Vegetarian Kale Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to make kale soup less bitter? ›

Adding salt and squeezing lemon make a big difference by removing bitterness.

Lacinato kale is just right for soup because it doesn't disintegrate or fall apart if cooked for a long time.

Can kale be overcooked in soup? Yes, kale can become overcooked if left in the soup for too long.

A squeeze of citrus, a dollop of yogurt or a drizzle of cream, a dusting of cheese or a good chile powder, a sprinkling of some herbs or croutons — all can take a perfectly fine soup into the realm of the delectable. Even a spiral of good olive oil to finish and some coarse sea salt can do wonders.

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add olive oil, once the oil is hot add the chopped kale, saute for 2 minutes. Season with salt, stir and cook until the leaves a tender and slightly wilted and toasted, 2 to 4 minutes. The longer the kale is in the pan the more toasted in flavor, and leaves will be more crispy.

The best way to reduce or get rid of bitter flavor in broth is to add sugar and acid to offset the bitterness. Adding sugar and acid doesn't just mask the bitter flavor; it actually changes the chemistry within the broth!

Massage Your Kale Leaves

Kale will benefit from some gentle kneading to soften its texture. A bit of oil can help to break down the fibrous membranes as well. Here's how: Wash the kale and remove the leaves from the stems. Tear the leaves into smaller pieces and rub them in your hands with olive oil and salt.

Poach kale stems in soup

Making vegetable soup? Chop up those kale stems and add them into the mix. Whether you are keeping it chunky, minestrone-style, or making a creamy purée, this vegetable will add a nice, earthy flavor.

“If you were to boil kale, you're going to have heat, and heat will denature the antioxidants, so vitamin C will get destroyed. Basically, it will leach into the water,” Sherry Gray, MPH, RD, a registered dietitian and extension educator at the University of Connecticut, told Verywell.

I like adding kale to things like lentil soup. I usually add it near the end, but give it about 15 minutes of cooking to get very soft.

Which is better in soup, kale or spinach? ›

Kale is richer in Vitamin C, while spinach has more folate, vitamins A, and K. Though kale and spinach hail from entirely different plant families, they're often used interchangeably in recipes ranging from salads to soups to smoothies.

Tips for Flavorful Vegetable Soup

Flavor the base: We add Italian seasoning and tomato paste to the aromatics and warm them up to bring the seasonings back to life. You could use fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary, or even add a Parmesan rind for more flavor.

Adding Worcestershire Sauce To Soups

It will work in a broad range of dishes from your favorite French onion soup to velvety tomato bisque. It definitely does a great job of amping up the meaty flavors of a beef stew as well as giving vegetable soups a flavor lift, too.

Before serving, we'll brighten up the soup with a big squeeze of lemon juice (one of my other go-to soup tricks) and add another splash of olive oil for rich flavor. Taste the soup before and after these additions, and you'll notice a big difference! Finally, season to taste with salt and pepper, as necessary.

But, you can also tame the flavors by adding a little sweetness to the mix too, such as a pinch of white or brown sugar or even a bit of honey or other liquid sweeteners like agave nectar or maple syrup. Just be sure to add in a little at a time when cooking so your kale doesn't come out too sweet.

Blanch Them

Blanching your greens is key to getting that bitterness level down. Because glucosinolates are water-soluble compounds, a lot of them are leached out into the water, allowing for a less bitter green.