Mediterranean Lentil Soup | Is it as good as Mama’s? (Easy One Pot Recipe)

This hearty and flavorful lentil soup has a Lebanese twist on it and is a cherished family recipe passed down from my husband’s Armenian-Lebanese family. Known as Shorbat Adas, this simple soup is made with a handful of ingredients like red lentils, warm spices, and fresh lemon juice. It is then topped with crispy pita to give it that crunch! Whenever I make this soup my goal is to make it as good (or better) than mama’s!

This is the perfect soup for those looking for a healthy soup that’s hearty, nutritious, and packed with plant-based protein. This dish is a staple in many Lebanese restaurants and homes alike. Whether you serve it with pita bread, white rice, or a slice of crusty bread, it’s the ultimate comfort food.

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Chapters:

Chapters:
00:00 intro
00:15 prepare ingredients
1:06 cook soup
2:51 make pita chips
3:19 plate & serve
3:50 taste
4:28 is it as good as mama’s?

This hearty and flavorful Lebanese lentil soup is a cherished family recipe passed down from my husband’s family. It’s packed with red lentils, some spices and veggies. But the real question is, will it pass the test? I’m starting off with two cups of red lentils. You want to go ahead and give it a good rinse. You’ll rinse it a couple of times and then set it aside to strain. I’m roughly chopping one medium yellow onion. And at this point, I’ll try anything to avoid onion tears. How do I look? Ridiculous. You also need one large carrot or about two cups of baby carrots chopped. And I’m using two medium potatoes. And I like to lay down some parchment paper when peeling potatoes or veggies. It makes the cleanup so much easier. And cut your potatoes into medium chunks, making sure to cut them equally so they cook evenly. And now our veggies are ready. So let’s get to cooking. You’re going to heat a large pot over medium heat and melt down your butter. Once that’s melted down, add in some olive oil and you’re going to saute the onions until fragrant and translucent, about three to four minutes. You’ll add in the washed and drained lentils along with the whole cloves of garlic. I leave the garlic cloves whole since I am going to puree my soup at the end. Add in your chopped carrots and potatoes and I like them to get to know each other for a few minutes. And then for my seasonings, I’ve got some smoked paprika, salt, cumin, pepper and garlic powder. Once that’s all mixed in, you’re going to add in the chicken broth. And I love the Better Than Bouillon brand. I take about a tablespoon of that and dissolve it in the water as my chicken broth. I just find it has so much more flavor. And I’m also adding in about two cups of water. Stir and cover and you’ll cook this on medium for about 45 minutes. Once done, the carrots, the lentils and the potatoes will be nice and soft and tender. And the finishing touches of fresh lemon juice is what brings this soup together. So don’t skip this step. Lots of lemon. This makes this so good. I know it seems like a lot of lemon, but just trust me. I’m using a hand blender to blend the soup, but you can also use a regular blender to puree it. And you want the soup to be a nice and smooth consistency. This is a good time to taste and adjust for salt and seasoning. Mine was perfect. I’m adding in some freshly cut parsley and I’m going to reserve some for garnish for when I plate each bowl of soup. I love the pop of color. One of my favorite parts of this soup is the crispy pita that you put on top. And I’m using thin pita and separating the pocket, rolling it into a log and cutting medium strips. I like to top them with a little olive oil, a little salt, and I fried in my air fryer at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about three to four minutes. You do want to keep a close eye on it because it can burn quickly. Super crispy. And now to plate this comfort in a bowl, you’re going to start with a generous serving of the soup. Then I like to top it with some of the fresh reserved parsley and a little sprinkle of paprika. Or you can even do Aleppo pepper if you want to add a little spice. I add a drizzle of olive oil and we can’t forget our crunchy pita. And not traditional at all, but I also sometimes add in some chili garlic on it. And oh my God, it’s so good. This is my favorite soup, hands down. I love that it comes together in one pot and it’s so flavorful. And it’s also great because you can make it in batches, freeze it and defrost it for whenever you want a comforting bowl of soup. And maybe carb overload, but I also love to serve it over some rice with some more lemon. It’s so good. All right, let’s try this. Wow, that is delicious. The cumin comes through beautifully with the lemon. It’s so good. It’s such a good combination full of veggies. You’re going to love it, but the ultimate test is hubby. This is his family’s recipe. So we have to let him be the judge and see how he really feels about it. That’s really good. It’s really good, right? But you have to say it tastes just like mama’s. Do I look Italian to you? I don’t know why that came out Italian, but you definitely have to say it. It tastes just like mama’s. Well, folks, you heard it straight from the source. Let me know how you like it in the comments.