⏱ Prep: 10 min 🔥Cook: 35 min 👤Serves: 4–6 🌿Diet: Vegan, Gluten-free
Lebanese lentil soup, shorbet adas is the soup that every Lebanese home makes on a cold evening because it takes forty minutes and requires almost no thought. Red lentils and rice simmered with cumin, turmeric and garlic until they break down into a thick, silky, golden soup, finished with fresh lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil. The lemon is the whole recipe.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (300g) red lentils, split red lentils only. They require no soaking, break down completely during cooking and create the characteristic creamy, smooth texture. Brown or green lentils stay whole and produce a completely different soup.
- ¼ cup (50g) short-grain or medium-grain white rice, adds body and thickness. Optional but traditional in the Lebanese home version. Omit for a lighter soup.
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced, adds sweetness and color. Traditional in many Lebanese family versions.
- 2 stalks celery, diced, optional but adds depth
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin, the essential spice of shorbet adas. Without it the soup is just plain lentil with it the soup is distinctly Lebanese. Do not reduce.
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, gives the soup its characteristic golden color and earthy warmth
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, optional but adds a subtle smokiness
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne, optional for heat
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oiln divided 2 tablespoons for sautéing, 1 tablespoon added at the end off the heat
- 6 cups (1.4 liters) vegetable or chicken broth, or water. Broth produces a noticeably richer result.
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Juice of 1½ lemons, fresh only, added off the heat. This is the ingredient that transforms the soup from flat to extraordinary. Add it after turning off the heat to preserve its brightness cooking lemon juice dulls it.
- Small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, for garnish
To serve: toasted pita chips or crusty bread for dipping, extra lemon wedges, a drizzle of good olive oil, and a small pinch of cumin over the top.
Step by step
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 6–8 minutes until soft and beginning to turn golden. Add the carrots and celery. Cook 3 more minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, turmeric, coriander, paprika and cayenne. Stir for 60 seconds until the spices are fragrant and coating the vegetables.The 60-second spice bloom is not optional. It transforms the raw spice flavor into something toasty and deep, the difference between a soup that tastes of spice and a soup that tastes of something more complex.
- Add lentils, rice and broth. Rinse the red lentils under cold water until the water runs clear. Add the lentils and rice to the pot. Stir to coat in the spiced oil. Pour in the broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a steady simmer. Cover partially and cook for 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils have completely broken down and the rice is soft. The soup will be thick and golden.Stir every 5 minutes, red lentils sink and can catch on the bottom of the pot. A gentle stir prevents scorching without disrupting the gentle breakdown of the lentils.
- Blend, partially. Remove from heat. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup to your preferred texture. Three options: fully smooth for a silky cream-like result, half blended for a soup with some texture remaining, or not blended at all for a chunky version. The Lebanese home version is typically partially blendedn smooth but with some visible vegetable pieces.Blend in the pot with the immersion blender rather than transferring to a blender, hot soup in a countertop blender creates pressure and can explode through the lid. If using a countertop blender, fill only halfway and hold a kitchen towel firmly over the lid.
- Finish off the heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the fresh lemon juice. Stir well. Taste and adjust, more salt, more lemon, more cumin. The lemon should be clearly present but not aggressive. Add a little water or broth if the soup is thicker than you like.Add the olive oil and lemon juice after taking the soup off the heat. This prevents both from heating up too quickly and losing quality, the olive oil stays fruity and the lemon juice stays bright.
- Serve. Ladle into deep bowls. Drizzle with extra olive oil. Scatter fresh parsley and a pinch of cumin over the top. Serve with toasted pita chips and a lemon wedge on the side.
The two rules
Cumin is non-negotiable. Ground cumin is essential without it, the soup just isn’t the same. It is what makes shorbet adas taste Lebanese rather than just smooth lentil soup.
Fresh lemon juice added off the heat is the second rule. Add the olive oil and lemon juice a few minutes after taking the soup off the heat, this prevents the two flavorful ingredients from heating up too quickly and losing quality. Hot lemon juice tastes flat and slightly bitter. Cold lemon juice stirred into a hot bowl tastes bright and clean.
Make it ahead
Claire’s note
Lebanese lentil soup is one of the best meal-prep soups in the collection. It keeps refrigerated for 5 days and freezes for up to 6 months. The soup thickens considerably as it sits, add a splash of water or broth when reheating and stir well. Always add a fresh squeeze of lemon when reheating, the brightness fades overnight. The toasted pita chips should be made fresh at serving, they go soft immediately in the soup but are worth making every time. For the crispiest pita chips: tear pita into rough pieces, toss with olive oil and a pinch of salt, bake at 400°F for 8–10 minutes until golden.
Serve with
Lebanese lentil soup is a complete meal with pita bread, simple, nourishing and deeply satisfying on its own. On a Lebanese table it appears as the opening bowl before a spread of tabbouleh, labneh and Lebanese mezze. For everything else the Lebanese recipes collection have it all.
Add it to your weekly meal planner, make a large batch Sunday and reheat all week. And for more recipes, follow us on Pinterest.
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Lebanese Lentil Soup (Shorbet Adas)
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
A comforting and creamy Lebanese lentil soup made with red lentils, rice, and spices, finished with fresh lemon juice.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (300g) red lentils, split
- ¼ cup (50g) short-grain or medium-grain white rice
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced (optional)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne (optional)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 6 cups (1.4 liters) vegetable or chicken broth
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Juice of 1½ lemons, fresh
- Small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 6–8 minutes until soft and golden.
- Add the carrots and celery. Cook for 3 more minutes.
- Add the garlic, cumin, turmeric, coriander, paprika, and cayenne. Stir for 60 seconds until the spices are fragrant.
- Rinse the red lentils under cold water. Add the lentils and rice to the pot.
- Pour in the broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer. Cover partially and cook for 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup to desired texture.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and lemon juice. Stir well and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Ladle into bowls, drizzle with extra olive oil, and garnish with parsley.
Notes
Add a fresh squeeze of lemon when reheating. Great for meal prep, keeps for 5 days in the fridge and freezes for up to 6 months.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Lebanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 350mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 10g
- Protein: 12g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
