Red Lentil & Yogurt Soup

Name: Red Lentil & Yogurt Soup
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 300g red lentils, cooked until collapsing; 150g plain nonfat Greek yogurt; 1 tbsp olive oil; 200 ml warm unsalted stock or water; 1 tsp ground cumin; Squeeze of lemon; Salt to taste

Warming, savoury and over 20g of protein a bowl.

Red Lentil & Yogurt Soup — puréed texture, IDDSI Level 3

Written and reviewed by an oral & maxillofacial surgeon

Every recipe is texture-graded against the IDDSI framework. About this site

21g

Protein

264

kcal

33g

Carbs

Fat

11.9g

Fibre

Servings

Ingredients

300g red lentils, cooked until collapsingshop
150g plain nonfat Greek yogurtshop
1 tbsp olive oilshop
200 ml warm unsalted stock or watershop
1 tsp ground cuminshop
Squeeze of lemonshop
Salt to tasteshop

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Makes 2 servings · 30 min · Middle Eastern

Method

Cook the lentils well past al dente — they should fall apart against the side of the pan.
Blend with the stock and cumin until smooth and pourable.
Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the yogurt so it does not split.
Loosen with more warm stock until it drips slowly from a fork.
Finish with olive oil, lemon and salt.

Texture note — IDDSI Level 3

Add the yogurt off the heat. Boiling it after it goes in will make the soup grainy, which changes the texture level.

Why this works at IDDSI Level 3

Level 3 is moderately-thick, or liquidised — it can be drunk from a cup but is smooth enough to be eaten with a spoon, and it should drip rather than pour off a tilted spoon. There should be no lumps at all, because at this thickness a lump is easy to miss until it is already at the back of the throat.

At 2 servings this recipe delivers 21g of protein and 264 kcal per serving in about 30 min — worth knowing because protein intake, not calories alone, is what limits soft-tissue healing when chewing is restricted. Move up a stage on your surgeon's or speech-language pathologist's timeline rather than by how you feel on a given day: texture that is too advanced is the most common cause of pain, wound irritation and choking risk in the first weeks.

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See it made, or buy it nearby

Texture is hard to judge from written steps alone. Watching someone make it is often the quickest way to see how smooth “smooth” actually needs to be — and on the days cooking is too much, finding somewhere nearby that already makes it is a reasonable substitute.

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What makes this easier

The two things most worth owning for puréed-stage cooking. Affiliate links — we earn a commission at no cost to you, and nothing here is sponsored.

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High-power blender

Blends liquids & soft foods completely smooth.

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Fine-mesh sieve

Strains out lumps for safe IDDSI textures.

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More puréed-stage recipes

IDDSI 4 · Puréed Miso Salmon Purée Japanese · 25 min Blendable salmon, silken tofu & dashi — top-tier protein. 22g protein280 kcal ▶ 📍

IDDSI 4 · Puréed Creamy Red Dal Purée Indian · 30 min Smooth lentils, warming spice, fully liquidised. 16g protein300 kcal ▶ 📍

IDDSI 3 · Puréed Avocado Chocolate Mousse Western · 10 min Moderately-thick treat, blended to spoonable. 5g protein260 kcal ▶ 📍

Medical disclaimer. Jaw Surgery Diet is patient education, not medical advice, and it does not create a doctor–patient relationship. Texture stages here follow the IDDSI framework, but the right stage for you is the one your own surgeon, speech-language pathologist or dietitian has set. If you are unsure whether a texture is safe for you — or if you cough, choke or feel food catching when you swallow — stop and contact your care team.