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Persian Lentil Soup with Olive Oil-Crisped Lentils & Onions (عدسی‌ Adasi)

This is really the most delicious (and nutritious!) lentil soup I could ever imagine. It's easy to prepare and is on a whole other level with its depth of flavors.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Persian
Servings: 8
Calories: 407kcal
Author: Honest and Tasty

Ingredients

  • 2 cups 16 ounces Dried Lentils
  • 6 cups 48 ounces Water
  • 3 Onions diced
  • Approximately ½ cup Olive Oil will be used to crisp up onions and lentils for the topping
  • 4 cups 32 ounces Chicken Broth (or Vegetable Broth)
  • 2 tablespoons Sea Salt + extra for lentil garnish
  • 1 tablespoon Black Pepper + extra for lentil garnish
  • 1 tablespoon Turmeric
  • 12 ounces 2 small cans Tomato Paste
  • 2 Russet Potatoes rinsed, peeled, and diced
  • 5 medium-sized Tomatoes rinsed and diced

Instructions

  • Add the lentils to a large pot and run a quick quality check using your fingers to make sure there are no small pebbles in them, as this may sometimes occur with dried lentils.
  • Add 4 cups of water and cook them over medium heat, with the lid on, until they are fully cooked and tender.
  • In a pan over medium/medium-high heat, fry the onions in a large pan with plenty of olive oil (enough to coat them), mixing occasionally so that they don’t burn. You’re looking for the onions to get a little crispy and golden brown. This should take about 15 minutes. Once they’re fried, tilt the pan to drain the oil to one side, while you scrape the onions to the other side. Remove onions from the oil and set aside. Keep this pan with olive oil for later when we fry some lentils to top the soup.
  • Once the lentils are tender, reserve ⅓ cup of them to a clean plate.
  • Then add the chicken broth, salt, pepper, turmeric, and tomato paste to the pot of lentils.
  • Give it a mix to fully incorporate the tomato paste, and then add the potatoes..
  • Add 2 cups more water (or however much you like to get the consistency you prefer). Stir.
  • Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes, with the lid on, or until potatoes are fork tender.
  • Take the reserved lentils you set aside earlier, and over medium/medium-high heat add them to the oil in the same large pan we used for the onions.
  • Fry them, mixing occasionally, for about 2 minutes or until slightly browned and crisp. Remove lentils from the oil the same way you removed the onions, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and set aside.
  • Mix in most of the fried onions (keep some to top each bowl) and add in the chopped tomatoes, and let it go for another 10-15 minutes, with the lid on, over medium-low/low heat. Mix every five minutes, making sure the lentils aren’t sticking to the bottom of the pot.
  • Once ready, top each bowl of soup with the fried lentils, some of that fried onion, and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve and enjoy!

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    Notes

    Recipe can easily be cut in half if you like. It also freezes quite well!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 407kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 2531mg | Potassium: 1480mg | Fiber: 19g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1308IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 6mg