Since the weather outside is so frightful, (and freezing!) soup is on my mind. This lentil soup is nice and light, yet very satisfying. It is also chock full of warm fuzzy feeling. I created it to emulate a soup I always order at one of my favorite restaurants. Fragranced with lemon and cilantro, and pleasantly mild, even my lentil hating husband loves this stuff.
Here’s to soup, and keeping warm!
Lentil, Kale and Potato Soup
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
- 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 5 leaves fresh kale
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1 bag of dried lentils (16oz) or 2 cups
- 14 cups water (3.5 quarts)
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
- 3 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- drizzle of olive oil or other cooking oil
- 1 medium Vidalia onion
- salt and pepper to taste- I use a LOT of salt in mine
Directions:
Wash potatoes well and chop into small pieces, no larger than an inch in one direction.
Rinse and sort out any foreign material in lentils.
Chop Kale into strips, leaving out the stems. This is best achieved using a very loose and thick chiffonade cut.
Add potatoes, kale, 3 tsp salt, lemon juice, lentils, garlic and 14 cups water to large pot and bring to a boil.
In the meantime, drizzle olive oil onto the chopped onion, cilantro, lemon zest, cumin, coriander and turmeric and sauté until onions are slightly translucent. Add onions to soup pot. Once water reaches a boil, turn to low and simmer until lentils are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
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Oooh yummy! I love soup!
How do you think it would be with sweet potatoes instead of Yukon Gold? I’m trying to avoid nightshades.
Hey Michelle,
Ya know, sweet potatoes sound like a pretty darn good idea to me. I’ve never actually made soup with sweet potatoes, but I have definitely done stew, and it is fabulous. I would give it a shot… actually, I am gonna give it a shot! I love soup too… this seems like a good one to have many versions of. :D Thanks for the inspiration!
This combines three of my favorite foods into a single soup!
Yes!! Me too Becky ;)
What a beautiful, simple soup!
I love soup any time of year but now that it is starting to get a bit chilly I love it even more. You have got so many of my favorite things in this soup that I am just going to have to make it, and make it soon. Stunning pictures!
14 cups or water?? is that right? and how much is 1 bag of lentils??
Hey Allison,
Yep, 14 cups of water is how much I used. “1 bag” of lentils is 16 oz, or two cups… I’ll clarify the lentil amount on the ingredients list. Thanks!! :)
I am absolutely making this for dinner this weekend!
i made this over the weekend. it was very good and very easy to make. this is definitely in my soup rotation. :-)
Looks good and satisfying!
Beautiful soup! How many servings would you say this makes?
Just found your site today and am loving it. You take such gorgeous photos, and the recipes look fantastic.
Hi Lisa,
Thank you so much!! I’m not sure exactly how many servings… but it feeds our family (2 adults and 1 seven year old) for at least two days… and I often have more than three bowls each day. :) It makes a lot! So happy you found my site and are enjoying it!
This is a great soup. I’m not a fan of raw kale but know that its good for me so this is a good way to get it. I also added some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce at the end. It gives the soup a nice depth. My husband also added lime.
Just made this soup for lunch! Absolutely yum! And just the right thing when we’ve got homegrown potatoes and kale in the garden. But we’ve got pumpkin in abundance, so I substituted pumpkin for some of the potatoes too.
This will become a regular – delicious and simple!
I am pretty much obsessed with your recipes =) I featured another recipe on my blog! http://www.thecleaneatingmama.com/2010/09/gray-day-comfort.html
awe.. i love you!!! thanks so much, Tasha!
this soup is sooo yummy! it smelled so delicious when i was making it, and it did not disappoint! i did 1lb sweet potato, 1lb yukon potato and it turned out great. i couldn’t believe that the broth was from water and spices- so flavorful!
Im SOO making this this for dinner tonight! Thank you <3
yay… I hope you enjoy!
glad i found your blog today! was just searching for a kale soup recipe and here is the one! I accidentally put the cilantro and lemon zest in the water instead of adding it to the onions…I bet it will be just fine though. I’m going to subscribe!
thanks, Lisa! I’m sure it will be great that way too. :D
Thank you for this recipe. It was delicious. I used half sweet potatoes and half Yukon gold based on other comments and really enjoyed it. I have added this to my go to soup recipes.
Wonderful soup. I added stewed tomatoes to the mixture and it added a richer flavor! Love this soup, though.
do you think this would work with chickpeas instead of lentils and red potatoes instead of Yukon Gold? looks like a tasty soup!
Oh yea (as long as the chickpeas are precooked!)… that sounds delicious!
Looks yummy! How long does it take generally for the lentils to become soft? Just trying to figure how long it will take to cook.
Thanks!
Hi Jennifer, maybe about 35 minutes, give or take. :)
This soup is amazing! This is the first time I’ve visited your website and I’m so glad I did. I made a double batch of this (in hindsight, probably unnecessary because it makes so much – I used three pots!) and will freeze half for later. The soup has a ton of flavor, and the lemon adds a really nice touch. I can’t wait to try other recipes of yours!
I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for a while now and am finally making it today!
Made this almost exactly as written, and it’s really lovely. Changes: I used a whole bag of Trader Joe’s tuscan kale, and I used their pre-steamed lentils (so I put them in a bit later). Worked out just fine, although I suspect that cooking the dry lentils in with everything else might make for a slightly richer soup. A splash of Tabasco at table is nice in this. Also, for those who aren’t vegan (I’m not even vegetarian, I just really like lentils and kale), a dollop of plain greek yogurt mixed in at table is amazing! Thanks for a great recipe.