Red Lentil Soup (Instant Pot or Stovetop)
I always make either a double or triple batch of Layla's lentil soup. In the past few years I've been adding a few additional spices — see notes below. Turmeric is what makes the soup so yellow in the photos — it will be paler yellow without it. If you'd like to make this soup in the Instant Pot, see the instructions below.
Servings: 4
Calories: 290kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil (optional)
- 1 large yellow onion finely diced
- 1 cup (140 grams) dry red lentils, rinsed
- ¼ cup (45 grams) arborio rice
- 6 cups 1(420 ml) water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions
- In a medium pot with a heavy bottom, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion and and cook, stirring occasionally until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat if necessary to prevent browning.
- Add lentils and rice and stir to coat with oil.
- Add water, salt, cumin, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to maintain a simmer.
- Cook, lifting the lid occasionally to stir, until lentils and rice are completely tender and the soup is of uniform and moderately thick consistency, about an hour. Serve hot with lemon wedges to squeeze overtop.
Instant Pot Instructions
- After many years, we finally tested Layla's Lentil Soup in the Instant Pot, and it works great. You can make a single or double batch in a 6-quart IP using these instructions (a double batch will take longer to come to pressure, but will cook for the same amount of time afterward). Don't make a triple batch in the IP. It will be too big.
- Place all ingredients into the Instant Pot. The olive oil is completely optional.
- Set vent to sealing position. Cook on manual mode, high pressure, for 10 minutes. (Pot will take between 10 and 20 minutes to come up to pressure before timed cooking begins.)
- Carefully do a manual pressure release by turning the vent to open. (We like to use a towel or a long-handled spoon to do this.)
- Give your soup a stir, and it's ready to eat!
Video
Notes
- At the risk of messing with perfection, I also really love the following variation on the spices: 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, AND ½ teaspoon ground sweet paprika (plus the 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper listed in the recipe).
- You can omit the oil and just combine all the other ingredients in the pot from the start. I usually do this now because I don't notice a difference, and it's a little easier. Sometimes I drizzle a little fruity olive oil onto each bowl before serving.
- Alternatives to arborio rice include carnarloni and other short-grained rice varieties, including any that you'd use for sushi. In a pinch, you can use a long-grain rice instead, but it won't contribute quite as much creaminess.
- As a few of you incredible longtime readers have noticed, a prior version of this recipe included a couple of diced carrots. That was a bit of a whim on my part and wasn't part of Layla's original recipe. I haven't included carrots in years and had kinda forgotten about it, but it tastes great, so if you want to add two medium carrots, finely diced, at this stage, go for it. xx
- You can make this soup in advance. Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze for up to a year.
Nutrition
Calories: 290kcal | Carbohydrates: 43.1g | Protein: 12.7g | Fat: 8.3g | Fiber: 5.8g