Lentil Soup Lebanese

Easy·10 min

A velvety red-lentil soup built on sweated onion, warm cumin, and a generous squeeze of lemon. Known across the Levant as shorbat adas, it's an everyday bowl in Lebanese homes, especially in winter and at the Ramadan table.

Lentils are among the oldest cultivated foods of the Fertile Crescent, simmered in the hills of the Levant for thousands of years. In Lebanon the humble pot of shorbat adas became the food of fasting and frugality alike: monks ate it during Lent, and families across the country still break the Ramadan fast with a steaming bowl, the cheap, nourishing lentil stretching to feed everyone at the table.

Silky and golden, it coats the spoon like warm velvet. Earthy lentils and toasty cumin give way to a bright lemony lift, while the pita chips snap into softness and the parsley adds a fresh green edge.

Red lentils have no seed coat, so they break down quickly into a natural creamy puree without any thickener. Cumin's oils bloom in the hot fat at the start, while acidic lemon added at the end keeps its brightness instead of cooking off.

Variations

Add rice or potato for a heartier soup, swap in brown or green lentils for more texture, add a pinch of turmeric for color, or finish with a sizzle of olive oil and fried onions

On the Palate

Where Lentil Soup Lebanese sits in the Lebanese flavor cloud

Ingredients

Serves 6

1.5 cupsLentils

1 large, choppedOnion

2 tbsp, choppedParsley

How it's made

8 steps · 10 min

1
3 min
Rinse the red lentils under cold water until the water runs clear, then drain.
2
7 min
Heat olive oil in a large pot and sweat the chopped onion with salt and pepper until soft and translucent, 6-8 minutes.
3
3 min
Add the chopped carrot, drained lentils and ground cumin; stir 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
Watch out
Toast the cumin with the lentils just until it smells warm and fragrant — that quick bloom in hot oil is where the flavor lifts.
4
2 min
Pour in the water (or stock), bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
5
28 min
Simmer covered, stirring occasionally, until the lentils collapse and turn creamy, 25-30 minutes.
Watch out
Simmer until the lentils fully collapse and the pot goes creamy on its own — no whole lentils should stay standing.
6
3 min
Blend with an immersion blender to a smooth, velvety texture, adding water if too thick.
7
2 min
Stir in fresh lemon juice and adjust salt, cumin and lemon to taste.
Watch out
Squeeze the lemon in off the heat right at the end — boil it and the bright sour edge cooks flat.
8
2 min
Ladle into bowls and finish with chopped parsley, toasted pita chips and lemon wedges.