Spicy Chorizo and Red Lentil Soup with Kale Recipe (2024)

I used 1 qt stock and 1qt water and it was still very flavorful. Also, there is no reason not to use the whole bunch of kale instead of only two cups. This amount of soup can easily absorb it without it being too "green".

This is a very basic soup that lends itself to many substitutions for ingredients that might not be available. I doubt that I'd ever make this recipe the same way twice. It just begs to be altered with the season or even the time of day. If it's edible, throw it in.

Agree that modifications are desirable: whole kale bunch, 4 carrots, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp Mexican oregano, 1 tsp cayenne, tomato paste and lemon juice. HIGHLY recommend the lemon juice--my canned tomatoes were sweet not acidic, and the broth needed a little punch/brightness. If you can't find low-sodium stock, definitely halve the stock and sub water. Next time will add more lentils. Used Whole Foods pork sausage--1 lb. perfect for hearty, but still vegetable-focused soup.

I happened to have a small amount of fresh chorizo that needed to be used, so I quadrupled the kale and reduced the chorizo to 1/4 lb. It turned out wonderfully: the lentils and vegetables soak up the flavor of even that small amount of sausage and multiply its effect. Muir Glen fire-roasted diced tomatoes add a smoky dimension.

To make this vegetarian/vegan-friendly, Trader Joe’s soyrizo and vegetable stock substitute nicely.

I found that it needed something and added a bit of oregano. That seemed to brighten it. I used the chicken chorizo from Whole Foods which was a bit spicier than I had thought, but I love spicy food.

I made this last night with some tweaks. Left out the kale because I don't like it.Added an extra half cup of lentil.Added a store bought package of diced potatoes.Used the chorizo I usually buy for eggs and chorizo which comes in a 13 oz package.The chorizo flavoring was really overpowering. I am trying to figure out what to do with the left overs so that I don't have to get rid of it. Thinking of adding a can or two of black beans.

In addition to adding more kale, (the whole bag of chopped kale from Trader Joe’s), I add ground cumin, dried oregano, tomato paste, and most importantly- one or two minced chipotle in adobo with their sauce after the vegetables have softened. The key to this soup is having a good quality chorizo- too fatty makes it inedible. If you skim off the fat, the flavor goes with it.

My tweaks part 2Overnight there was a layer of congealed fat that was quite red from the chorizo. I am fat phobic unless it is in a cookie. I took it off and threw it away.Added one can of black beans and about 1 pound of shredded leftover pot roast.Now I really like it. It is still very flavorful but not overpowering. Has a spiciness to it that doesn't put me off.Of course, it only slightly resembles the NYT recipe....

I added 2 jalapeños chopped like the celery and carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika, with spinach instead of kale.

I rarely veer too far from a recipe, but after reading the comments, I: doubled the carrots, garlic, and kale (still feel like there could be more!); added 2 T tomato paste, 1 t oregano,1 t cumin, and the juice of 1 lemon; used a can of fire-roasted tomatoes; and used half chicken stock, half water. My chorizo, from the farmer’s market, is very lean, and the broth feels pretty thin. The flavor is good though, so next time I would use 6 cups chicken stock.

Incredible! Doubled the amount of vegetables and sautéed longer than recipe calls for. I also used two 14.5pz cans of tomatoes and sautéed that with veggies for 4-5 minutes before adding liquid and lentils. Used 1 quart stock and one quart water- the flavors are delicious. An easy weeknight dinner!

I made this just as written and it was delicious! Great winter stew--tasty and easy!

This soup is excellent.

Soul filling and truly takes an hour or less. Hard to beat honestly. Added some whole fennel seed and caraway seed when browning the sausage and used Italian sausage instead of chorizo. Can easily double carrots and celery.

I just made a vegan version and it was fantastic! I omitted the celery since I didn't have any, but I don't think it belonged anyway. Will definitely make again!

This one is a keeper! I read through the comments and made some modifications based on the suggestions.I doubled the garlic, doubled the carrots, used the whole bunch of kale, added about 2 big tablespoons of tomato paste, used the fire roasted diced tomatoes, added smoked paprika and cumin, also tossed in dried oregano.Added a few additions of my own too: lime juice and several liberal splashes of Tapatio!

Very good lentil soup recipe! I took the advice from some of the comments and added about a tsp of oregano and Aleppo pepper to the frying vegetables, and also only 6 cups of chicken broth and a squeeze of lemon. I only had two chorizo sausages but they added enough flavor. I gave it a quick stir with an immersion blender, as Melissa Clark suggests in her Red Lentil soup recipe, which thickened it nicely.

Definitely needs at least double the amount of lentils, otherwise they’re insignificant. I doubled, but if I had more chicken broth, I could have easily tripled.Tasty and quick soup.

I can confirm that Trader Joe's soy-rizo is delicious for a vegan version of the soup. Followed the other suggestions: 1.5 c lentils, more veggies, a full bunch of leafy greens- I used collards.

I used a diced sweet potato and frozen spinach instead of carrots and kale. Only used 5 cups of water and 8oz of ground chorizo. I made this in the Instant pot using the Soup/Stew mode (30 minutes/high). The stew was flavorful and hearty, served with crackers (mom) or bread (me). Mom thought the Chorizo was overly spicy and suggested Italian sausage next time. We liked it!

Not much experience with lentils. I bought some pricey French green lentils on a whim. Can I use them with this recipe that calls for red lentils?I don't want to waste the green ones.

This soup is really good! I made it as written but I also added a can of hominy kernels to give it a pozole vibe. Also as some others have done, I added six rather than eight cups of broth. Otherwise I wouldn’t change a thing.

I’ve made this recipe many times. My Dutch oven is too small for 8 cups of broth so I do 6 cups and call it a day. It is insanely flavorful and easy, and yields tons of leftovers. Very satisfying and fast for a week night meal. We like to eat ours over rice to stretch it a bit, topped with a good drizzle of olive oil.

Made as written. Tasty but needed a bit more zip. I added about a tablespoon of cider vinegar and some red pepper flakes.

I rarely veer too far from a recipe, but after reading the comments, I: doubled the carrots, garlic, and kale (still feel like there could be more!); added 2 T tomato paste, 1 t oregano,1 t cumin, and the juice of 1 lemon; used a can of fire-roasted tomatoes; and used half chicken stock, half water. My chorizo, from the farmer’s market, is very lean, and the broth feels pretty thin. The flavor is good though, so next time I would use 6 cups chicken stock.