Mediterranean Lentil Soup with Kale

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

Manali

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

5 from 1 vote

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Servings 4

Calories 233 kcal

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

Calories: 233kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 13gFat: 6gSodium: 28mgPotassium: 595mgFiber: 14gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 2315IUVitamin C: 32.8mgCalcium: 79mgIron: 4.1mg

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 Mediterranean Lentil Soup With Kale