Lentil Kale Stew! I know, I know… what could be exciting about some lentil stew? Well this stew is naturally vegan, filling, and is bursting with flavor and texture! It freezes well and is perfect for meal prep!
First off we start with a large mirepoix base (celery, carrots, onions, LOVE, etc) for flavor and texture. Then ya add a bunch of garlic and ridiculous amounts of herbs and spices. Drop in some cheap-o lentils aka the brown ones, add in some great vegan broth (I use Better than Bouillon vegetable base) and a few peeled and diced potatoes.
And though I often love to labor over the stove I did decide to cook this in my electric pressure cooker. I put it on the Soup setting, set the timer to 30 minutes and roughly 1 hour later it was done! Cooking time is only 30 minutes but the contraption takes time to pressurize and then I let it naturally release pressure so that’s why it takes an hour.
To make it a stew I blend up a few cups of the cooked lentils and potatoes with some olive oil*** then add it back in. Finally you add some chopped kale at the end. No need to cook it any longer, the kale will wilt in the residual heat. It adds a great chew factor. Kale -or any sturdy greens- are so awesome in soup.
***Now, Some of you may be tempted to skip the olive oil because you are operating under the false assumption that fat = bad. Well, I’m here to save your day and tell you that fat is GREAT. It carries flavor, adds a really creamy mouthfeel, and makes this soup even healthier! How so? Well fat is a vital macronutrient and is absolutely necessary for our bodies! I don’t wanna get too rated R around here but fat also plays a vital role in our libido! So, add the olive oil and rejoice! Also this soup makes 5 very large servings and really there is less than 1 tbs of olive oil in each serving. Basically add the damn olive oil.
Finally, I add a few dashes of vinegar (white, apple cider, red wine, whatever… just add it!) because the acidity sets the whole flavor bomb off. I think vinegar is such a great way to add acid to a soup since they are cheap and often shelf stable. Obligatory “don’t worry this isn’t a sour soup” because I know not everyone is a fan of that. Just think of the way buttermilk adds a slight background tang to baked goods, that’s what vinegar does in this soup.
This soup is great served the day of but I really enjoy it best when it has had a chance to sit. It gets a bit spicer and thicker and is so perfect for lunch. I work from home so I’ll just plop it on the stovetop to heat up about 10-15 minutes before my lunch break starts. I’ll serve it alongside some cornmeal drop biscuits (that recipe is coming soon!) and just be amazed at how such a cheap low key stew can be so delicious!
It might seem wacky to post a stew recipe a few days before Christmas buuuut I’ll just say that you cannot live off of cookies alone. Trust me, I’m making cookie boxes for all of my siblings and I have been thoroughly cookie-d out. I just want stew. Lots and lots of stew!
Some of my other favorite soups!
20 Minute Vegetarian Chickpea Minestrone Soup
Thai Butternut Squash Wild Rice Soup
These recipes are all made in an electric pressure cooker but with a bit of cooking sense you can easily make them on the stovetop!
Spicy Lentil Kale Stew
This stew is naturally vegan, filling, and is bursting with flavor and texture! It freezes well and is perfect for meal prep!
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 3-4 stalks celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 cup brown lentils, dried
- 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 Tablespoon dried herbs I used a blend of oregano and dill
- 1 Teaspoon table salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon cayenne pepper reduce if you are sensitive to spice
- 1/2 Teaspoon yellow curry powder Adds a great background flavor, can omit or replace with another all purpose seasoning mix
- 1/2 Teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
- 10 cranks fresh black pepper
- 1 Teaspoon white sugar
- 6-8 cups vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup olive oil add when blending
- 5 cups kale, chopped equivalent to about 1 whole bunch, add at the very end
Before serving
- 2 Tablespoons vinegar I've used white, apple cider, and red wine vinegar with great success
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
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Add the vegetables, lentils, seasonings and broth to the electric pressure cooker pot. Stir so nothing is stuck on the bottom. Put on the lid, lock everything into place. Place on Soup setting and cook for 30 minutes. It will take a while to come to pressure about ~15 minutes. Once it is finished cooking let it naturally depressurize for 10 minutes.
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In a large blender add a few cups of cooked stew, try getting more lentils and potatoes since blending those will help add body to the stew. Pour in the olive oil into the blender and blend away! Add it back to the pot and add your kale and finish off with vinegar, red pepper flakes, and salt&fresh ground black pepper, to taste.
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Let the kale wilt in the soup for 10-15 minutes then serve! This soup tastes fantastic any time but I especially love it as leftovers. Nothing beats a delicious homemade soup for lunch on a dreary workday!
Recipe Notes
This recipe makes 5 very large servings. You can increase the servings to 7-8 and still have a filling soup.