May 04, 2017, Updated Jan 22, 2018 If you love all the Instant Pot vegetarian/vegan recipes that I share on the blog, please join me on this Facebook Group – Instant Pot Vegetarian Recipes. The group would feature vegetarian instant pot recipes from all around the web!
It’s pretty hot where I am right now so I don’t know how exactly I feel about sharing a soup recipe today. But if you ask me, I am always up for soup. Whether it’s 100 F outside or 40 F, soups are on my dinner menu throughout the year. This Mediterranean Lentil Soup is one of my absolute favorites. It’s super easy to make, packed with flavors and is also vegan! And the best part is that the version that I am sharing with you today is made in the Instant Pot! Do you guys like Mediterranean flavors? I love it! Maybe because it’s quite similar to Indian food in so many ways or maybe because it’s just plain delicious 😉 Either way they have tons of vegetarian options which is one more reason why I love it. It’s something we definitely eat once a week. We have this little Mediterranean cafe near our place and we usually get the lentil soup with a side of pita and baba ganoush or hummus for a quick dinner. It’s so delicious and so satisfying. Since we love the soup a lot, I also make it quite often at home. And this time I thought of using my Instant Pot to make the whole process extra quick!
Mediterranean food is pretty flavorful, just like Indian food. So we have lots of spices and herbs going on here – cumin, coriander, sumac, parsley and mint. I would strongly recommend to not skip any of these especially Sumac. Sumac has a sour taste and it’s widely used in Mediterranean cooking to sprinkle over salads, kebabs etc. before serving. It’s also used in dressings and rubs and it imparts a wonderful flavor to this lentil soup. I would have added some fresh parsley here but since I didn’t have it in my refrigerator the day I made this soup, I opted for dried parsley and garnished the soup with fresh cilantro.
There’s this amazing persian restaurant in Seattle and they serve the lentil soup mixed with little rice and it’s so good. You can do the same. If you think the soup isn’t filling enough, just add little boiled rice to it and then you have a complete meal in itself! Serve this instant pot mediterranean lentil soup with a side of your favorite bread and enjoy! Method Press the saute button on your Instant Pot. Wait till it gets hot and then add olive oil to the pot. Once oil is hot, add chopped onion and saute till it becomes light golden brown in color. (use yellow onion if possible, I only had red so used that) Add chopped garlic, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground sumac, red chili flakes, dried parsley, pinch of sugar and dried mint flakes. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add water (or vegetable broth) and give a stir.
Add the lentils and also add salt and pepper. Stir to mix. Close the Instant Pot and set valve to sealing position. Cancel saute mode and press “Manual” button on your IP. Adjust the timing and set it to 8 minutes on high. Once 8 minutes are up, wait for 5 minutes and then do quick release. Stir the soup, add lime juice. Serve the instant pot mediterranean lentil soup with a side of pita bread!
- Garnish the soup with fresh parsley or cilantro.
- Add more water for a thinner consistency of soup.
- You can make this soup on the stove top too, it would take around 20-25 minutes for the lentils to cook till softened. Instant Pot Mediterranean Lentil Soup
title: “Instant Pot Mediterranean Lentil Soup " ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-10” author: “Heidi Hinderliter”
May 04, 2017, Updated Jan 22, 2018 If you love all the Instant Pot vegetarian/vegan recipes that I share on the blog, please join me on this Facebook Group – Instant Pot Vegetarian Recipes. The group would feature vegetarian instant pot recipes from all around the web!
It’s pretty hot where I am right now so I don’t know how exactly I feel about sharing a soup recipe today. But if you ask me, I am always up for soup. Whether it’s 100 F outside or 40 F, soups are on my dinner menu throughout the year. This Mediterranean Lentil Soup is one of my absolute favorites. It’s super easy to make, packed with flavors and is also vegan! And the best part is that the version that I am sharing with you today is made in the Instant Pot! Do you guys like Mediterranean flavors? I love it! Maybe because it’s quite similar to Indian food in so many ways or maybe because it’s just plain delicious 😉 Either way they have tons of vegetarian options which is one more reason why I love it. It’s something we definitely eat once a week. We have this little Mediterranean cafe near our place and we usually get the lentil soup with a side of pita and baba ganoush or hummus for a quick dinner. It’s so delicious and so satisfying. Since we love the soup a lot, I also make it quite often at home. And this time I thought of using my Instant Pot to make the whole process extra quick!
Mediterranean food is pretty flavorful, just like Indian food. So we have lots of spices and herbs going on here – cumin, coriander, sumac, parsley and mint. I would strongly recommend to not skip any of these especially Sumac. Sumac has a sour taste and it’s widely used in Mediterranean cooking to sprinkle over salads, kebabs etc. before serving. It’s also used in dressings and rubs and it imparts a wonderful flavor to this lentil soup. I would have added some fresh parsley here but since I didn’t have it in my refrigerator the day I made this soup, I opted for dried parsley and garnished the soup with fresh cilantro.
There’s this amazing persian restaurant in Seattle and they serve the lentil soup mixed with little rice and it’s so good. You can do the same. If you think the soup isn’t filling enough, just add little boiled rice to it and then you have a complete meal in itself! Serve this instant pot mediterranean lentil soup with a side of your favorite bread and enjoy! Method Press the saute button on your Instant Pot. Wait till it gets hot and then add olive oil to the pot. Once oil is hot, add chopped onion and saute till it becomes light golden brown in color. (use yellow onion if possible, I only had red so used that) Add chopped garlic, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground sumac, red chili flakes, dried parsley, pinch of sugar and dried mint flakes. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add water (or vegetable broth) and give a stir.
Add the lentils and also add salt and pepper. Stir to mix. Close the Instant Pot and set valve to sealing position. Cancel saute mode and press “Manual” button on your IP. Adjust the timing and set it to 8 minutes on high. Once 8 minutes are up, wait for 5 minutes and then do quick release. Stir the soup, add lime juice. Serve the instant pot mediterranean lentil soup with a side of pita bread!
- Garnish the soup with fresh parsley or cilantro.
- Add more water for a thinner consistency of soup.
- You can make this soup on the stove top too, it would take around 20-25 minutes for the lentils to cook till softened. Instant Pot Mediterranean Lentil Soup
