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+ servings
a white bowl filled with a soup of pasta and lentils and a wedge of lemon
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4.86 from 7 votes

Easy Lentils and Pasta Soup (Rishta)

Rishta is a Lebanese lentils and pasta soup that is simple yet huge on flavor. Made with golden onions that have been simmered with brown lentils and pasta in broth with hints of parsley
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Lebanese
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 459kcal
Author: Janelle Hama

Equipment

Ingredients

  • cup Brown lentils sorted, soaked in water for 30 minutes and drained. See notes
  • 350 grams Tagliatelle or similar, can be gluten free
  • 1 large Onion diced
  • 3 tablespoons Parsley leaves finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Olive oil see notes for oil free version
  • ½ teaspoon Ground paprika
  • ½ teaspoon Black pepper or to taste
  • teaspoon Salt or to taste
  • 1 medium Lemon juiced
  • cups Water for soaking lentils
  • 12 cups Water 3 c to simmer lentils and 9 for soup

Instructions

  • Sort and wash lentils (get rid of any unwanted debris) then soak in double the amount of hot water for at least 30 minutes. Do this whilst preparing the rest of the ingredients. If using canned lentils, skip soaking. Just rinse the lentils prior to use.
    1¾ cup Brown lentils, 2½ cups Water
  • Over high heat, in a non-stick pot, add olive oil and onion and fry until golden. Drain lentils and add to the onions along with the salt, pepper, paprika, half of the parsley and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to medium and simmer for 20-25 minutes (if using canned lentils this can be around 15 minutes) or until lentils are par-boiled. See notes
    1 large Onion, 3 tablespoons Parsley leaves, 1 tablespoon Olive oil, ½ teaspoon Ground paprika, ½ teaspoon Black pepper, 2½ teaspoon Salt, 12 cups Water
  • Break pasta into bite sized pieces and add to the lentils along with 9 cups of water. Cook for another 8-10 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Serve immediately with a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of parsley
    350 grams Tagliatelle, 12 cups Water, 1 medium Lemon

Video

Notes

The lentils will increase in size when soaking, ensure they are fully submerged in water.
Identifying par boiled lentils, simply pick out a couple of lentils from the pot, using your thumb and index finger, pinch, if the lentil has a soft outer and hard inner, then it is par boiled.
Check in on simmering lentils to ensure the water hasn't run dry, if needed add more water, a little bit at a time.
The amount of oil used in this rishta recipe has been reduced. You can omit the oil completely and use water instead to fry the onions.
Traditional Lebanese lentils and pasta soup has butter stirred through at the end, if you desire, stir through a tablespoon of dairy free butter. This has been left out in this recipe.
Storage - place in an air tight container in the fridge for up to five days. This soup will thicken when cooled, stirring through some water will help with the consistency when you need to reheat portions.
 
 
Soaking time of 30 minutes isn't included in this recipe card.

Nutrition

Calories: 459kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 1014mg | Potassium: 756mg | Fiber: 20g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 314IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 6mg