Ruth's Red Lentil and Potato Soup

I brought this to a potluck tonight and everyone loved it. I had made these changes: 1 tsp of cumin instead of 1/4 tsp, 1/2 package of frozen spinach instead of kale, added about 1 tsp of garam masala. I didn't have any cilantro, but I think that would have been good. Also, I thought the vegetable would get too mushy cooked the way the recipe said, so I cooked the lentils with the broth and spices (only took about 15 minutes) and then added the sauted onions through garlic and cooked until done.

Delicious! This soup has a very hearty and delightfully unique taste. The fact that it is vegetarian and could easily be made vegan by subbing olive for the butter is an added bonus. My lentils were tender in only 25 minutes; lentil cooking times vary greatly depending on how long they have been stored, so I would advise checking them to make sure that you do not end up with mush. I used 1 teaspoon of cumin and did adjust the seasoning at the end by adding some Himalayan sea salt, which I thought was sorely needed, perhaps because I used low sodium vegetable broth. File powder is ground sassafras leaves used for both flavoring and thickening. I don’t think it was necessary to thicken this soup but the file powder in addition to the other spices added a wonderful complexity to the flavor. It can be ordered from Penzeys.com if your grocery does not carry it. I will definitely make this soup again!

I love this! I whipped this up on the snowiest day of the year and am thrilled with the results. I did not have all of the ingredients, so here are my modifications: Did not use file powder. I don't think it's needed as the soup is just the right consistency in my opinion. No allspice, so increased the amount of cumin and added garam masala as first reviewer did. Added a little bit of dried ginger (sorry, i didn't measure). No Kale on hand - used frozen spinach instead, with great results. I used a little more butter than what was called for and once soup was done and had cooled ever so slightly, I added some nonfat sour cream which I think made it extra delightful! I normally don't use salt when cooking anyway, but did add some garlic salt at the end as I am a garlic lover. I also used dried cilantro as I didn't have fresh. Play around with this one; it's very versatile! Thank you for the recipe!

I was shocked! This is really good and there is no salt in it! Definitely a keeper (I didn't add file powder. I don't even know what it is.)

I enjoyed this recipe. Like another reviewer said, I used 1 tsp of cumin. In addition I did not use any potatoes because where soup is concerned I am trying to get everyone to eat more veggies. So I used more carrots (about 3 large) and a whole bunch of kale. It was very tasty and nutritious. The spices make a variation from the normal soups I make.

This is one of the best lentil soups I have tried.

Very good and I will make it again. I might even add more Kale as it is so nutritious (and adds nice color to the soup). I used chicken broth. Celine

This soup was surprisingly good. As one reviewer advised, I kept a close eye on the lentils, only cooking them for 20 minutes or less before they were done. Next time I make it I will add a lot more cilantro and kale (I expected the kale to be weird, but it was great) and I will double the spices--except maybe the cayenne pepper.

I was cleaning out the fridge and wanted to use up some kale, celery, parsey and potatoes. This soup is full-bodied and delicious. What a great recipe.

Delicious, but I'd love to know what I can substitute for file powder!

I'm starting to hope I did something wrong here, because I thought this soup, even with the seasonings, was bland, bland, bland. Even adding a few shakes of salt did not give this soup any real flavor. Only changes I made were normal onion instead of a sweet onion, no file powder, and regular lentils instead of red, but I don't see that throwing off the flavor that much.

I used homemade broth which had no salt in it, so I did need to add some salt. I liked the addition of garam masala -- I didn't have file, and was happy with this as a substitute. For those who like some astringency, I added a splash of sherry vinegar to the serving bowl and it added a wonderful dimension to this.

We loved the latin flavor palate in this soup. Unfortunately my grocery store doesn't carry red lentils so we used "regular" dry lentils (the brownish-green kind.) I don't know if it tasted differently than it was intended, but it was good! Very earthy and satisfying. (I omitted the file powder.)

Very good, solid recipe. I used sweet potatoes instead of red, 3 carrots, 2 cups of frozen kale, and doubled the spices. I did not use any file powder. The soup turns out thick and hearty, very much like a stew.

I made this with red cabbage instead of kale. I found it unique and quite liked it. My husband made a face, but decided he liked it after he added a lot of hot pepper.

Loved it! But I did change up a few things, instead of chicken broth I used 6 cups f water and added (Better than Bouillon). Also didn't put cloves or allspice, so I added 2 tablespoons of cumin and 2 tablespoons of dried mint and cilantro. It was scrumptious!

My family LOVED this soup and gobbled it all up! I didn't have a lot of the ingredients so these are the changes I made: 1/2 stick (more) of butter, dried garlic (didn't have fresh on hand), no allspice or cloves, chicken broth instead of vegetable broth, no kale, cilantro or file powder. I used extra celtic sea salt and added Oregano (on a whim), but followed the basic instructions with what I had. All that to say, if you don't have every ingredient, it's worth making anyway. We are making a double batch of this today it was so good. ** Editing to say that I've made this several more times and it's become a mainstay dish for our family. I prefer it with Kale and we love the added Cilantro at the end. I usually make it with roast or chicken that I've cooked in the crockpot which gives me the broth that I need and some meat to put in as well. Everyone we've had this with has loved it, so it's a great "company" dish as well.

This unique spice combination is what made the recipe truly tasty. My roommate and I both loooved it.

family loved it! easy and yummy. Used ground cumin and more water.

YUMMM-O!!! This was fantastic!! Great flavor! I left out the cloves (ick) and doubled the kale. Wonderful recipe! Can't wait to make it again!!

I made this just the way the recipe said to and it was great! I will be making it again.

I cooked this soup, after boiling, only about 15-20 minutes, because this recipe is meant for whole lentils, not split ones like we usually buy. I have made many Middle-Eastern lentil soup recipes; thought this one, for the amount of work, was only okay. I did love the kale in it; that was a plus. I halved the cayenne (maybe I shouldn't have) and used 1 tsp. of ground cumin. Adding plenty of fresh lemon juice in my bowl really made an enormous difference too!

This WAS good, however next time I'll use fewer potatoes - they gave the soup a thick mealy consistency which may be good or not good depending upon what you want...otherwise great thanks!

meh

Did not have Allspice or File, and did not want Cayenne, but the clove and cumin (ground) were a great combo. Canola oil instead of butter. I made a larger batch (more than double), so improvised with a sliced red bell pepper (good color) and no kale (nearly added spinach towards the end). I added some sea salt at the end since my veg. broth was low sodium. I also used pearl onions instead of chopped. Next time the potatoes will be a little larger (too soft in long boil) and more carrots. Great recipe for modification (go curry, go oregano/basil, go spicy) and for vegan diets.

My family really enjoy this soup. We will make it again this winter.

Thanks, this was wonderful, I made it this weekend. I made it as directed except I was out of kale, cloves and file. My son who doesn't care for lentils loved it.

File powder is in the spice section. I believe it is ground sassafrass leaf, often used in gumbo.

My family and friends loved this dish! I made it in the crock pot. I let the lentils and onions cook first on high for 4 hours. Then I added the

WOW that was a meal and a half gave it 5 star,because it was so good and filling .One bowl and 1 piece of bread did the trick.Nice job Golddigge.PS i snuck a bowl later that night half bowl i should say Thanks.

My husband and I loved this soup! I will definately be making it again.

Really love this soup! I make it whenever my fiance is sick. I skip the allspice, swap kale for spinach and leave out the file powder. It's really hearty and tasty!

Easy and delicious!

This is yummy and SO healthy. I like it best when made with World's Greatest Vegetable Broth, also on this site. I'd like to comment to those who found this bland, the culprit is likely the vegetable broth. If you're not vegetarian, you could try chicken broth instead. Most veggie broths are boring.

This was SO good! Used sweet potatoes instead of red and an entire bunch of kale. This is the way to eat kale for sure. Upped the Cumin seeds to 1 tsp. Didnt add any file. Between the cumin and the cayanne pepper it had a tiny bit of kick to it. By the time I finished the bowl my mouth was tingling. I really liked it.

I tried it. Excellent. Strange, I lived in Louisiana many years ago, and I heard about "File Gumbo". Wasn't quite sure what it was. I was in the store last week, and I saw "File powder" on the shelf. I figured I would try the recipe. Strange to cook without salt or meat. I did not have any kale, so I substituted collards. Came out OK. Will definetly make this soup again.

We followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious... Very distinct flavor compared with our regular lentil stew. Will definitely make again.

Great recipe especially for fall/winter. I made this without the kale (used it all the day before) and I did not use the cilantro or file powder and I used chicken broth instead of vegetable, it was still excellent! The cloves give it a special taste - a little zing. A winner with my husband.

LOVED this and so did my family. Have a kid who won't eat tomatoes, so love a coupe recipe without 'em. Substituted with what was on hand - baking potatoes, red onions, celery seed, and ground cumin. Didn't have allspice, but threw in cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. Used extra carrots and added a couple bouillon cubes. I didn't do a lot of measuring of spices, just threw things in, but kept it roughly the same - perhaps a little heavier. Will absolutely make this again.

Simply delicious! Even though I didn't have vegetable broth, the spices were sufficient in giving the soup a wonderful flavor. Next time I will make it with vegetable broth.

Oh God like the best thing I have ever eaten and I am a total food snob. I did not use file powder...blah don't know what it is but sounds disgusting. I omitted the celery and I didn't have cloves and all spice so I improvised with nutmeg and ginger. I halved the recipe and uses 1/4 tsp of all spices. I also added a healthy pinch or two or salt. I threw everything into the crock pot for like 10 hrs and added a bit more liquid...to just cover all of the ingredients. I used vegetable stock and chicken stock when I ran out of the veggie stuff. Try this and you won't be disappointed. So easy and delicious...thank you.

I loved the spices in this lentil soup; in addition, I added ginger and turmeric root,coconut manna (butter), salt, and topped it with a dab of coconut milk and sprinkle of black pepper. I toasted the cumin seeds and allspice seeds quickly and ground them. Left out the water for a very thick stew and it was delicious for an all vegetarian dish. "Thankyou" for sharing this soup

Wow, this is a great soup! I checked on the lentils and it was ready in 25 minutes. The only changes I made were adding cubed ham and using 4 cups of kale instead 1 to make it heartier. I think increasing the cumin would give it more flavor, but it is great just the way it is or as a base to add more vegetables.

Delicious and healthy! Followed first reviewer's suggestion and boiled lentils before adding veggies for 20 more minutes. Skipped kale & file powder (yeah, what is that?). Used 40/60 mix of vegetable juice & water instead of broth since I did't have any. Added salt at the end. Soup goes great with cornbread.

This is very good. I loosely followed the recipe - used olive oil instead of butter, didn't add the Kale or the file powder, used chicken broth insteadof vegetable, tripled the cayenne, added some cubed tofu and used about twice the amount of lentils. It came out very good! Perfect served over some jasmine rice! Thanks for the recipe!

This is delicious! I even (I am ashamed to say)forgot to throw in the cilantro at the end and my guys still loved it! The only other difference in my soup is that with red lentils it becomes quite mushy - not like in the picture (I think those are green lentils?)

Fantastic soup. I added more cumin and left out the cilantro and file since I didn't have any. I added pieces of spicy sausage and loved it. This is going to make the regular rotation this winter.

Great soup for Lent!

Really excellent. I used sweet potatoes instead of red, and it was yummy. I'll make this often!

Very tasty but had to double some of the spices and add a bit of salt.

Wonderful, flavorful soup. Tried this recipe on one last good "soup" day of the year, also needed to use up some lentils. Sauteed onion, carrots, celery and garlic first. Added all the rest together (except kale) and simmered until everything cooked (used fennel seed also for secret ingredient). Turned out quite thick, added more broth and some water (used chicken broth instead of vegetable), omitted file powder. Used spinach instead of kale. Served with buttered, broiled french bread. Hubby and son loved it.

Like others I lacked the file powder (used garam masala instead), beef broth instead of vegetable broth, and increased the cumin. We really liked the spices in this one; unique and very flavorful. Also, I let everything except the lentils simmer for about 15 minutes, brought it to a gentle boil and THEN added the lentils, lowered the heat to a simmer again and let it go until they were tender (about 15-20 minutes). Even with this change the lentils were a little more mushy than I like, but still a very good soup.

Hearty and delicious.

Lovely winter recipe... I halved the recipe and it made about 4 servings. I added 5 pieces of bacon (which worked very well, for the non veggies out there). I didn't use the file powder as the lentils thickened it up and I also left out the kale as my boyf hates leafy greens and it was still delicious. Thanks Ruth!

Was good. But like the other reviews I added 1 teaspoon powdered cumin. ( did not have cumin seeds) I added more carrots. Came out thick without adding the file. Could be because I added a couple of extra carrots. I think next time I will add more water and use the file since would add flavor. And maybe a little more cayenne to give it more of a kick to it.

This was all right but not great. The red lentils turned into total gray mush.

I did not like it.

Delicious. I didn't have allspice so I used garam masala instead. I also didn't use the cilantro because I don't like it but other than that I followed the recipe pretty closely and it was a really, really good soup.

I doubled the amount of kale and added a third cup of broth.

Sooo delicious! I used chicken broth, spicy sausage and red potatoes.

i love this soup made as directed, do not add salt to lentals until the end or the skin of the lentils will become tough, oh did not add file powder, i too am surprised as to what it is, used more kale and spinich, delish, thanx for the receipe.

Delish! Love the flavors! Made with green lentils and frozen turnips because that’s what I had on hand. Doubled the spices and added a touch of brown sugar to balance the flavor of the turnips. Versatile recipe!

I have never made anything lentil before so this was an experiment. I didn't know what file powder was so I left it out. I was out of allspice so I didn't use that either. Other than that I followed the recipe and it was delicious. The spices were different and interesting. Next time I will serve it over a little bit of rice with some naan.

Followed the recipie other than having to use regular lentils because my store had no red. Turened out very good and I look forward to having it again soon.

I loved the recipe because I was able to substitute the the use of butter. I used olive oil and that left me with a lower calories abd great flavors.

Yummy, easy AND healthy! - what more can you ask? I didn’t have all the spices, but I substituted Madras Curry Powder & it was delicious! I also used organic chicken stock instead of veggie broth & I think this made it more rich and tasty. Additionally added sweet potatoes for extra vitamins and flavor.

Very tasty!

i excluded most of the vegetables except lentils and kale and added chopped tomatoes. the spices were great, but i ended up with way too much water :( it was good though and next time i'll use less water!

Fabulous, the spices are what makes this soup! And it's so healthy. I added extra carrots and kale. No file needed. It was already thick from the potatoes.

1 tsp cumin instead of 1/4, 1/2 pkg frozen spinach instead of kale, added about 1 tsp of garam masala vs file powder (ground sassafras, used to flavour and thicken). A splash of dry sherry adds a wonderful dimension.

Really good & wholesome. You can also mix spices w/ onions & garlic, add in water and veggie stock, and then add in veggies and it still comes out really good.

I was looking for a quick recipe with basics from around the house, this soup fit the bill. I didn’t add kale or spinach and didn’t have file so went in another direction and added 50 ml lemon juice and tom yum broth. Spicy but perfect for us.

Seriously lacks seasoning. I didn't add the kale...as another reviewer suggested, I added 1 tsp cumin but this was too much. Fixed the recipe with some suggestions from the Mulligatawny Soup recipes from this site: added grated ginger and some curry powder and SALT! Only added 2 red potatoes, as more than this would have required more water, thus diluting the recipe further.

This is on the top of my list of all time favorites, I do use a ham bone & ham pieces when making it. It also freezes well.

I added mushrooms. I did not have celery, so I should have added some finely chopped water chestnuts for a bit of crunch. Very tasty!

Great combination of spices! I didn't have celery, so used mushrooms and an extra carrot. Instead of kale, I used up some dark, leafy green lettuce. Wonderful soup with a super taste! Thanks for the recipe!

Doubled the spices, except for the Cayenne pepper. Didn't have any celery so added some celery seed to the onions. Chicken broth. A little salt.

Great!

Good and very flavorful. I sometimes make a plain red lentil soup, so this is a nice variation from that. If you're cooking for kids, beware that flavor is probably too strong for the young palates.

I made this for older friends who are eating low sodium. I wanted some protein in the dish and so used beef stock rather than vegetable and about a pound of chuck beef, fat largely removed cut into 1/2 inch cubes and pre-seared, using the beef stock to deglaze the pan. I then cooked the cubes slowly in the beef stock in the oven for about 2 hours at 225 degrees covered. I did add quite a bit more kale and cilantro and cut down on the cayenne. I also omitted the file powder and potatoes. Potatoes don't freeze well. It was fairly tasty. I pulled some out for my husband and me and added beef bouillon to salt and flavor the dish which, for us, improved the dish a great deal. However, for a low salt diet, this is pretty flavorful. I'd make it again.

Great flavor, great soup!! Didn't have the whole 1.5 cups lentils, so I threw in 1/2 cup quick cooking barley. Also used more than the recommended amount of spices. I didn't need to add any water to mine either. The broth was plenty. I used split lentils and the whole thing was done cooking in about 25min. It was really satisfying and tasted delicious!

hearty and delicious!

This was the best Lentil soup I have ever made. The flavors were delicious.

Could you substitute the allspice, cumin seed and clove with garam masala ? garyinlaveen

Wow! This is so delicious and I'm not even that keen on lentils. I had some leftover cooked collards and used that for some broth and the kale. The flavor is so unique and tasty. I cannot eat another bite because I’ve eaten too much. Thank you!

Will make again. Delicious, filling, flavorful. I did add garam masala. Used frozen kale. Easy to make. Didn't have file and it was still thick.

I doubled the recipe for my crew of 9. Other modifications: more kale, no file powder, & 1Tbsp. of salt. How did they like it? There were no leftovers!

Incredible blend of spices and vegetables, I added parsnip and I only had to cook the soup for 20 mins until the potato was starting to crumble when handled, no where near the 35-45 mins stated so watch out folks! Just so yummy!!

I left out the celery (used a whole bag of carrots instead & added celery salt) and the file powder. Went to 2 different stores, neither had red lentils, so I bought the only ones they had - they were not green, they looked tan to me. I always tweak the spices to suit our tastes, but I stayed pretty true to what the recipe suggested. I used olive oil instead of butter. And I wound up having to use well over 4 cups of water, so I don't think the file powder was necessary anyway. Used a whole bag of chopped kale and a bag of frozen spinach. One thing I wasn't planning on doing differently - my husband brought home baking potatoes instead of the red ones, and I don't like the way they come out in soups. So, I left them out and served baked potatoes with this. We both enjoyed the soup. I think I will make it again sometime (with the potatoes in it) if I can find red lentils.

Whole family loved!! So flavorful! Definitely will add this to my favorites and be making again.

so, how good is this soup? awesome! i did not need to add the file powder, the soup was thick enough. p.s. what is file powder? 5 star

Good recipe but too much heat for me. (I don't like spicy; others may find it not spicy at all) I find it hard to believe only 1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper makes it have such a bite. I made minor changes to the recipe. I used 1 1/2 Tablepsoons olive oil in place of butter to keep it healthier. I used dried cilantro in place of fresh, using less. I subbed spinach for kale as that was all I had. I skipped the file powder; never heard of it therefore didn't have it. I found the soup to be plenty hearty and thick. I used additional vegetable broth rather than water as it started to thicken up. I definitely will make this soup again, just will skip the cayenne pepper.

pretty good overall but maybe a bit strong due to the allspice and cloves. i did half vegetable and half chicken for the broth. i also added onion powder, garlic powder, lemon pepper, paprika and a pinch of Sri Lankan curry powder. for vegetables i added in garbanzo beans. saute vegetables on coconut or canola oil for better flavors.

I made this with what I had on hand. Substituted leeks for onions, vegan protein broth for vegetable broth, sweet potatoes for red potatoes, baby spinach for kale. Didn't have file or cilantro. Added turmeric. Loved the spice combination. So healthy!

For a family who likes mild spicy this is a no way. Our kids are 17, 15, 13, 7, 6, 3 And nobody would finish it. Way too spicy.

Absolutely delicious, great blend of spices. Didn't have any celery, so used extra carrots and also substituted the kale with spinach. Used a masher at the end because I wanted it just slightly less chunky. Couldn't find file but it was thick enough anyway.

I added about a cup of tomato sauce (keep in mind I halved the recipe!) because I couldn't stand the gray/yellow colour the lentils leave, but otherwise followed the recipe to the T. It was very tasty and hearty!

Delicious and easy!! Five stars! I didn't have file powder so I used a creole seasoning. All else is according to recipe. Except for the cup of IPA. Wow the flavors are awesome. A hit with the fam.