Lit🔥 Lentil Soup
The name says it all. Yes, it’s slang and the best way to get my point across because this soup is sooo good.
As we move into fall and temps become cooler, soups and stews become my go-to meals whether cooked on the stove top or in my crockpot.
Beans and legumes are a big part of my plant-based lifestyle and lentils are a great source of protein, iron, fiber and folate. This soup has kale too, another nutrient rich plant, and one of my favorite vegetables and super foods. And when it comes to spices, I love curry and use it often in lentil dishes. This soup features my Bold Gold Curry powder because it’s a mild to medium-spiced. Keep that in mind. You don’t want a curry with too much of a kick or heat because it will overwhelm the other flavors.
This soup really is the best lentil soup I’ve ever had and it’s made with ingredients right in your pantry. Next time, I’ll have to double the recipe because my husband couldn’t get enough. I hope you try it and it becomes the best lentil soup you’ve ever had too!
Servings: 8 (depending on bowl size)
INGREDIENTS
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
5 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp Bold Gold curry powder (or other mild-to medium-spiced)
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cayenne
1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, lightly drained
1 cup brown or green lentils, rinsed
4 cups vegetable broth, low or no sodium
2 cups water
Freshly ground black pepper or regular, to taste
2 cups chopped kale, tough ribs removed (add more if you like!)
1 to 2 Tbs lemon juice (I squeezed a fresh lemon), to taste
DIRECTIONS
Heat a large pot over medium heat.
Add the chopped onion and carrot. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is translucent. Add a little water if vegetables start to stick. NOTE: See some tips at the end of the recipe for sautéing vegetables without oil.
Add the garlic, cumin, curry powder, thyme, turmeric and cayenne. Cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Add the drained tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes, stirring often.
Add the lentils, broth and the water. Season generously with black pepper. Raise heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot and reduce heat to maintain an easy simmer. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender, still holding their shape.
Use an immersion blender to blend a portion of the soup. If you don’t have one, put 2 cups of soup in a blender and purée the soup until smooth. Pour the puréed soup back into the pot.
Add the chopped kale and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the greens have softened. Stir in the lemon juice. Taste and season to your liking with more pepper and/or lemon juice. Enjoy!
If — and that’s a big IF — there are any leftovers they will keep about 4 days in the fridge, or you can always freeze for several months.
NOTES
For a different variation, substitute 1 (2-inch piece) fresh ginger, peeled and minced, for the curry powder.
Recipe inspired by Lentil Dal soup in The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food
TIPS ON SAUTEING WITHOUT OIL (from Chef Del)
Add vegetables with a high water content first. Only add water if the vegetables start to stick to the pan. Vegetables like onions, carrots, and bell peppers do well with little water added, and by not adding water right away, they can brown some, which is one way to build flavor. By not adding water in the beginning of the process, you make sure that water is released from the vegetables, which concentrates their flavor.
After these vegetables have cooked as much as I want them to, I add vegetables with a lower water content; spices; and vegetables like garlic, which stick easily to the pan.
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT AND PRODUCTS (affiliate links)
I can’t say enough about my Vitamix Blender and this immersion blender. Have had them for years and they’re still going strong. And I love cooking soups and stews in this enameled cast iron pot.
Made this recipe?
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