Lentil, Kale & Butternut Squash Chicken Soup

At dinnertime my three-year old sometimes pretends she is a baby and I am the mommy who feeds her. I am happy to oblige because it means she actually eats a hearty meal when she might otherwise have just picked at it. Am I worried she'll never eat on her own? No.



Tonight was one of those nights and I took great pleasure in spoon feeding her bite after bite of this incredibly healthy soup, while simultaneously feeding myself and the baby (little bites of squash pulled directly from my bowl).

Am I some sort of super-mom? No. Martyr? Maybe a little. Isn't getting pleasure from feeding others, especially ones own children, an intrinsic part of being human (or being someone's Jewish/Italian/German/insert ethnicity of choice here Grandmother).

Before my first baby was even born I imagined how we would eat as a family. I envisioned bowls of lovingly, homemade baby food being slurped off the spoon with abandon, cozy family dinners where everyone ate each and every dish I had prepared.



Are you laughing at me yet? I have thrown away countless portions of rejected baby food and spent many meals wondering why I ever lift a finger. But I still do it. Every day. I set the table and offer the food.

And ever day, amid the crying, fighting, throwing, spitting, and complaining there are lulls. Moments where everyone is eating, we laugh or share a story. And it is these moments strung together that make it all worthwhile. That, and I just really like eating so I'd do it all no matter what.


Lentil, Kale & Butternut Squash Chicken Soup
Serves 4-6

I realize the title is a mouthful but how could I leave anything out? In fact, I did leave something out because it has sausage too!

For this soup I used fully-cooked, packaged sausage (the butcher's line was too long today) and some left over cooked chicken. This soup would certainly work without the meat, just add extra lentils.

2 Tbsps. olive oil
1 large onion chopped
2 bay leaves
2 sweet Italian sausages sliced into bite size pieces
3 cups cubed butternut squash
1 cup french lentils
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1 bunch of kale (I used Lacinato) chopped

Warm the oil in your favorite soup pot. Add the onion and bay leaves and cook until the onions smell so good you don't think you'll make it until dinner without a snack.

Add the sausage and cook on a high enough heat to brown them a bit. Add the squash and stir it all around. I don't know why I like to do this, cook the squash directly over the heat of the pan first, but I do. Add the lentils, stock and water.

Simmer for about 15 minutes then add the kale and cooked chicken. Continue to simmer until the lentils are soft. The squash should also be tender enough to feed a baby and if you have one then, by all means, feed some to him or her! It's delicious.

Set the table, pour some good wine, cut the bread, ladle the soup into your favorite bowls, sprinkle each with Parmesan cheese, take a breath, give thanks for all you have and eat.