Tomato-Lentil Soup With Goat Cheese

By Ali Slagle

Published Feb. 27, 2023

Tomato-Lentil Soup With Goat Cheese
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
35 minutes
Rating
5(2,166)
Comments
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You could just make this tomato-rich red lentil soup — it’s earthy and sweet, delicious on its own. But skipping the goat cheese topping would be like eating tomato soup without grilled cheese, and what’s the fun in that? In this recipe, the melty cheese accompaniment happens right in the pot: Once the lentils are soft, top them with slices of herb-and-lemon-sprinkled goat cheese to warm. The cheese forms creamy, tangy puddles throughout your bowl. While this dish is lovely as it is, feel free to top bowls with toasted walnuts or sliced almonds, zhug, rice or leftover root vegetables, eggplant or peppers. It’s also good with pita or crusty bread.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 3tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
  • 1(4½ ounce) tube double concentrate tomato paste or 6 ounces (1 can) tomato paste
  • 3garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 1½teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1teaspoon Italian seasoning, za’atar or dried oregano
  • ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving
  • 1cup red lentils
  • Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
  • 1lemon
  • 4ounces regular or herb goat cheese, cut into 8 slices
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

359 calories; 15 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 40 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 19 grams protein; 387 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium. Add the tomato paste, garlic, coriander, ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning and the red-pepper flakes. Stir until the tomato paste is a shade darker and sticking to the bottom of the pot, 2 to 4 minutes. (Try not to rush this step; it’s where the flavor of the soup develops.)

  2. Step 2

    Add 4 ½ cups of water, the lentils and 1 teaspoon salt. Increase heat to medium-high, scrape any browned bits stuck to the pot and stir to break up the big chunks of tomato paste. Partially cover the pot and bring to a simmer, then completely cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until the lentils start to break down and lose their shape, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir occasionally and scrape any stuck lentils from the bottom of the pot.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, zest the lemon into a small bowl. Cut the lemon into wedges for serving. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning to the lemon zest and season with salt and more red-pepper flakes. Rub with your fingers until you smell lemon; set aside.

  4. Step 4

    Turn off the heat under the lentils. Season to taste with salt. Place the goat cheese on top of the lentils, then sprinkle the goat cheese with the lemon-herb mixture. Cover the pot and let sit until the goat cheese is softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve the soup with a lemon wedge for squeezing over.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
2,166 user ratings
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Comments

Blork

This was really nice, and very quick and easy to make. I have one quibble with the suggested presentation: it seems silly to add the goat cheese and zest to the pot THEN ladle it into serving bowls. Doing so will not give you the nice presentation you see in the photo. Rather: ladle the soup into bowls, then add the goat cheese and zest. That small amount of cheese will not cause the soup to get cold, and the cheese will warm through enough by the time you bring the bowls to the table.

Jacy

This is a keeper! So much flavor from relatively few ingredients. I made some substitutions just based on what I had — feta instead of goat cheese, paprika gochugaru instead of red pepper flakes, extra thyme and oregano because I didn’t have coriander. Added diced shallot in with the garlic. This recipe was the tipping point for me ordering Ali Slagle‘s cookbook. :)

Denise

This was very easy to make and had great complex flavor. I cooked the butter and tomato too much in the first step, not sure if this is where the smoky complex flavor came from, tasters reported that it tasted like there was meat in it, or smoked paprika. Made it with roasted cauliflower and some garlic bread, was a cozy and delicious winter meal.

Jackson

This recipe is really good, especially for how easy it is (only prep is grating garlic and mincing a lemon!) I went with zaatar and I’m very happy with my decision. My only gripe is that I don’t think the lemon wedges for serving are necessary. The zest provides more than enough lemon taste and the tomato paste means we don’t need any more acidity. I’d much rather save the lemon for another recipe that needs juice.

LInda from Chicago

Has anyone tried this with green or brown lentils?

Claire

Ooh baby - so easy, so cheap, so yum

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