TURKISH RED LENTIL SOUP NEW YORK TIMES RECIPES

This is a lentil soup that defies expectations of what lentil soup can be. Based on a Turkish lentil soup, mercimek corbasi, it is light, spicy and a bold red color (no murky brown here): a revelatory dish that takes less than an hour to make. The cooking is painless. Sauté onion and garlic in oil, then stir in tomato paste, cumin and chile powder and cook a few minutes more to intensify flavor. Add broth, water, red lentils (which cook faster than their green or black counterparts) and diced carrot, and simmer for 30 minutes. Purée half the mixture and return it to the pot for a soup that strikes the balance between chunky and pleasingly smooth. A hit of lemon juice adds an up note that offsets the deep cumin and chile flavors.

Provided by Melissa Clark

Total Time 45 minutes

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 14

• Ingredients

Nutrition Facts : @context http//schema.org, Calories 204, UnsaturatedFatContent 1 gram, CarbohydrateContent 38 grams, FatContent 1 gram, FiberContent 7 grams, ProteinContent 13 grams, SaturatedFatContent 0 grams, SodiumContent 210 milligrams, SugarContent 4 grams

Classic Italian wedding soup is beloved for its simplicity and satisfaction. This turkey version is lean, while meatballs stay moist by simmering in broth. Start with the most flavorful broth you can get your hands on (homemade is ideal, but store-bought works well too), then pack the meatballs with flavor (garlic and parsley) and staying power (egg, panko and cheese, to gently bind them together). Traditionalists may be tempted to add a small grated onion to the meat mixture, and sweat celery and carrots into the broth, but for a quick weeknight meal, you won’t miss them here. If speed is your game, roll the mixture into 12 large meatballs—or opt for 20 smaller ones if serving kids (mini meatballs will cook through even faster). Either way, finish with a healthy dose of olive oil, lemon, cheese and dill, or any fresh Italian herb you may have on hand.

Provided by Sarah Copeland

Total Time 30 minutes

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 14

• Ingredients

Nutrition Facts : @context http//schema.org, Calories 669, UnsaturatedFatContent 19 grams, CarbohydrateContent 49 grams, FatContent 29 grams, FiberContent 2 grams, ProteinContent 51 grams, SaturatedFatContent 8 grams, SodiumContent 1797 milligrams, SugarContent 13 grams, TransFatContent 0 grams