Mediterranean Red Lentil & Farro Soup
I used to think nothing could top my favorite “local spot” red lentil soup until I seasoned and simmered this homemade version to the top of the leader board. The addition of farro makes it—adds just the right amount of creaminess and nuttiness to balance the lentils and spices.
An addictive blend of onion, carrots, red lentils, farro, and savory spices.
- 2 tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced (about 1 cup)
- 4 large or 6 small garlic cloves, minced
- 1-1.5 in. piece fresh peeled ginger, minced (about 1.5 tablespoons)
- 2.5-3 tsp. kosher salt, divided
- 1 heaping tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 3/4 tsp. sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp. ground tumeric
- 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
- 8 c. low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable broth (avoid anything with high mushroom content)
- 1 c. red lentils, thoroughly rinsed and uncooked
- 1/2 c. pearled or semi-pearled farro (see TIP A below), thoroughly rinsed and uncooked
- 3 dried bay leaves
- 6-8 tbsp. plain greek yogurt (low-fat or full-fat), thinned with 3-5 tablespoons milk
- finely chopped cilantro stems or leaves
- additional farro, cooked separately in salted water
- fresh lemon wedges
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In a Dutch oven or stock pot, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, garlic, ginger and 1 teaspoon kosher salt (reserve remaining salt) and stir to coat in the oil. Let cook (stirring occasionally) for about 5 minutes or until the onion pieces become translucent and start to brown slightly around the edges.
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Add the tomato paste, 1.5 teaspoons more kosher salt (reserve remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt), and all of the seasonings (cumin through black pepper). Stir and let cook 1 minute.
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Next add the chicken stock or vegetable broth, rinsed and drained lentils, rinsed and drained farro, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.
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Once the lentils and farro are cooked through, use an immersion blender to partially blend the soup. You want to keep about half of the vegetable pieces, lentils, and farro whole so just a quick 5 seconds will get the job done. Alternatively, you could measure about 2-3 cups of the soup into a standard blender, purée, and then add back to the soup. After partially blending the soup, taste for seasoning and add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt if needed. Serve warm with a drizzle of yogurt, fresh cilantro, additional farro, or fresh lemon wedges (all optional).
TIP A: For this recipe, it is important to use pearled or semi-pearled farro so that it cooks in roughly the same time as the lentils. Unless you've purchased farro that states "whole grain" on the package, then chances are it is pearled or semi-pearled. Pearled and semi-pearled farro are the most common varieties found in grocery stores today because they keep longer and cook faster than whole grain farro (20-25 minutes vs. 60+ minutes). "Pearling" simply means that the grains were polished to remove or partially remove the outer bran layer. Farro is unique (relative to other grains) in that its nutrients are fairly evenly distributed vs. concentrated in the bran layer. Thus, even when the farro bran is polished or partially polished away, a lot of healthy nutrients still remain.
katieonwhidbey · February 01, 2023
This is so delicious1 Thanks for “just what I needed” after a bit of surgery today. Feels so healing . . .
off-script recipes · February 01, 2023
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! I hope your surgery was minor and that you recover quickly. Sending best wishes.