soup
Turkish Red Lentil Soup – Mercimek Çorbası
Silky, deeply flavoured red lentil soup with paprika butter — Turkey's most beloved everyday soup.
⏱ 40 min🔥 280 kcalEasy
★4.9(24,300)
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Turkish Lentils Recipes
4 recipes using lentils — Kebabs, mezze, baklava and the richness of Anatolian cooking.
These 4 turkish lentils recipes are ready in about 43 minutes on average, with 260–340 kcal per serving, and 100% are rated easy enough for a weeknight. Every recipe includes exact ingredient quantities, step-by-step instructions and full nutrition per serving.
4
recipes
43 min
average time
291 kcal
avg per serving
100%
easy recipes
How Turkish cuisine cooks with lentils
Turkish cooking spans smoky grilled kebabs and meze to gentle olive-oil vegetable dishes, balancing richness with yoghurt, lemon and herbs. When Turkish cooks work with lentils, they reach for olive oil, cumin, pul biber (pepper flakes), garlic, yoghurt and fresh mint, and the techniques that come up most across these recipes are simmering, boiling, sautéing and frying.
Quick-cooking pulses that bring earthy heartiness and plant protein to soups, dals, stews and salads. In this collection it's most often cooked with dried mint, butter, tomato paste, garlic, ground cumin and vegetable or chicken stock. The dishes here span turkish classics ready in as little as 40 minutes to slower, more involved cooking that rewards a relaxed afternoon.
Reader favourite: Turkish Red Lentil Soup – Mercimek Çorbası is the highest-rated dish in this collection at 4.9★ from 24,300 ratings.
4 Turkish Lentils Recipes
✨ Newsoup
Turkish Mercimek Corbasi (Red Lentil Soup)
A silky Turkish red lentil soup finished with lemon, mint butter, and a gentle pepper warmth.
⏱ 40 min🔥 285 kcalEasy
★4.7(420)
✨ Newsoup
Ezogelin Soup with Bulgur and Mint
A hearty Turkish lentil, rice, and bulgur soup seasoned with tomato, mint, and pepper paste.
⏱ 45 min🔥 260 kcalEasy
★4.7(831)
✨ Newsoup
Turkish Ezogelin-Style Red Lentil Bowl
A warming red lentil and bulgur bowl inspired by ezogelin soup, brightened with lemon and mint.
⏱ 45 min🔥 340 kcalEasy
★4.6(58)
Choosing & preparing lentils
How to choose
Choose by type: red/yellow lentils break down into creamy dals and soups; green and Puy lentils hold their shape for salads and sides. Look for whole, unbroken, uniform pulses.
Prep & storage
No soaking needed — just rinse and pick out any stones. Add salt and acid towards the end, since early acidity can keep them firm; aromatics in the cooking water build flavour from the start.
Nutrition
An excellent source of plant protein, fibre, iron and folate, with a low glycaemic impact that keeps you full.
Classic flavour partners: cumin, garlic, onion, ginger, tomatoes, spinach
Turkish Lentils Recipes — FAQ
How long do Turkish lentils recipes take to make?
Most of these 4 Turkish lentils recipes are ready in around 43 minutes from start to finish. The quickest, Turkish Red Lentil Soup – Mercimek Çorbası, takes about 40 minutes, while the slower-cooked dishes run up to 45 minutes.
How many calories are in Turkish lentils dishes?
Across this collection they range from about 260 to 340 kcal per serving, averaging 291 kcal — Ezogelin Soup with Bulgur and Mint is the lightest option at 260 kcal.
What is the easiest Turkish lentils recipe for beginners?
Turkish Red Lentil Soup – Mercimek Çorbası is a great place to start — it's rated easy and comes together in about 40 minutes. 100% of the recipes here are beginner-friendly.
What goes well with lentils in Turkish cooking?
In these recipes, lentils is most often paired with dried mint, butter, tomato paste, garlic, ground cumin and vegetable or chicken stock. Turkish kitchens also lean on olive oil, cumin, pul biber (pepper flakes), garlic, yoghurt and fresh mint.
More Turkish Recipes by Ingredient
Lentils Recipes from Other Cuisines
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