This creamy Egyptian red lentil soup is a delicious, nutritional powerhouse of a soup that comes together from simple pantry staples. Inexpensive, nutritious, vegan and filling- there’s so many reasons to add this Egyptian staple to your repertoire.

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What makes Egyptian red lentil soup unique?

While there are countless versions of lentil soups from around the world, Egyptian red lentil soup-shorbat ads in Arabic- has a few distinct qualities:

• It is made from small, red lentils, as its name implies;
• It is typically blended to a thick and creamy texture; and
• It is traditionally a vegan dish.

This red lentil soup is a staple dish in Egyptian cuisine, beloved for its taste, simplicity, nutritional value, and cost-effectiveness.

It evens carries religious significance for both of Egypt’s main religious groups.

For Muslims, shorbat ads is a standard soup for breaking fast during the holy month of Ramadan. For Coptic Christians, this vegan staple is a common source of protein during the long periods of vegan fasting in the religious calendar.

Like all lentils, red lentils are highly nutritious. They are rich in B vitamins, and contain iron, folate, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and zinc. Red lentils are also high in dietary fiber, low in fat and cholesterol and are an excellent source of plant-based protein.

What’s in Egyptian red lentil soup?

This soup has a few, simple main ingredients. YOu can tailor many of these to your preferences or what you have on hand.

They are: lentils, vegetables, and spices.

The lentils

The only hard and fast rule for making this soup is this- to get the right results, you must use red lentils. Red lentils are tiny, with thin skins that break down easily when cooked. This point is crucial for creating a base of soft lentils and vegetables that we can blend to create a creamy, dreamy soup.

Vegetables

Soups are generally a great place to pack in vegetables for added flavor and nutrition and this soup is no different.

In this recipe I use onions, garlic, carrots, and tomatoes and tomato paste, which complement the lentil flavor without overpowering it. Many people also add potatoes. You can use whatever you have on hand of these, play around with the proportions, or try adding others as you wish.

Spices

In this version I use a few simple spices that boost the flavor and color of this soup- earthly ground cumin, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper if you want to add some heat. Other great additions could include coriander, turmeric, or the Ethiopian spice blend berbere.

Soup toppings

Since this soup gets blended into a creamy texture, it is often accompanied by toppings for extra flavor and texture. These can include:

• Crispy fried pita bread pieces- for me this is a must!
• A dollop of yogurt for extra creaminess, if you aren’t going for a vegan soup;
• Crispy fried onions;
• Chili sauce of choice, such as my herby green shatta/ Middle Eastern chili sauce;
• Minced parsley or cilantro.

How to make Egyptian lentil soup

To make this soup, you only have to follow a few simple steps- wash your lentils, roughly chop your vegetables, cook together, and blend. That’s it!

Preparing ingredients

Preparing your lentils is a quick but essential step. To do this, measure your lentils into a large bowl. Sort through the lentils to check for any debris. Depending on your source, lentils can sometimes come with dirt or pebbles you will want to remove. Then, cover the lentils generously with water, swish them around to wash and dump out the water. You will notice the water becoming cloudy and some foam rising to the top, dump all that out. Repeat 3 or 4 times, or until the water runs clear.

Preparing your vegetables for this soup is super quick. There’s no painstaking mincing or careful chopping. Just chop everything roughly. Big chunks are fine here.

Cooking the soup

First, sauté your vegetables in some oil over medium-high heat.

To those, add your spices and tomato paste and cook down briefly to make your flavorful soup base.

Then, add your washed lentils and toss.

Next, add your water or stock. Bring the pot to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils and and vegetables are very soft.

Allow the piping hot soup to cool slightly, then carefully blend until smooth.

I prefer to use an immersion blender for this step. I find keeping the head of the blender at the bottom of the pot, as opposed to the surface of the soup, helps to avoid splatters. Remember your soup is hot. Take care to avoid burns.

If you do not have an immersion blender, carefully transfer to a regular stand blender for this step.

Finally, add lemon juice to the soup and taste.

This soup can tolerate a good amount of lemon and salt to amp up the flavor, so don’t be shy to taste and increase seasoning as needed.

Preparing your crispy pita topping

The crispy pita topping can be made ahead of making the soup, or while the lentils are cooking.

You will find crispy pita used in extensively in regional cuisine. You can make these same pita chips for my pita Eggplant fatteh/Fattet betinjan recipe, or as a salad topping for a Lebanese fattoush salad.

They can also made slightly larger to be enjoyed on their own to enjoy with your dips of choice. Try them with my Smoky, tangy baba ghanouj.

These are super easy to make, and can be baked or fried.

Here I baked them. I simply cut my pita into small pieces, tossed in oil and salt, and baked until crisp and golden.

Serving Egyptian red lentil soup

You’re now ready to enjoy your soup!

Serve hot as a starter, side dish, or light meal, with the crispy pita chips, plenty of lemon wedges and your other toppings of choice!

Bel hana wel shifa.