Red Lentils and Kale Soup

I don’t know about you, but I love having soups in autumn and winter. It’s the ultimate comfort food! As soon as the warm soup hits my belly, I feel so relaxed and happy, it’s like all the stressful moments of the day disappear magically. This red lentils and kale soup is so easy to make and will take you only 30 minutes to cook. It’s packed with nutrients and vitamins from the lentils, kale and all the other veggies that make it super healthy. I usually serve it with some nice crispy bread to dip in. So let’s get started!

Why you should try my recipe

• Very easy to make! You just need to chop some vegetables that will take you at most 10 minutes.
• It takes only 20 minutes to cook.
• Stores in the fridge for 3-4 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months!
• Packed with nutrients, vitamins, iron from the lentils, kale and vegetables.
• Great way for little ones to eat more vegetables.

Ingredients & How-to

The main ingredients for this red lentil and kale soup are kale, red lentils, carrots, leek, onion, garlic and tomato. You could use any type of kale that you like. I usually make the soup with cavolo nero kale as I find the sweet & nutty flavor of this type of kale goes great with the red lentils and tomato. Depending on how hard the kale stems are, I remove them or just chop the end part in smaller pieces so it’s easier to cook. If you don’t like the crunchy stem though, feel free to remove it completely and just keep the leafy green part of the kale.

The next step is to prepare and chop all the vegetables. I start by chopping the onion into cubes and added to the pot with the olive oil to sauté for 3-4 minutes. While the onion is cooking, I cut the carrot into slices or cubes, same with the leek and roughly chop the garlic cloves.

Then, I add all the veggies except of the kale to the pot: the chopped leek, carrots, garlic cloves, the passata and the red lentils. You could use tomato passata, canned chopped tomatoes or 2 medium-sized fresh tomatoes that you either blend well or grate. Personally, I prefer the passata as it’s thicker than the other two and it gives the soup a nice red color.

One more key ingredient to make any kind of soup, is of course water! I add around 6 cups of water but you could adjust this and add a little bit more if you find that most of the water has evaporated whilst cooking the soup. For the seasoning, I keep it simple. Just a little bit of salt and pepper to taste and a couple of bay leaves. The bay leaves really compliment the lentils and give the red lentils and kale soup an extra aroma and flavor. Trust me!

Finally, I add the chopped kale to the pot and cover it with a lid. The kale leaves will gradually shrink with the steam, so you could give it a stir after 4-5 minutes to incorporate them in. The red lentils are easier to cook compared to the brown ones, so it will only take around 20 minutes overall for the soup to be ready. I cook the red lentils and kale soup over medium to low heat, but depending on your stove, you might need to add a little bit of water if the soup is too thick. When the soup is ready, I add one tablespoon of red wine vinegar, which is optional but gives the soup an extra kick. I highly recommend you to try it!

Serving suggestions

I usually slurp down this red lentil and kale soup with a nice slice of crispy bread and drizzle it with some more olive oil. The Greeks also love having their tomato based soups like this one, with some feta cheese on the side. I know it sounds a bit weird but if you like feta cheese, give it a go and I’m sure you will like it too.

Storage

If you have any leftovers, you could store the red lentils and kale soup in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. When you are ready to eat, just warm it up in the microwave or the stove for 2-3 minutes until hot. It’s also freezable for up to 3 months.

FAQ

• Can I add kale stems to the soup? The kale stems will still be a bit crunchy after being cooked in the soup but you can definitely add them. Make sure that you chop the hard parts into smaller pieces to help get a little bit softer.

• How much water do I need to add to the lentils soup? For a 4 servings soup, you will need to add around 6 cups of water. Depending on the heat, you might need to add a little bit more water towards the end.

• What type of tomatoes can I use for the lentils soup? For the red lentils and kale soup, you could use one cup of passata tomato or canned chopped tomatoes or 2 fresh tomatoes medium-sized that you either grate or blend well using a food processor.

• How can I serve the red lentils and kale soup to babies? Red lentils and kale soup is great for babies and little ones as it’s packed with nutrients and vitamins. Serve it with sticks or slices of bread to dip in the soup. For babies that follow the baby-led weaning method, you could also mash the vegetables using a fork or a blender and offer it in a cup.