Authentic Middle Eastern Lentil Soup Recipe | Easy & Flavorful

INGREDIENTS

1 cup dried lentils 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, chopped 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper 4 cups water 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

PREPARATION:

1. Rinse lentils, discarding any debris or blemished lentils; drain.
2. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion and bell pepper; cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender. Add fennel seeds, cumin and ground red pepper; cook and stir 1 minute.
3. Add water and lentils. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in salt. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes or until lentils are tender. Stir in lemon juice.
4. To serve, ladle soup into individual bowls and top with yogurt; sprinkle with parsley.

Tip For a special touch, top each serving with yellow bell pepper strips. This recipe appears in: Middle Eastern NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: Serving Size: 1 cup soup Fiber 16 g Carbohydrate 35 g Cholesterol 2 mg Saturated Fat 1 g Total Fat 8 g Calories from Fat 26 % Calories 266 Protein 16 g Sodium 320 mg DIETARY EXCHANGE: Meat 1 Vegetable 1 Starch 2 Fat 1