30 minutes.

Ensure you check on it and stir it every 5-10 minutes to avoid the lentils sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Water added to red lentil mixture in a large beige and pink pot on a black induction hot plate on a white surface
Pink Le Creuset pot with lid on top on black induction hot plate on a white background

After 30 minutes, check the lentils for tenderness and taste to adjust seasoning. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy.

For soups, I prefer using immersion blenders because the soup is hot and it can be blended right in the pot. However, if you don’t have one, transfer the soup to a blender. Do this in batches and be very careful.

You can also leave it as-is you like a more textured consistency.

Lentil soup being blended by a light blue immersion blender in a beige and pink pot on a blue and white towel

The final step, and my favourite, is melting the butter and sizzling the paprika and dried mint with it for a few seconds. Don’t cook the spices for longer because the dried mint will burn very fast.

Butter melting in a dark pan on a black induction hot plate on a white background
Melted butter with paprika and mint in a dark pan on a white background with a metal spoon inside

Ladle the soup into serving bowls, then drizzle a bit of the butter on top of each bowl. Squeeze a bit of lemon and enjoy!

What to Serve with Mercimek Corbasi

This soup is typically served as an appetizer, and it would be great served with Turkish dishes like Ali Nazik, or turkish-style bulgur pilaf.

I also typically pair it with lighter meals like Arayes, lahm bi ajeen, or any other middle eastern main dish.

Storage Instructions

The soup will store well in the fridge for 4-5 days. It will thicken as it sits in the fridge, so simply whisk or stir it when heating it on the stove top, and add a splash of water as needed to thin it out.

Don’t add too much water before it fully heats up! The soup will loosen as its temperature warms up. Once hot, determine if it needs more water per your preference. I have, many times, added too much water too soon and ended up with a soup that was too runny for my taste.

You can also freeze this soup; it’s one of the best soups to freeze because of its creamy texture. Simply place it in freezer bags and freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight, then place it in a saucepan. Heat it through and add water as needed to thin it out.

Mercimek Corbasi, lentil soup in a beige rimmed bowl with two metal spoons beside it with mustard coloured salt and pepper shakers on a blue tie dyed background

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Mercimek Corbasi, lentil soup in beige rimmed bowl with 2 metal spoons on the side, drizzled with spiced butter with two mustard coloured salt and pepper shakers, a small bowl with dried mint leaves and another bowl of soup in the top corner on a blue tie dyed background
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Creamy Turkish Red Lentil Soup (Mercimek Corbasi)

Yield: 6 people
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Author: Amina Al-Saigh
This velvety Turkish lentil soup takes red lentils and combines them with vegetables and aromatic spices. The spiced butter drizzle on top makes it irresistible!
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Ingredients
 

For the Soup

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon aleppo pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried mint
  • 1 teaspoon salt, more per preference
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 cup red lentils (200g), washed and drained
  • 1 1/2 litres boiled water
  • 1 Lemon, for garnish

For the Butter Drizzle

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried mint

Instructions
 

For the Soup

  • In a large soup pot, start by adding the butter and olive oil and heat until the butter is melted.
  • Add the diced onions and carrots and cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions have softened.
  • Add the paprika, black pepper, cumin, aleppo pepper, dried mint and salt and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often.
  • Add the diced garlic and the tomato paste and continue to stir for a few minutes.
  • Add the washed and drained lentils along with all of the water. Stir well and make sure you scrape any bits stuck on the bottom of the pot.
  • Simmer the soup on medium, covered, for 30 minutes.
  • Remove from the heat and use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. You can also transfer to a blender very carefully, as the soup is hot.
  • To make the butter drizzle, heat the butter in a small skillet on medium heat. Add the paprika and dried mint and stir for 30-60 seconds. Make sure you don’t keep it on the heat for longer as the mint will burn.
  • Serve the soup in bowls, with the butter drizzle on top and a squeeze of lemon.

Notes

  • The spice amount is a mild to medium level of spice, so if you like it more spicy, add more black pepper or aleppo pepper.
  • This soup is freezer friendly if you want to make a double batch.
  • Blending is optional, so omit this step if you like a textured soup.
Serving: 1g, Calories: 193kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 430mg, Potassium: 411mg, Fiber: 10g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 1889IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 42mg, Iron: 3mg
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