This Thai-Inspired collard and green lentil soup is chock full of flavour, starting with a coconut milk, lime and red pepper infused broth, nutritionally packed collard greens and protein and fibre-rich lentils.
You can use either sweet red pepper or look for the small, long Thai red peppers for a bit of heat. Green lentils hold their shape beautifully when cooked, which makes this soup have a wonderful contrast of texture between the silky collards and hearty lentils.

Ingredients
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
- ½ red onion, finely chopped (about ½ cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tsp (5 mL) fresh minced ginger
- ¾ cup (180 mL) green lentils
- 3 cups (750 mL) chicken stock
- 1 cup (250 mL) water
- 1 cup (250 mL) coconut milk (stirred)
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp (5 mL) ground turmeric
- 1 tsp (5 mL) ground cumin
- ½ tsp (2.5 ml) allspice
- 1 ½ cups (375 mL) thinly sliced collard green leaves
- (Optional) 1 tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- Lime wedges
- Thinly sliced small long red pepper (sweet or hot)
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, an additional 30-45 seconds.
- Stir in the lentils, chicken stock and water. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender. This should take approximately 20-30 minutes.
- Stir in the coconut milk, lime juice and spices. Stir to combine.
- Add the collard greens and cook, stirring, until greens wilt, about 5 minutes.
- Taste soup, then season with salt and freshly ground pepper, as needed.
- If you would like a slightly thicker soup, mix 1tbsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp water and add to hot soup a bit at a time, stirring, until thickened to taste.
- To serve, spoon soup in to bowls, Top with red pepper slices. Serve with a lime wedge for drizzling over soup before eating.
This recipe is by Jennifer from the food blog, Seasons & Suppers. Jennifer is a wife, mother of two grown children and enthusiastic home cook. She lives in the Muskoka region of Central Ontario, on a rural 5-acre property. She has no formal culinary training, but learned a lot from getting dinner on the table every night for the past 30 years. She loves to cook simple, flavourful food, made with whole, seasonal ingredients.