Curried Lentil Soup
Why I Love This Recipe
FEATURING: Onions (or green onions), garlic, carrots (optional) and kale. Cilantro (optional).
A delicious quick one-pot soup (that we discovered via @labelle_eco_life on Instagram) that is both filling and comforting. You can eat is as a soup or you can make it a little thicker and serve it on rice. Either way, we love making this dish with leftover kale (fresh or frozen) and tomatoes (fresh or frozen). And we usually like to serve it with a homemade roti (https://www.cookwithmanali.com/roti-recipe/) and a side salad, such as my sweet & sour coleslaw (https://www.bakespace.com/recipes/detail/Sweet-%26-Sour-Non-Creamy-Coleslaw/66729/).
Ingredients You'll Need
FOR THE SOUP
1-2 Tbsp oil (or water)
1 small onion, chopped (or 1/4 thinly sliced green onions)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 inch ginger, minced
1 tomato (fresh or frozen), cubed (approx. 1 cup)
1 cup hearty seasonal vegetable such as carrots- (optional)
A bit of red chili pepper flakes (or 1 small hot pepper, seeds removed, minced)
2 Tbsp curry powder
Sea salt, to taste
1.5 cup uncooked rinsed red or golden lentils (if using green or brown lentils, adjust cooking time as needed)
4 cups vegetable broth
1 can of coconut milk
3 cups kale (fresh or frozen), chopped
FOR SERVING
Fresh lemon or lime juice
Cilantro or freshly chopped green onions
Directions
Heat a large rimmed skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add oil (or water). Add onion and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened and slightly browned.
Add garlic and ginger and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Then add tomato, carrots (if using), curry powder and salt and stir a few times.
Add lentils, vegetable broth, coconut milk and increase bring to a low boil. Then, reduce heat to low and gently simmer for 20 min or until the carrots (if using) and lentils are tender (red lentils cook pretty quickly, so if you’re using other lentils, adjust cook time as needed). If the mixture becomes too thick for your liking, you can add more water.
Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more salt for saltiness / depth of flavor or more curry powder for intense curry flavor.
Divide between serving bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro and lemon juice (optional but it really elevates this soup to add them). Store cooled leftovers in the refrigerator up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 1 month. Reheat on the stovetop until hot, adding more water to thin as needed.
