Middle Eastern Lentil Soup (Adas)
This Middle Eastern Lentil Soup recipe, or "Adas" in Arabic, is hearty, spicy, and perfect for lunch or dinner. Enjoy it as a main dish or an appetizer!
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Cook Time40 minutes mins
Total Time45 minutes mins
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Assyrian, Middle Eastern
Servings: 6 bowls
Calories: 263kcal
- 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)
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.
- 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.
Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 588mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 2g