Ingredients (serves 6)

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 leek, white part only, thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, trimmed, cut into 2cm pieces
• 2 sticks celery, trimmed, cut into 2cm pieces
• 1/2 capsicum
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2L chicken or vegetable stock
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 50g fresh kale, roughly chopped
• 400g can lentils, rinsed and drained
• 400g can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 400g can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Method

1. Place garlic, carrot, celery and capsicum into a food processor and process until roughly chopped. Over a medium heat, heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the sliced leeks and processed vegetables and sauté until leeks are soft (about 3 mins).
2. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce and simmer for 20 mins.
3. Add the thyme sprigs, kale and lentils. Continue to simmer for another 20 mins.
4. Add the cannellini beans, crushed tomatoes, smoked paprika and ground coriander. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Continue simmering for another 20 mins. Your soup should thicken in this time.
5. Remove thyme sprigs. Stir in the parsley and serve the soup on its own or with toasted bread.

Notes

To make this soup vegan use vegetable stock. You can substitute the kale for baby spinach, English spinach or silver beet.