Mediterranean Lentil Soup with Kale

5 from 1 vote

Mediterranean Lentil Soup with Kale - hearty, healthy & vegan!

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Mediterranean Lentil Soup

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!

Mediterranean Lentil Soup With Kale

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.

Mediterranean Red Lentil Soup With Kale

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! ; )

Mediterranean Red Lentil Soup

 

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.

Mediterranean Lentil Soup with Kale Recipe-Step-1Add 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.
Mediterranean Lentil Soup with Kale Recipe-Step-2Once 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.

Mediterranean Lentil Soup with Kale Recipe-Step-3

Serve hot with some pita bread on the side!

Mediterranean Lentil Soup

* 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

5 from 1 vote
Servings: 4
Mediterranean Lentil Soup with Kale - hearty, healthy & vegan!

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
  • teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • salt to taste
  • 1.5 tablespoon oil
  • 4-5 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons parsley leaves chopped
  • cilantro chopped to garnish
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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

Calories: 233kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 6g, Sodium: 28mg, Potassium: 595mg, Fiber: 14g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 2315IU, Vitamin C: 32.8mg, Calcium: 79mg, Iron: 4.1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

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 Mediterranean Lentil Soup With Kale

Mediterranean Lentil Soup with Kale Collage-nocwm

 


Hi, I’m Manali!

Bringing you easy, delicious vegetarian & vegan recipes! Eating veggies can be fun, you just need to get creative in the kitchen with the right set of ingredients!


5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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36 Comments

    1. 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!

      1. Which type are easiest on the stomach & which are the ones eaten rarely?
        And how can I learn more about the different types?

      2. 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!

  1. I.Love.lentil.soup and this looks amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever seen sumac in the shops here, annoyingly.

  2. Brown is also popular in India, in fact all kind of lentils are super popular in India! Hope you guys get some sunshine soon!

  3. 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!

  4. Urgh. I hate snow. I hate winters. I wish I could send you a huge bowl through the screen! Thanks Anu! Stay warm xoxo

  5. This soup looks delicious! Love the kale – one of my favourite veggies at the moment!

  6. 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.

  7. I love Mediterranean cuisine!! And this lentils looks amazing. Hope the weather gets better soon ☺