Peel and dice the onion. Sauté it in 2 tbsp of olive oil over low heat until they’re translucent. Then add a washed, seeded, and diced red pepper.
Sauté the onion and pepper for a few more minutes, then turn up the heat to medium-high. Add the broth, pumpkin, and spices.
Wash your red lentils in a wire mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Add them to the soup once it starts to boil.
Simmer your soup for 10 minutes to allow the lentils to cook most of the way.
While the soup is simmering, wash your kale, break it up into small pieces removing the large tough stems, and drizzle with 2 tbsp of olive oil, sprinkle with salt, then massage the kale with your hands until it becomes dark green and shiny.
Add your massaged kale to the soup after the lentils have cooked for 10 minutes. Then let the soup simmer for an additional 5 minutes with the kale in it. Turn off the soup and serve hot.
Notes
If you cook the lentils for more than 15 minutes, they start to thicken the soup more and get very soft. (It’s not a bad thing, you will just have more of a lentil dahl consistency)
If you want to continue simmering it until it's thick, it can be served over rice as a hearty meal.
Don’t skip the step of massaging the kale! It is important for both taste and texture.
You can swap out the kale for spinach, but add it at the end of cooking instead of 5 minutes before the end.