kale & lentil soup

I'm craving comfort foods right now.  Snow in October will do that to ya. 

Lentil soup is one of my ultimate comfort foods.  So is pasta with homemade tomato sauce.  And pie. Any kind of pie.  Stuff artichokes too (yeah, I'm weird like that). 

I'm sure your list of comfort foods is different from my list of comfort foods. Comfort foods have history, heart, and soul attached to them. They makes us think happy thoughts and feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  Maybe it was your mom's go-to dinner dish, or something your grandmother would always make especially for you.

My mom used to make lentil soup for me and my brother during the cold months. I loved it. I was one of my favorite recipes of hers. I would beg for it.

My mom put extra love into that soup.  When I say love, what I really mean is hot dogs. She used to add hot dogs to the lentil soup. Seriously. And it was sooooo good.  I would eat all of my lentil soup, and save the hot dogs for last.  It was my favorite part.

The icing on the cake ... the hot dogs in the lentil soup. 

I love ya mom, and your lentil soup with hot dogs, but nowadays our lentil soup has kale instead of hot dogs. Doesn't sounds as exciting, right?  Wrong. It is still as comforting and delicious without all the nitrates floating around. 

If you're now tempted to sneak some hot dogs in to this lentil soup, I won't tell anyone. But you have to promise me that you'll make it with the kale. The kale adds the same kind of awesomeness to this soup, but in a much much healthier form.  

kale and lentil soup 

Prep Time / Cook Time
15 minutes / 35-40 minutes

Makes
6-8 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
14.5 oz can of organic diced tomatoes
salt & pepper
1 1/2 cups of green lentil, rinsed and picked through
8 cups of stock (homemade, or organic low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock)
a large bunch of kale, chopped (about 3 cups, chopped)
1 bay leaf

optional spices: a pinch of red pepper flakes, a pinch of finely chopped caraway seeds

Directions 

• In a large, heavy pot, heat up the oil and add in the onions, carrots, and garlic. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, until the vegetables become soft.  
• Add in the tomatoes along with their juices and season generously with salt and pepper.  Cook the tomatoes down about 5 minutes to reduce the juices. 
• Add the lentils and stir them in to coat. 
• Add the stock. Bring it to a boil. 
• When the stock is boiling, add in the chopped kale and then immediately bring the heat down to a simmer. Add in the bay leaf, cover the pot and cook for 35-40 minutes. 
• After about 30-35 minutes, taste the soup and adjust the seasoning as desired.  You should add the recommended red pepper flakes and caraways seeds at this point.  You can also add more salt if you like, and any other spices you prefer. 
• Serve warm.