This hearty soup brings together lentils and dark leafy greens for a fiber-rich, vegetable-forward bowl. The recipe comes from New York City chef Marco Canora's cookbook A Good Food Day. "It's made of lentils and dark-green leafy vegetables, and that's a great thing for your body," Canora says. He adds: "To have health and wellness, the best thing you can do is cook for yourself, because you control the fats and salts and you are cooking with whole foods."
Info
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Total time: 1 hour 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
For the lentils
- 1 head garlic
- 1 pound brown lentils
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 1 carrot, peeled and halved lengthwise
- 1 celery stalk, cut into large pieces
- 1 bay leaf
- Fine sea salt
For the soffrito and vegetables
- 1 medium red onion, coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
- 2 small carrots, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- One 14.5-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes with their juices
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 bunch Tuscan kale, stems and center ribs removed, leaves washed and coarsely chopped
- Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Cook the lentils: Peel away the papery outer layers of the garlic head and slice about 1/4 inch off the stem end so the cloves are exposed. Put the lentils in a large pot and add enough water to cover them by 2 inches. Add the onion, carrots, celery, bay leaf, garlic head and a couple of pinches of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender and creamy, roughly 40 minutes.
- Puree part of the lentils: Take out and discard the onion, carrots, celery, bay leaf and garlic. Using an immersion blender, puree about one-third of the lentils, then stir the puree back into the pot. (Alternatively, scoop one-third of the lentils into a standard blender, puree, and return them to the pot.)
- Make the soffrito: In a food processor, pulse the red onion, carrots, celery, rosemary and thyme until finely minced. Transfer the mixture to a separate large soup pot, add the olive oil and turn the heat to high. Fry the vegetables, stirring from time to time, until they soften and take on a little color, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, canned tomatoes with their juice and a couple pinches of salt. Lower the heat to medium-high and cook for 10 minutes. Add the kale and another pinch of salt, stirring so the leaves are coated. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, until the kale is soft.
- Combine and finish: Stir the lentils into the pot of vegetables. Add about 2 cups water a little at a time to thin the soup; you can use more or less depending on how thick you like it. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes so the flavors can meld. Taste and add salt if needed. Serve with black pepper, Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.
