Winter Lentil Soup

I realize the name of this soup says "Winter," and I am really anxious for Spring, and indeed have some little flowers sprouting outside, but this soup sounded so good I just couldn't pass it up. I don't think you'll be able to pass it up either, it has a powerhouse healthy ingredient list, including kale, sweet potatoes and leeks! YUM.

The recipe comes from Real Simple, I received it in their Daily Recipe email. I don't have to tell you how much I love Real Simple, do I?

The leeks I got were huge, so I only used two of them. If you'd like to know a good way to clean those dirty things, check out my About Leeks post.

Just a note, it took me longer than 20 minutes to put this together. I'm not sure why, but plan for some extra time. Also, next time I will double the lentils. It's more vegetable than lentil, not that there's anything wrong with that, but the name is a bit misleading. I forgot the parmesan at the end...

Delicious and satisfying, and healthy with all the dark green leafy and dark orange vegetables. We will eat this soup a lot.

Winter Lentil Soup

Serves 6

Hands-on Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1hour

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 leeks (white and light green parts), cut into 1/4-inch-thick half-moons
• 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 bunch kale, thick stems removed and leaves cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
• 1/2 cup brown lentils
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (1 ounce; optional)

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, breaking them up with a spoon, for 5 minutes.

2. Add 6 cups water and bring to a boil. Stir in the sweet potatoes, kale, lentils, thyme, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Simmer until the lentils are tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

3. Spoon into bowls and top with the Parmesan, if using.

Tip: Basic brown lentils retain their shape better during cooking than pricier red and yellow lentils, so they're terrific for soups. Or you can substitute green lentils, which taste slightly peppery.