Turkish Spinach and Lentil Soup

From Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant

This isn't one of those eye-catching recipes, I don't think I would have ever made it if I didn't make the recipe on the page before: Lebanese Vegetable Soup (which is divine by the way) and kept accidentally turning the page. However, once I realized that it used bulghur, and I have so much bulghur from making Moosewood Chili (yum yum change your life yum) I decided to give it a try.

Serves 6 to 8


1 cup dried lentils
5 cups vegetable stock or water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil

2 cups chopped onions
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup raw bulghur
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste
pinch of dried rosemary (or to taste)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 cups stemmed, cleaned and coarsely chopped spinach

chopped fresh parsley


Rinse the lentils Bring them to a boil in the salted stock or water. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a heavy soup pot. Saute the onions until translucent. Add the garlic, cayenne, bay leaves, and raw bulghur. Stir the mixture on medium heat until the onions and bulghur are lightly browned.
Mix in the parsley and tomatoes. When the tomatoes begin to give up their juice, gently stir in the tomato paste.
Pour the lentils and the liquid into the soup pot with the onions and bulghur. Simmer the soup for 15 minutes. Add the rosemary, salt, and pepper to taste. If the lentils and bulghur have adsorbed too much liquid, add more stock, water, or tomato juice. Remove the bay leaves.
Just before serving, stir in the fresh spinach and let it wilt in the hot soup. Garnish with more fresh parsley and serve with crusty bread.


This was absolutely delicious the next day. I tried some right after I made it and was quite disappointed, I blamed myself that I didn't go to the effort of adding stock instead of water. If I'm given the option of adding water, I do, because I am lazy. I was consumed with my water adding laziness on my way home on the bus today, so what a pleasant surprise I had when I warmed up a bowl for myself on my arrival, and it was very tasty! Filling and very wintery, though I would suggest adding some chilies to the recipe if I was to do it again.