Made with everyday ingredients, this hearty lentil soup fills you up without emptying your wallet. The meaty flavor of cooked-from-scratch lentils creates a rich, earthy base for this budget-friendly soup, while onion and garlic powder add extra body. Tender chunks of potato and carrot give you something to sink your teeth into, kale adds green goodness, and a splash of lemon juice brightens the flavor (a great trick for just about any soup). Serve a steaming bowl of this family-friendly soup with whole grain bread, or enjoy a smaller portion as a starter. Ready in 45 minutes, this scrumptious eight-ingredient soup tastes even better the next day, so consider making double!
For more inspiration, check out these tasty ideas:
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry brown lentils, rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 bay leaf
- 1½ lb. Yukon gold potatoes, cut into ½-inch dice (4 cups)
- 2 large carrots, cut into ⅛-inch-thick coins (1 cup)
- 2 cups chopped kale (1-inch pieces), stems separated from leaves
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large saucepan combine lentils, onion powder, garlic powder, bay leaf, and 4 cups water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until lentils are tender.
- Add potatoes, carrots, chopped kale stems, and 2 cups water. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- Stir in chopped kale leaves, lemon juice, and 1 cup water. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 4 to 6 minutes more or until kale is tender. Serve warm.
Nutritional Information:
Per serving (2⅓ cups), 431 calories, 87 g carbohydrates, 22 g protein, 1 g total fat, 129 mg sodium, 13 g fiber, 5 g sugar
Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.
Deeeee-licious! Added some dried red pepper flakes and plenty of black pepper too. 😋
Really needs more flavor. It was quite tasteless.
I have precooked lentils. How many cups of water should I use? Do I just start at step two?
Any idea how to convert this recipe to make in the instant pot?
Delicious recipe and freezes well.
AW
The soup looks delicious, it has 89 g of carbohydrates which is not diabetic friendly. Do you have any suggestions for substitution to reduce the carbohydrates and keep it tasty?
Very good! Didn’t have carrots but I added alittle more seasoning, cremini mushrooms & onion. It made the pot alittle crowded but i enjoy more chunkier soup. It was delicious!!
You cook the kale stems too?? Is there a reason to do that?
Hi Jenn,
Yes, kale stems are a tasty addition to soups and stews. They are added earlier in the cooking process as they take longer. For many recipes with shorter cooking time, kale stems are not used, but with this recipe, their longer cooking time is easy to accommodate.
Thank you for FINALLY adding nutrition information for the recipes!
Now if only you would add phosphorous and potassium levels for those of us with kidney disease.
Delicious! We love all colors of Lentils and grow lots of kale and spinach oin our Tower Garden..inside!
Could I use sweet potato instead?
Of course! Or use half-and-half. When I try a new recipe, I try to do it as printed. But invariably I always end up, adapting it to my own taste. After all a recipe, author is not God. They devise a recipe based on their own tastes. And so should we all.
Hi Dianne, Yes, that should work well. Great idea.