Lentil Soup Recipe with Kale

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5 from 9 votes

Hearty, healthy and loaded with flavor. Freezable too!

Prep Time30

Cook Time40

Total Time1 10

Course: Meatless Main, Soup

Cuisine: European

Keyword: soup

Servings:

Calories: 152kcal

Author: Tricia

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
1 large sweet onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (or ½ teaspoon dried)
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
⅓ cup dry red lentils rinsed
⅓ cup dry green or Puy lentils rinsed
6 oz tomato paste
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon white vinegar
½ teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
3 cups kale or baby spinach leaves stems removed, cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Instructions

Pour the olive oil into a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Heat on medium-high until shimmering. Add the carrots and onion. Sauté for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Add the garlic, crushed red pepper and thyme leaves. Sauté until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the vegetable broth, water and lentils to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.
Add all remaining ingredients: tomato paste, brown sugar, vinegar, garam masala, pepper, kale and parsley. Return the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until the kale is wilted.
Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Serve with a dash of hot sauce, if desired. Garnish with additional parsley.

Notes

We like the spark of heat from the crushed red pepper. If you don't care for the warmth, start with 1/8 teaspoon or omit.
Use low-sodium vegetable broth, if desired. Also you can use salt-free or low-sodium tomato paste in this recipe. Check the seasoning to ensure you don't need a little salt.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition