Mediterranean Lentil Soup with Kale
Mar 26, 2015, Updated Jan 02, 2018
Mediterranean Lentil Soup with Kale - hearty, healthy & vegan!
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I jinxed it, I mean I jinxed the weather. For the last few weeks I have been happily posting about how sunny and wonderful it has been in Seattle but the weather changed as soon as spring officially started! Crazy right? It has been raining non stop, it’s grey, dark and so annoying. And this kind of weather obviously calls for a comforting soup like this Mediterranean Lentil Soup with Kale.
I got introduced to Mediterranean cuisine only after I moved to US. It quickly became one of my favorites because not only is it delicious but also has a lot of vegetarian options. There’s this really nice restaurant in Seattle which serves awesome red lentil soup. So the inspiration for this soup comes from there!
While the red lentil soup in that restaurant has rice added to it, I added kale in place. Like I mentioned when I posted this, there are only few ways to make husband eat kale and since he loves red lentil soup, this is one of them.
Mediterranean cuisine uses a lot of spices and one of the most widely used spices is sumac. The spice adds tartness to recipes and is basically used in place of lemon. It’s also sprinkled on top of rice, veggies, meats and other sauces. Now why am I talking about sumac? Because the spice is absolutely essential to get that Mediterranean lentil soup flavor. I have tried the recipe using lemon and it’s not the same. By the way sumac has a very strong smell and the first time I opened the bottle, I thought I got something wrong by mistake but when you add it to the soup it works just fine.
This hearty, healthy soup is easy to make, packed with nutrients and is also vegan. It’s also a good soup to make and then store for later use. The reason I like lentil soups is because a) I grew up eating lentils every day so it’s like my everyday food b) it’s a good source of protein for vegetarians, we don’t have too many options anyway! ; )
Method
Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add chopped onion and garlic. Saute for a minute or two.
Add chopped tomatoes and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Now add the chopped kale, mix and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add red lentils and mix.
Add all the dry spices – cumin powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, cinnamon powder and ground sumac. Also add the salt, mix and cook for a minute.
Now add water and chopped parsley leaves. Cover and cook till lentils are soft and cooked, around 20-25 minutes on medium heat.
Once the lentils are done, switch off the gas stove and let the soup cool down a bit. When the soup has cooled down slightly, transfer half of it to a blender and blend to a smooth paste. I like to blend only half of it so that I still have solid lentils in my soup but you blend the entire soup.
Transfer the blended soup to the soup in the pan and mix.
Simmer the soup for 10 more minutes and adjust the consistency as per your preference. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Serve hot with some pita bread on the side!
* I strongly suggest using ground sumac in this recipe, do not replace it with lemon.
* You can make the same soup using brown lentils too.
Mediterranean Lentil Soup with Kale
Ingredients
- 1 cup red lentils
- 4 big garlic cloves chopped
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 to matoes chopped
- 1.25 cups chopped kale leaves firmly packed
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground sumac
- ¼ + ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- salt to taste
- 1.5 tablespoon oil
- 4-5 cups water
- 2 tablespoons parsley leaves chopped
- cilantro chopped to garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add chopped onion and garlic. Saute for a minute or two.
- Add chopped tomatoes and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Now add the chopped kale, mix and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add red lentils and mix.
- Add all the dry spices - cumin powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, cinnamon powder and ground sumac. Also add the salt, mix and cook for a minute.
- Now add water and chopped parsley leaves.
- Cover and cook till lentils are soft and cooked, around 20-25 minutes on medium heat.
- Once the lentils are done, switch off the gas stove and let the soup cool down a bit.
- When the soup has cooled down slightly, transfer half of it to a blender and blend to a smooth paste. I like to blend only half of it so that I still have solid lentils in my soup but you can blend the entire soup.
- Transfer the blended soup to the soup in the pan and mix.
- Simmer the soup for 10 more minutes and adjust the consistency as per your preference. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
- Serve hot with some pita bread on the side!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Mediterranean Lentil Soup With Kale
Do different colors o lentils taste different? I so how are they different? Thank you
Hi Moneka, yes they do! I grew up eating a lot of lentils – yellow, black, red, green and they all tasted very different from one another. Also some lentils are easy on the stomach , which we ate everyday while others were eaten rarely!
Which type are easiest on the stomach & which are the ones eaten rarely?
And how can I learn more about the different types?
Moneka, here’s a nice guide to all of the lentils we eat in India – http://indiaphile.info/guide-indian-lentils/ . The Pigeon Pea (toor dal) and yellow moong beans are eaten almost everyday in my house. They are light and easy on the stomach. The chana dal, urad dal are little on the heavier side! Hope this helps!
What are red lentils called in Hindi/Tamil?
Masoor Dal in Hindi ! not sure about Tamil!
I.Love.lentil.soup and this looks amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever seen sumac in the shops here, annoyingly.
Thanks Sarah! Ahh that sucks, you can order it from amazon!
YES! Bring on more vegan recipes, Manali! Love how beautiful and healthy this soup looks. Can’t wait to try it out. Pinning!!
Hope you like it Vanessa! Thank you 🙂
Ugh, we had snow again yesterday which was insane since it was so warm last week. This lentil soup is perfect for this type of weather! Love the flavors and the kale in here! I could go for a big bowl right now!
I know it’s crazy right? Thanks Kelly!
Looks so refreshing and gorgeous:)…what a coincidence, I too just posted a lentil recipe:)
Thanks padma, will check your recipe now 🙂
A hearty and delicious soup for any lunch or dinner. I love this.
Thank you!
It’s definitely still soup weather here in NYC. Lentil is very popular in my home country, but the brown kind. I also only started eating the red one after moving to the US!
Brown is also popular in India, in fact all kind of lentils are super popular in India! Hope you guys get some sunshine soon!
The weather here is turning cold as I type this – not sure what’s going on with Spring this year! But I am sure I would so love this kale and lentil soup – I am so intrigued by the sumac and cinnamon in it!
Thanks Shashi! I hope the weather gets better for you!
This soup looks delicious! Love the kale – one of my favourite veggies at the moment!
Thanks Jess!
Dal is one thing I can never get tired of eating. The Mediterranean version with kale sounds great.
true, I grew up eating dal everyday too so can never get bored of it! Thanks Taruna 🙂
Though spring has arrived here, soup is still my favourite meal. I love all the spices that you have put in there. The soup must be very flavourful and tasty.
Thanks Angie!
Oh my word! I need to make this! I’m in love with red lentils!! Thanks for the recipe! Love it!
Glad you like it Cailee! 🙂
Lentil soup is one of my favorites! I love love the Mediterranean twist on this and the fact that there’s kale snuck in there! Looks soooo cozy and comforting, Manali!
Thanks Sarah!
Well, I think weather is crazy every where. It’s snowing and freezing here so badly! I think this warm Mediterranean soup would help to keep us warm here too. Please send a giant bowl of this comfort! 🙂 Loved your addition of kale to the soup! Super YUM!
Urgh. I hate snow. I hate winters. I wish I could send you a huge bowl through the screen! Thanks Anu! Stay warm xoxo
Mediterranean cuisine is my new addiction.This lentil soup looks delicious and almost similar to the way we cook lentils in a curry.Need to try this,sure we’ll like the taste.
I love Mediterranean cuisine too! Thanks Amila!
That’s such a different and interesting soup Manali! I’ve never had lentil soup, I’ll have to try it!
You have to! Thanks Stacey!
ah! weather is really playing games. can you believe it is 85 degrees on my side of the world today?! Soup indeed looks hearty and comforting, Manali! Love the addition of kale too!
Thanks Savita! wow 85 degrees! lucky you! but it’s bright and nice here too right now 😀
Is it bad that I’ve never tried lentils before? This recipe is definitely making me want to change that though, it looks delicious!
Thanks Danielle! You must give lentils a try, they are delicious!
Manali weather has been playing hide and seek here too! I know enough winter seriously but hey you got yourself this delicious looking comforting soup! Looks so yum and I love the addition of kale!
Thanks Ami! I know we all need some sunshine now!
Looks so fresh and delicious! I jinxed the weather, too, because it has been cold this week here! Perfect for soup 🙂
Thanks Mira! Hope you get lots of sunshine soon!
i am not keeping well and this soup is all i need 🙂
being a vegetarian i could only have lentil soup when we went to turkey-this soup reminds me of that:)
haha I know the problems we vegetarians face! Hope you feel better soon dear! xoxo
I love Mediterranean cuisine!! And this lentils looks amazing. Hope the weather gets better soon ☺
Thank you dear! Yes it’s sunny today 😀
We actually had some thunder last night! And lots of rain this morning. It’s actually a good day to enjoy a bowl of this lentil soup. It looks great!
Thanks Jen! Yup it’s perfect for rainy day!
Wait…doesn’t it just rain ALL the time in Seattle? That’s what I’m told at least. But heck, I’ll take the rain if it means I get comforting soups like this. I’ve never made lentil soup…but this one looks delicious. It’s finally starting to warm up on this side of the country…and by “warm up,” I mean it’s getting above freezing during the day. I’ll have to put this soup at the top of my list for next winter. (Which I feel like is only about 4 months away now…haha!)
lol it does rain quite a lot in Seattle David but the winters were pretty good this year. So that’s why it feels weird that it was all sunny in Dec-Jan and it’s raining now when spring officially started! Gosh I don’t know how you guys survive on the east coast, I would freeze to death!
The weather has been crazy here, too! This soup is the perfect thing to warm up with, though. I love the lentils and kale in here, sounds delicious!
Thanks Gayle! I want some sun now!