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Kale and Lentil soup is flavourful and super healthy. It is packed with vegetables and plant-based protein and if you blend it the kids will never know.

This kale and lentil soup is a delicious twist on some of the same ingredients that I keep using for most other vegetable-based soups.

Soups don’t have to all be the same, even if we’re always using the same ingredients.

The common base for me is onions, carrots, celery and potatoes, and sometimes garlic. In this case, we add a couple more veggies and some lentils for protein and all of a sudden, we have a completely different flavour profile.

This soup can easily be left alone without blending, it can be partially blended as I recommend in the recipe below, or the whole pot can be blended into a creamy soup.

This also means you can have options as to how to serve it to your little ones.

Once you make this soup you will want to always have it on hand as it makes the perfect vegan addition to your weekly menu. Give it a try!

Preparing Kale and Lentil Soup

Ingredients

Produce

Onion: Onion is a very common vegetable that is used both raw and cooked in food preparation. It has a sharp flavour raw that often sweetens once cooked. There are many varieties of onions, some that are milder than others. We use the common onion or yellow onion in this recipe.

Kale: Kale is a cruciferous vegetable and a member of the cabbage family, though it does not come in a head the way cabbage does. It has large dark green or purple leaves that are almost frilly at the ends. Kale can be eaten raw or cooked, though mature leaves can be a bit tough.

Potatoes: I use yellow flesh potatoes in this recipe. Yellow potatoes are a bit more sweet and softer so overcooking them will make them mushy quickly.

Carrot: This root vegetable is slightly sweet, bright and filled with vitamin A and fibre. Baby-cut carrots are just smaller pieces cut from a larger carrot.

Celery: Celery is made up of a long stalk that has leaves at the top. Celery is packed with fibre and is a very common vegetable used in many cuisines. It has a very distinct earthy flavour.

Garlic: Garlic is a bulb that is edible and is grown in soil. Though the green shoots it sprouts, called garlic scapes, are also edible, we are referring to the actual bulb that the scapes grow from. Garlic bulbs are made up of multiple cloves and depending on the variety you may have anywhere from 4 to 10 cloves, if not more. This is important to know because recipes will often call for a specific number of cloves which can vary in size greatly.

Pantry

Vegetable stock: I use vegetable stock in this recipe because of its mild flavour. It also makes this soup vegan. Vegetable stock is made by cooking vegetables and some spices to release the flavours

. The liquid is the broth or stock that is then used for other means.

Olive oil: I use olive oil for this recipe because of its mild flavour. Olive oil is the fat extracted from olives. The least processed is extra virgin olive oil, which I use in this recipe.

Dry green lentils: Green lentils are a legume and are a seed of the lentil plant. They hold their shape well when cooked and add fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals to this dish.

Cumin: Cumin is a seed from a plant that is part of the parsley family. Though the plant is native to Asia and the Mediterranean, the spice is used in cuisines all over the world. I would describe the flavour as pungent and earthy. It is definitely a unique taste and as such should be used carefully as it can easily overpower a dish.

Coriander: Coriander is also known as cilantro. They are in fact the same however the naming conventions vary between the Americas and other parts of the world. In America, cilantro often references the plant’s fresh stem and leaf while coriander refers to the plant’s dried seeds. You will note that this is how I use these two terms. Other parts of the world refer to this plant as coriander and to its dried version as coriander seeds.

Thyme: Made from fresh thyme, this herb has an amazing flavour that goes so well with most meats and veggies. It is part of the mint family and is a small bush, with branches that are covered in small leaves. These leaves are picked and dried to make dried thyme.

How to Make Kale and Lentil Soup

This soup is not complicated however it does require a fair share of chopping.

TIP: If you plan on blending the whole soup at the end, don’t worry too much about the pieces being even. Just double-check before blending that all the largest pieces of each veggie are cooked through.

Prep the Ingredients

Start by preparing all of the vegetables.

Peel and dice the onions, carrots, butternut squash and potatoes.

Wash and slice the celery and kale.

And lastly, peel the garlic.

Set everything aside. The celery, carrots and onion will go in at the same time so you can mix them in one bowl.

Grab your lentils, oil, vegetable stock and herbs and spices and you’re ready to cook.

TIP: Speed up the prep by buying precut kale (though this is usually more expensive), and using frozen butternut squash cubes.

Cook the Soup

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil. I like to use the Dutch oven because I find the process is sped up by the even heat distribution. It’s faster to bring the liquid to a boil and simmers more evenly.

Once the oil is hot, add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook for 2-3 minutes. The veggies should be fragrant and have started to soften.

Now add the potatoes and garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes stirring often to make sure the garlic doesn’t brown.

Next, add the stock, lentils, butternut squash, herbs and spices.

When you add the stock, make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to free any browned bits. They are full of flavour.

Cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, add the kale, cover once again, and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Once the soup is cooked, use an immersion blender to blend parts of the soup.

If you don’t have an immersion blender, move some of the soup to a blender (approx. 2-4 cups), blend and pour it back into the pot.

You can of course also choose to blend the whole soup. I find it tastier to have a chunky soup and be able to experience all the flavours separately.

Substitutions

Onion: I use yellow onions for this soup but any onions will be just fine.

Vegetable stock: You can use chicken stock for this soup instead if you prefer. I do not recommend using beef stock as the stronger and deeper flavours will change the overall flavour profile of this soup.

Dry Green Lentils: If you don’t have dry lentils you can also use canned ones. Since canned vegetables are already cooked, you can add them at the end of the cooking process just before blending. Make sure they are heated through. Note that canned lentils will be much softer than dried ones, even after they are cooked.

Serving Kale and Lentil Soup

You can serve this soup as is, in a soup bowl. Top it with some fresh parsley or cilantro to give it extra freshness and vitamins.

If you choose to blend the whole soup, serve it with homemade croutons or a crostini with melted cheese.

Fully blended, this soup also makes great baby food. Add some age-appropriate noodles for texture variety.

In either form, it is also great with a side of garlic toast or grilled cheese.

Let us know in the comments if you have any questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.

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Kale and Lentil Soup