Lebanese Lentil Soup (Shorbat Adas)
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Lebanese Lentil Soup, or Shorbat Adas, is a staple in Middle Eastern cuisine. Most lentil soups are blended into a creamy texture, but this one is light, brothy, and rustic, just like the version I loved in my 20’s.
For years I had this lentil soup every Friday night on my way home from work. I would stop at my favorite Middle Eastern restaurant, Damascus, and order their Lebanese lentil soup, hummus, grape leaves, and tabbouleh. Yes, that is a lot of food. But it was my comfort after a long week at a job I did not really like.
What I loved about this particular style of authentic Lebanese lentil soup was that it was brothy, which is different from most of the lentil soups out there. But, if you love it creamy, don’t worry, to make this creamy is just one extra step, and I will walk you through it.
The restaurant closed down about ten years ago. I have worked so hard to recreate their lemon lentil soup recipe. I believe I have, and I hope you love it as much as I do!
Prep Time
10 Minutes
Total Time
35 Minutes
Servings
4 sides
Diet
Vegan, GF
What Makes My Recipe Unique
Lentil Soup Ingredient Notes
Lemon
Always use fresh-squeezed lemon. The bottle stuff may save your time, but it has a funky aftertaste.
Lentils
I have found that brown or green lentils work best with this recipe. You can also use red lentils if you prefer, or that is what you have handy. This recipe is written for dry lentils. Feel free to use precooked lentils to save time.
Potato
A standard russet potato works best with this recipe, but you are not limited to that. When I made this recipe, I only had small new potatoes, so I cut them up and they worked great!
Watch how to Make This Recipe
Serve it With…
Try serving this lentil soup with homemade flatbread, shepherd salad and spicy harissa hummus for a well-rounded meal!
Tips for Authentic Flavor
- Keep the lentils whole for traditional texture.
- Use lots of lemon, and I mean lots! It is the signature flavor of Middle Eastern lentil soup.
Personalize This Recipe
- If you want to make this soup creamy, or creamier, blend with an immersion blender for 5–10 seconds, just enough to thicken the broth while still leaving most lentils whole. For a fully creamy soup blend for 30–60 seconds, moving the blender around until smooth.
- Add greens by adding chopped kale or spinach in the last two–three minutes.
- Spice it up by adding Aleppo pepper.
If you tried this lemon lentil soup recipe or any other recipe on my blog leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below.
Lebanese Lentil Soup (Shorbat Adas)
Equipment
- 1 saucepan
- 1 large chef knife
- 1 cutting board
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup dry brown or green lentils, rinsed You can substitute with red lentils
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot (about 1 cup diced) diced
- 1 small 1 potato (about ½ cup diced) diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 5 -6 cups vegetable broth Adjust the amount according to how much broth you want.
- Juice of 1–2 lemons adjust to taste. Tip, start with the juice of one medium sized lemon. Add more as you prefer!
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Optional: ½ tsp cumin for subtle warmth
Instructions
- Sauté the Onion and GarlicHeat ½ tablespoon olive oil in a medium saucepan over low heat. Once the oil shimmers, add 1 small onion, finely chopped, and a pinch of salt. Cook slowly until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 medium carrot (about 1 cup diced) and 1 small potato (about ½ cup diced). Cook another 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 2–3 cloves garlic, minced, and cook for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- Optional Step: If using, sprinkle in ½ teaspoon cumin and stir for 30–60 seconds to bloom the spice in the oil with the vegetables.
- Add Lentils and Broth Stir in 1 cup dry brown or green lentils, rinsed until coated in the oil and aromatics. Add 5–6 cups vegetable broth (or water) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20–25 minutes, until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape.
- Season and SimmerTaste and season with salt and black pepper. Let the soup simmer another 10–15 minutes, or until the carrot and potato pieces are tender.
- Add Lemon Juice2–3 minutes before serving, stir in the juice of 1–2 medium lemons (start with one, add more to taste). Save a little extra lemon juice to drizzle on top just before serving.
- ServeLadle into bowls, garnish with a thin lemon slice, and drizzle with your best olive oil. Serve warm with pita, pickles, or hummus.
Notes
-
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Let the soup cool to room temperature. Then store in an airtight container for up to three months. The left overs I stored in Souper Cubes. They are expensive, but I love that they are easily portioned out.
