This comforting, hearty soup uses a combination of sausage (or any ground meat) and lentils to pack in lots of protein and flavor. Everything gets simmered in a tomato and creamy coconut milk broth that’s also infused with lots of aromatics and spices for a flavor-packed sweet, salty, and spicy soup. Lots of kale gets stirred in at the end for a healthy dose of greens.
Ingredient Highlight
Lentils! My favorite small but mighty pulse! They are packed full of protein, fiber, folic acid, iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, and potassium. One half cup of uncooked lentils (or about 1 ¼ cup cooked) contains 24g of protein, that’s more than you get in 3 oz of steak!
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 45 minutes Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz bulk Italian sausage or ground meat of choice*
- ½ yellow or red onion chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt divided
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional, for spice)
- 10 oz yellow or red potatoes, chopped into small pieces
- ½ cup green lentils**
- 1 (13.5 oz) can unsweetened full-fat coconut milk
- 2 cups water
- 1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes
- 5 cups loosely packed chopped kale or spinach
- *If using ground meat instead of sausage, add ½ teaspoon salt to the meat while it cooks and add an extra garlic clove and an extra 1 teaspoon fennel seeds.
- **Some lentils take longer to cook than others, so use your judgment on the cook time. If they are taking longer and the water is running low, just add some more! You can always add more water to the soup if it’s not brothy enough, just be sure to taste and add more salt, if needed.
Instant Pot instructions:
- Follow the recipe using the sautee function. Then cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Let it naturally release for at least 10 minutes, then manually release the rest. Remove the lid and stir in the kale.
Instructions
- In a large pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the meat, break into chunks, and let cook undisturbed for 3 minutes, then break into small pieces. Add onion, carrots, celery, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, tomato paste, fennel, oregano, and red pepper flakes (if using) and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the potatoes, lentils, coconut milk, water, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, using your hands to crush the tomatoes into small chunks as you add them to the pot (or use scissors, see video and be careful of splatter!).
- Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the lentils are cooked through, about 30-40 minutes, stirring halfway. Turn off the heat, stir in the kale, and cover to let the steam help soften the kale, about 2 minutes.
- Serve the soup drizzled with good olive oil and some fresh black pepper.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Chop ½ yellow or red onion
- Peel and chop 2 carrots
- Chop 2 celery stalks
- Chop 3 cloves garlic
- Chop 10 oz yellow or red potatoes into small pieces
- Chop 5 cups loosely packed kale or use spinach
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian/vegan, skip the sausage and use 1 cup of lentils.
- See note to substitute Italian sausage with any ground meat.
- I always prefer whole peeled tomatoes, but if you already have diced or crushed tomatoes that should work too.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 4 months.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up leftovers in the microwave or on the stove until warmed through.
- The soup will thicken as it sits, so feel free to stir in a bit of water to thin it out.
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