I hope this post finds you enjoying the weekend. It’s rainy, cool and overcast here in Florida so it seems like the perfect time to share this recipe for Lentil, Cauliflower and Kale Vegan Power Soup.
I posted a photo of this soup in last week’s “Day in the Life at 20 Months” post and received quite a requests for the recipe. My go-to lunch this winter has been a bowl of soup with buttered sourdough, avocado toast or cheese toast. I’ve enjoyed making a pot of soup on Sunday or Monday and eating it throughout the week.
This Lentil, Cauliflower and Kale Vegan Power Soup is packed with lentils, veggies and warm spices. It’s a spin-off of the Oh She Glows Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup (which is amazing and you should absolutely make it!) You get a whole head of cauliflower and a bunch of kale in the recipe along with tomatoes and onions. A can of full-fat coconut milk makes this soup extra rich and delicious. You have to promise to use it because it contributes so much to this recipe.
What’s interesting about this recipe is the inclusion of red lentils instead of the traditional green or brown. The biggest differentiators with red lentils is that they’re fast-cooking and have a very creamy texture when cooked. They’re also nutritionally dense.
Each quarter cup of dry red lentils (which cooks to three-fourths cup) gives you 9 grams of fiber and 13 grams of protein. You also get roughly 25% of your daily folate, 15% iron, 15 % zinc, 9% of a day’s magnesium, and 6% potassium. Pretty awesome for 180 calories and zero sodium per serving.
Here’s the recipe. Enjoy!
LENTIL, CAULIFLOWER AND KALE SOUP
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Lentil, Cauliflower and Kale Vegan Power Soup
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: soup
Description
A nourishing and filling vegan soup that packs a powerful punch of nutrients with lentils, veggies and spices.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow or sweet onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juices
1 small to medium head cauliflower, florets chopped
1 (14-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
1 cup uncooked red lentils, rinsed and drained
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or more to taste
1 small bunch of kale, washed, de-stemmed and chopped (you can also use baby kale or spinach but I think that it’s a little slimy in the soup and a sturdier kale like curly, tuscan or red holds up better)
1-3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large heavy pot over medium heat and add the oil and onion. Sauté for about 4 to 5 minutes until the onion softens. Add garlic and cook for another minute, careful not to let the garlic burn.
- Stir in the turmeric, cumin, cinnamon and cardamom until onions are coated. Continue cooking for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the cauliflower and stir until it’s coated with the spices.
- Add the diced tomatoes, can of coconut milk, red lentils, broth and salt. Stir to combine. Increase heat and bring mixture to a gentle boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 18-20 minutes, until the lentils start to get fluffy and tender. Add the kale and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the kale is wilted.
- Add lime juice to taste. Taste soup and adjust seasoning as desired.
Notes
You can spice up the recipe by adding red pepper flakes, cayenne or black pepper to the soup while cooking (or a mixture of the three).
This soup makes a generous portion but reheats very well.
YUM! Do you think this could be made in a crock pot?
I worry that the lentils might get too mushy.
Hey Emily, see Maria’s comment. I think the slow cooker will work!
This looks great! Any recommendations on a substitute for cauliflower?
Thanks for sharing, this looks great! Definitely putting it on the menu for this week.
Sounds delicious! I’m definitely going to try this! The version from OhSheGlows is one of my very favourite soup recipes. I make it in my slow cooker and then I have leftovers for days? The like the texture of the lentils in the slow cooker, they do break down but they add “creaminess” to the soup.
This is my kinda soup recipe. I’ve been eating something similar from the Whole Foods hot bar recently, but would love to make at home – yum.
Just made this and my house smells amazing.
Great recipe for a chilly Canadian winter day!❤️
Looks amazing 🙂 Do you think it freezes well?
I made this but i think my “small” head of kale was much different! Mine is more like a stew and i kept my cauliflower to a rough chop. Still good tho! A measure of cauliflower and kale would help the recipe though, i think!
I just want to say this soup is AMAZING! We’ve made it at least 4 times since quarantine started. I use frozen cauli which works out great and makes it even more pantry-friendly. Thanks so much for this, it’s really been a lovely and warming recipe for these times ❤️.
I make this soup weekly in my Instapot. I add some chopped sweet potato and a can of rinsed chick peas. I mix spinach or kale before serving. It’s a very forgiving recipe and kid friendly.
This was delicious! I left out the cardamom because I didn’t have any but it was super yummy and comforting.
Made this tonight exactly as written and I loved it! I could see this being amazing with a diced sweet potato or some winter squash thrown in. Thank you for the recipe!
Just a heads up, the “x” button doesn’t really work for increasing the quantities in the recipe. It increases the amount of olive oil, and the cauliflower, but not the lentils or broth. I can do math, but it is nice to print out a modified recipe to feed my larger family! 🙂
Thanks for letting me know! I’ll look into this!