Last updated on July 22nd, 2016
This soup plays all the right notes for me. It’s healthy, hearty, colorful. It’s beautifully perfumed, too. And if you think it tastes great on day-one, I’ve got good news for you. It’s even better on days two and three!
My step-by-step recipe for this complete meal:
First, grab 3 large carrots…
And peel and dice them.
Also dice 3 or 4 ribs of celery…
And 1 large onion.
Next, reach into your refrigerator, and retrieve 3 sweet Italian sausages (about 1/2 pound total).
While blasting this appropriate tune, split the sausage casings with a sharp knife.
Remove and discard the casings.
And incidentally, I hope the aforementioned tune doesn’t linger in your head. It can only lead to scandalous behavior.
In a purple pot set over a medium flame, add 1/4 cup olive oil.
When the oil is hot, add the sausage…
And break it into smallish bits with a wooden spoon. Cook until lightly browned — about 5 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the crumbled pork to a bowl.
Tip the carrots, celery and onion into the pot, and give them a quick stir to insure all are coated with the olive oil and sausage fat.
Then add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds…
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (triple this amount for fresh leaves)…
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper…
And 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper. This amount will give your soup a pleasant, not-overpowering kick of heat. If you’d like a bold knock-out, go ahead and add more crushed red pepper.
Personally, I can’t bear overly-“hot” foods. I like to taste all of the ingredients in a dish — not just one.
Stirring occasionally, let the veggies and seasonings cook together for 15 minutes.
Pour 12 cups unsalted chicken stock into the pot.
Add 1 cup long grain brown rice…
And 1/2 cup plain lentils.
No picture of this next step, because my inept photographer forgot to take one: Return the crumbled sausage to the pot.
Bring the works to a boil over a high flame, then reduce the heat, partially cover the pot, and let simmer until the rice is cooked — about 45 minutes.
And then…
Add 1/2 pound roughly-chopped kale. Stir the pot until the greens wilt — about 1 minute.
Serve at once, along with a goblet (or two) of ice-cold Pinot Grigio.
And the leftover soup? Pop it into the refrigerator after it cools. You’ll find the flavors intensify after you chill and reheat them.
For your convenience, here’s a copy-and-paste version of the above. (Not sure how to copy and paste? Watch this video.)
Brown Rice, Lentil, and Kale Soup
Adapted from various sources, including Saveur.com
Ingredients for about 5 quarts, or at least 12 servings
3 sweet Italian sausages (about 1/2 pound total)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 large carrots, peeled and diced
4 celery stalks, diced
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (triple the amount for fresh leaves)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Grinds of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
12 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 cup long grain brown rice
1/2 cup lentils
1/2 pound roughly-chopped kale leavesRemove sausage casings. Set a heavy, 5-quart pot over a medium flame, and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the sausage, breaking it up as it cooks with a wooden spoon. Saute the meat until it browns — about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the crumbled meat to a bowl.
Tip the carrots, celery, and onion into the pot, and give them a quick stir just to coat. Then stir in the cumin, thyme, salt, pepper, and red pepper. Stir the pot from time to time as the veggies cook for 15 minutes. Then stir in the chicken stock, sausage, rice, and lentils.
Bring to a boil over a high flame, then reduce the heat and partially cover the pot. Let simmer quietly until the rice is cooked — about 45 minutes. Then add the kale leaves, and stir them about until they wither — about 1 minute.
Serve hot, along with goblets of icy Pinot Grigio. Refrigerate leftover soup after it cools. You’ll find the soup is even better when reheated.
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Jason says
I love your recipes, Kevin! Making this healthy soup TONIGHT.
Bryanna says
You should have your own TV show. I can see you peeling away the sausage while a band plays the stripper theme! Great looking soup and healthy too. On my must-make list!
Karin G says
oh this sound so good, I left cold rain to drive south to the land of t shirts and still green trees, but as soon as I get back to the land of the cold drizzle, I will put this on the stove! And download the music so I can do it up right, good thing I live a mile from anybody.
Cindy W says
this looks so delicious. Always love trying out new recipes…Thanks Kevin!
Judith says
Cookbook! Please! Your recipes are always spot on.
Barbara D. says
Gah! I just came back from the grocer, and now i wish i’d gotten kale! This looks absolutely scrumptious ….
Thank you!
Barbara D. says
PS: Apparently, the Kevin Bacon household eats a lot of kale. Heard him complain about mention it on a talk show … 🙂
Brenda Johnson says
What a welcome treat on a miserable rainy cold day- Kevin and a bowl of this wonderful soup!! Steamy and aromatic…. the flavors of the sausage and vegetables melds together beautifully- the level of spice was just right (for I like Kevin do not care for “hot” foods) The brown rice and lentils makes this a very “filling” meal- without being heavy at all! I’ll be making this one again and again Kevin! Thanks for sharing!!!
Barb says
I made it and it’s wonderful i even forgot the lentils
Addie B in FL says
Hi, Kevin – whoever you’re meant to be you look very dashing in your Halloween photo 🙂
The soup looks wonderful and I will definitely add it to my recipe collection.
Don’t forget about the English Christmas pudding recipe I sent you – now is the time to be making them!
Cheers,
Addie
Kim Miller says
So going to make this soon. Great recipes Kevin. Always with no bad results. YUM.
Patti Teeters says
Kevin, thanks for the wonderful recipe! Can’t wait to make it.
Eliza J says
That soup looks delicious. My husband is not a fan of rice, but I’m sure would eat this with the sausage in it. LOVE the pictures of your party. I recognized you….but then again questioned myself if I was correct. Everyone looked amazing. Thanks for yet another awesome looking recipe to add to my box ~
Judy Pennington says
I just bought a large bag of Kale to make the Kale Pesto you had posted, now I’m glad I hadn’t used all of it yet. This sounds great, I LOVE soups. Wonder how this would taste with fresh Spinach?
Jeanne Collins says
Keep the yummy gluten-free recipes coming Kevin!! Especially healthy ones like this. I’m making this today since I have some kale that needs using in my fridge.
Carolyn Contois says
I always make soup and stew in the same purple pot…( but they call it aubergine..’cause its French and and everything sounds better in French!!) FYI to the readers… the enameled iron ware really does make the best soup and stew and pot roast and brisket and ………
Sandy Douglass Abalos says
I can hardly wait till the kale in my garden is big enough to start harvesting leaves so I can make a purple pot of this scrumptious-sounding soup! Hopefully temps will be out of the 90s by then…
Ardelle says
‘Whatever is still in the garden’ pot of soup is simmering on my stove right now – just waiting to finish with some dinosaur kale. Will try your recipe next ‘soup simmering day’. As long as I was in the kitchen I also made ‘Grandma’s Apple Gingerbread Cake’ – old recipe. And it did turn out awesome – I know because the plate next to my computer is clean and I’m finishing the glass of organic skim milk…. 🙂
Anne in Vermont Zone 4/5 says
Thank you Kevin; so timely. I have lots of kale still growing, and far too many carrots in the fridge and the freezer. This is just what we need as the nights draw in.
Incidentally, your butternut squash soup recipe, with the bacon, drew rave reviews from my friends last Wednesday. Is it time to pre-order the cookbook?
Susan O'Donnell says
NOW I know what to do with all the Kale and carrots in my garden. Thanks Kevin for another delicious and Gluten Free recipe. Soup weather is upon us.
Jacky Leighton says
Has anyone made this without the sausage? Any vegetarians? I think the soup sounds delicious!! Want to try it without sausage. Thanks!
Carol Fredenburgh says
Why don’t you make this easy to just print the recipe and not everything else. Looks like a good recipe.
Anne in Vermont Zone 4/5 says
To Carol Fredenburgh: There is a cut and paste version at the end of the photo section of the recipe.
Arthur in the Garden! says
Yummy!
Deb Weisberger says
This soup is amazing. We’re eating it right now. Made my own chicken stock for this recipe. Threw a parmesan rind in. Fantastic!
Rosalie Romano says
Kevin,
This was simply a delectable soup. I was in a rush as I made it, so increased the sausage to 1# of hot Italian sausage, a bit over 1 cup of petite French lentils, and substituted collard greens for kale.
To your credit, the soup was simply delicious! Thank you for your genius!
Jane says
I am making this soup right now but I substituted quinoa for the brown rice. Fingers crossed!
Deborah Clark says
Jacky, I made it without the sausage….I added sweet onions and green tobasco sauce.
Sigrid says
This looks absolutely delicious and I will include this in next week’s menu plan.
Ana says
It is snowing in Michigan and this is what I thought of right away. I love all of your recipes including the smooth butternut squash soup recipe. Just a suggestion- you must try using lemon thyme in this soup ( both recipes) because it is sooo delicious!
KimH says
Yum.. I make a very similar soup.. but I dont use lentils and I dont use cumin! I shall immediately though.. today!! As long as I have sausage somewhere.. I think I do.
Yum Yum Yum! I wasnt hungry.. but now I am… 🙂 Thanks!
Elaine says
Wonderful recipe Kevin but I’d like to add….and this is not a criticism….but store-bought stock is sooooo bad. It’s soooo easy to make your own and freeze it – that way you will have it on hand and it is so nutritious! I know you are against GMOs and most likely the store-bought stock has it (the animals are fed GMO feed). Just a thought….
Dianne says
I’ve been looking forward to trying this recipe, and I’m so glad I did! This soup is delicious and my family loves it! I love the spicy kick and added warmth that the sausage and seasonings give it. I couldn’t find cumin seeds, so I used ground cumin seeds. Near the end, when I added the kale, I also added a can of white beans, and let it cook another 10-15 minutes. It really hit-the-spot this past weekend, as our first sub-freezing temperatures of the season in north Georgia blew in. Thanks SO much, Kevin!
Karin says
Have the lentils been soaked or cooked previously? Or should dried or canned be used?
If you already specified in your instructions, apologies, but its 4:45pm on a workday and I’m bleary eyed.
Thank you!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Karin – Use dry lentils, straight from the bag. No need to soak them. Enjoy!
Deborah Clark says
I used vegitarian sausage and it was wonderful.
Deborah Clark says
Oh, and vegetable stock
Phillis H. says
Kevin this looks amazing—could it be converted to a crock pot recipe? …..by someone other than me……please…..?
Denise T says
Just thought I’d give feedback. I reduced the hot pepper flakes but still too hot for my son, a bit too hot for me but perfect for hubby who took it to work for lunch, ate it daily until it was gone. I will definitely make this a regular soup but reduce the pepper even more. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Gilbert says
I’ve made the soup twice. It’s delicious and very hearty. Thanks Kevin!
Mary says
Kevin, what an amazing soup, especially for a cold MN day. I cut the hot pepper amount in half, used homemade beef stock (because I had it) and added a bit of fennel seed. Absolutely delicious!! Will definitely make again. Love your blog, your recipes are always superb!! Thank you!
sigrid wübbenhorst says
uuups, and good evening,
because all my second kale went into kale pesto (it whas the great runner in my little cafe today, (thanks for the recipe encore une fois)
I couldn’t follow this
but
things will change
time will tell (yes I always too have music in my head – this is from spyrogyra, I suppose)
and
I’m so keen in a new kitchen helper, my old one is giving up more and moore…..
halleluja!
Kate says
My goto dinner when I want the best comfort food. Switched cabbage for the kale and this will be the … oh … 6th or 7th time I’ve made this. Even though it’s supposed to be 31 degrees celcius today, this soup is worth heating up the kitchen for.
Connie says
I’m going to make this soup, because I have plenty of lacinato kale. I hope this kind is good for this recipe. I just need to know what the appropriate tune was. I chose the link, but the video was not available. Queen at Live Aid was an option that popped up and I can definitely go with if I don’t hear back from you.