lentil kale soup

lentil kale soup

This Lentil Kale Soup is hearty and loaded with nutrient-dense French lentils and mushrooms, garlic, lots of herbs, and finished with balsamic vinegar. It’s easy to put together and prepare for meals throughout the week.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 8 leaves of fresh sage, chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 1/2 cups French lentils
• 6 cups of vegetable broth
• 8 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 2-3 cups kale, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons quality balsamic vinegar or the juice of one lemon
• Pepper and salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat your oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onions and celery with a pinch of salt until the onions are soft, about 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the sliced ​​mushrooms and continue sautéing for about 3-4 minutes to release most of their moisture. You should notice your pan starting to dry out a bit with the caramelized chunks of onion and celery on the bottom.
3. Stir in the garlic and sage and sauté until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
4. At this point, sprinkle the pan with some vegetable broth if needed, then add your nutritional yeast and coriander and mix well to combine.
5. Add your lentils and toss around to coat with your ingredients.
6. Pour in the vegetable broth and add the thyme, rosemary and bay leaves.
7. Bring the soup to a boil, then bring it to a low boil and let the soup cook for about 25 minutes.
8. Stir in the cabbage and cook for another 5 minutes, until the cabbage is wilted.
9. Remove from heat and stir in balsamic vinegar and adjust salt and pepper before serving.

NOTES

• Fresh herbs make a big difference. You can certainly use a combination of dried herbs, but you’ll get a fresher and more robust flavor by using fresh herbs. I used a mixture of sage, thyme and rosemary.
• I recommend French lentils as they are small and retain their texture when cooked. However, if you can’t find smaller lentils, brown and green lentils also work. Red lentils are cooked differently, so if you need a red lentil recipe, I recommend trying my Sweet Potato Red Lentil Soup.
• Leave out the tomatoes in this recipe to help those with sensitivities, but sauté 1 tablespoon of tomato paste or 1 cup of crushed tomatoes with your vegetables before adding them to the broth.
• Adjust the amount of broth to your preference. Finally, if the lentils are pulling too much broth, you can add a little more broth to help achieve your desired broth/lentil ratio.
• I like this soup chunky and juicy, but if you prefer creamy, you can use an immersion blender to blend some of the soup to your preference.