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Red Lentil Soup with Greens

October 6, 2021
Recipes
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How do you know Kevin is out of town? Because I made a soup! Specifically Red Lentil Soup with Greens.

a black bowl of red lentil soup with greens.

Why did I wait until Kevin was out of town? I'm happy eating soup as a meal but he is not. It doesn't seem like a full meal to him. But he's missing out!

Red lentils cook pretty fast and break down to mush in about 30 minutes. So I made this on the stove top rather than in the Instant Pot.

This red lentil soup is simple, flavorful, and a nutrient-packed alternative to processed foods. If you don't find red lentils at your regular grocery store, try your local co-op, Whole Foods, an Indian grocery, or order online.

red lentil soup ingredients.

A Couple of Tips

Tomato Paste

If you’re like me, you run across recipes that call for a small amount of tomato paste, like this one. Normally the smallest tomato paste can is six ounces. You can get one of these tomato paste tubes. But the cans are much cheaper. So I get the can and then freeze what I don’t use. Then it’s handy next time a recipe calls for a tablespoon of tomato paste.

Fresh Herbs

Fresh herbs are not easy to keep around in the RV. They take up a bunch of room in the refrigerator and they usually come in bunches of more than you need.

So what can you do with the extra fresh herb? I like to make a pesto out of it. Then I can use it on pasta or as a substitute for fresh herbs in a recipe like this. You can also wash, dry and freeze excess herbs. They won’t be quite as flavorful as fresh but they’ll still be way better than dried.

vegan red lentil soup.
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Red Lentil Soup with Greens

Serves 4 people as a light meal, 6 as a soup course.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Diet: Vegan
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 304kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil optional
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 cup red lentils sorted and rinsed
  • 2 carrot diced
  • 4 cups fresh kale loosely packed and torn into bite sized pieces, or 5-8 ounces of frozen
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped

Instructions

  • Heat oil in 4-6 quart pot. Add onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until softened.
  • Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and cayenne, and sauté for a couple more minutes.
  • Add vegetable broth, 1 cup of water, lentils, carrots and kale. Bring to a simmer, then simmer on low for 30 minutes partially covered. Lentils should start to break down.
  • Add salt and pepper if needed. Then add lemon juice and cilantro. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Parsley would be a good substitute for the cilantro. Use white or purple carrots for more color contrast.
Note: the nutritional information provided is created using an online calculator. It is only meant to be a rough guideline. For best results, calculate the nutritional information yourself with the exact ingredients and amounts that you use.

Laura Nunemaker

About the Author

Laura Nunemaker

vegan. full-time traveler. rv dweller. food lover. cow petter.

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