This big-batch soup will wow you with flavor and hearty goodness. It offers a blend of onions, leeks and garlic with lots of spices, including thyme, black pepper, cumin and a surprising ingredient: hot sauce. All this flavor with fiber-rich lentils and kale are sure to keep you feeling full and satisfied. It’s perfect for when you want to feed a crowd, or are looking for a recipe to have leftovers for throughout the week!
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Ingredients
4 cups onions – diced
4 cups leeks – diced, white part only
3 teaspoon fresh garlic – minced (about 2 medium-size cloves)
¼ cup tomato paste
6 cups crushed tomatoes – or two 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
8 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
3 cups carrots – peeled and diced
3 cups celery – diced
2 teaspoon black pepper
3 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon cumin
½ cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoon hot sauce
2 cup red lentils
6 cups kale – stems removed, blanched and chopped
Preparation
- In a large pot on medium heat, add onions, and dry sauté slowly on low flame in a covered pot stirring frequently until onions are lightly caramelized.
- Add leeks, cook until soft.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add tomato paste and stir until well blended and sauté on low flame stirring frequently for two minutes.
- Next, add crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, carrots, celery, dried spices, balsamic vinegar and hot sauce.
- Cover, bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add lentils, reduce to a simmer and cook covered for about 15 minutes or until lentils become tender while stirring often (every three minutes).
- After the soup is ready, add and mix in kale and serve.
Chef’s Notes
About two medium bunches of kale will equal 3 cups blanched and chopped. Kale can easily be substituted with chard or spinach.
Nutritional Information (per serving)
Makes 22 servings. Serving size: 1 cup.
Calories: 137
Total fat: 1.3 g
Saturated fat: 0.9 g
Sodium: 223 mg
Total carbohydrates: 26.4 g
Dietary fiber: 9.5 g
Total sugars: 7.5 g
Protein: 7.7 g
Iron: 3 mg
Potassium: 498 mg
