This vegan Middle Eastern Lentil Soup recipe is called Adas Soup in Iraq and is a staple in the Middle Eastern diet. In fact, most Middle Eastern cultures have their own version of this hearty lentil soup. Be sure to serve it with warm Middle Eastern bread for dunking.
This Lentil Soup recipe has many names in the Middle East because it's prepared by various ethnic groups including Iraqis, Lebanese, Egyptians, and Turks. We Assyrians call it "Tlokheh," but it's also known as "Mercimek çorbası" in Turkish.
Mom cooked adas soup at least once a week, if not more. Many Assyrian families, including my mom, abstain from eating meat dishes on Wednesdays and Fridays, so this soup is often served on those days.
These days, lentil soup seems to be more popular, even here in the States. I imagine it's because it's easy to prepare, vegan-friendly, and can effortlessly be made gluten-free.
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This Middle Eastern lentil soup recipe is hearty and filling.
- Adas soup works as both a main dish and an appetizer.
- You only need a handful of simple ingredients for this soup, most of which you probably have in your pantry.
🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Red lentils: Yellow lentils can be used but green lentils and brown lentils typically don't yield the right consistency.
- Vermicelli noodles: Omit if you want to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Rice: I use jasmine rice, but you can also use basmati.
- Aromatics: You'll need curry, cumin, and paprika. Cayenne is optional but recommended. Turmeric, garlic cloves, and fresh herbs can also be added to this Middle Eastern lentil soup recipe.
- Potatoes (optional): Diced potatoes aren't traditional but mom always added them. They make the soup even more filling.
*A full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page!
🥘 How to Make Lentil Soup
Step 1: Rinse rice to remove excess starch. Wash lentils and strain. Peel and dice the potato (if using) and add to a pot, along with lentils and rice. Add 3 cups water.
Step 2: Bring the contents of the pot to a boil. Lower the temperature, then simmer, covered, for approximately 20 minutes until most of the water has been absorbed.
Step 3: Heat olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion and vermicelli noodles until the onion is soft and the noodles are brown.
Step 4: Add salt, curry paprika, and cayenne powder to the saucepan. Cook for one minute, then add tomato paste and one cup of water. Stir until combined.
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Step 5: Add the saucepan ingredients to the lentil mixture, along with two cups of additional water. Stir to combine, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover with a lid, and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
Pro Tip: If the soup gets too thick, just add more water until it reaches the desired consistency. Another option is to add broth.
Looking for other tasty soup recipes? If so, you'll want to check out this yummy split pea soup recipe from Rebecca at alittleandalot.com. But this is not your mom's split pea soup, this one is topped with crispy truffle fried potatoes, oh my!
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
This soup is so filling, especially with the addition of potatoes, that it works as a standalone dish. However, you can serve it with pita bread, sourdough bread, and pickled sunchokes or Torshi!
I like to finish it off with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (or lime juice) and chopped cilantro or fresh parsley for garnish.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Variations of lentil soup are popular with many cultures across Europe, Asia, and especially the Middle East. Iraq, Turkey, and the Levant regions are especially fond of lentil soup, each with its own distinct set of flavors.
Lentil soup freezes really well and can remain frozen for up to 3 months when stored in freezer bags or freezer-safe containers.
Adas soup is made of lentils, vermicelli noodles, onion, and spices such as curry and paprika.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- Store adas soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or for up to 3 months in the freezer.
- You can reduce the level of spice in this lentil soup recipe by omitting the cayenne, and by using sweet curry powder instead of spicy.
- You can blend this Middle Eastern lentil soup with an immersion blender if you prefer a smooth texture.
🫘 More Soup Recipes
📖 Recipe
Middle Eastern Lentil Soup (Adas)
Equipment
- 1 skillet
- 1 Immersion Blender (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 medium diced potato (optional)
- 1 cup red (or orange) lentil
- ¼ cup rice
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion
- ½ cup vermicelli noodles
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon hot curry (or mild)
- 1 ½ teaspoon paprika powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne powder (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse rice to remove excess starch. Wash lentils and strain. Peel and dice the potato (if using) and add to a pot, along with lentil and rice. Add 3 cups water.
- Bring the contents of the pot to a boil. Lower the temperature, then simmer, covered, for approximately 20 minutes until most of the water has been absorbed.
- Heat olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion and vermicelli noodles until the onion is soft and the noodles are brown.
- Add salt, curry paprika, and cayenne powder to the saucepan. Cook for one minute then add tomato paste and one cup of water. Stir until combined.
- Add the saucepan ingredients to lentil mixture, along with two cups of additional water. Stir to combine, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover with lid, and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
Notes
- If the soup gets too thick, just add more water until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or for up to 3 months in the freezer.
- You can reduce the level of spice by omitting the cayenne, and by using sweet curry powder instead of spicy.
- You can blend this Middle Eastern lentil soup with an immersion blender if you prefer a smooth texture.
Andrea says
Help me out - You pre-cook the vermicelli noodles and then pan fry them with the onion? They're not dried/raw, right?
HildaSterner says
Hi Andrea,
You fry the vermicelli, along with the onions. The vermicelli noodles are dry (they are very fine & come in either coils or broken into sections that are approximately 2” long). If using the coiled variety, break them up before frying. They turn brown when they’re fried and soften once you add the water/tomato paste mixture. I hope that answers your question.
AnninNY says
Hilda, I can't wait to try your recipes to see if they will work for our Middle Eastern soup benefit for local refugee families. I think your mother is beautiful.
HildaSterner says
Hi Ann,
Thanks for the comment. I can't wait to hear how it goes, what a sweet cause! And yes, my mom was something else. She glowed like an angel!