Each week in our CSA basket a funky looking veggie appears. The first year of our farm deliveries, I marveled at the mystery vegetable, scratched my head quizzically, and banished the purple—or sometimes green—bulb to the crisper in the dreaded ‘other fridge’. The fridge intended for well-planned overflow, but in reality a landing spot where unused condiments like the pickles purchased last year for a 4th of July picnic linger until further use or full-on rottage occurs.
I’m talking about kohlrabi. An obscure member of the cabbage family that is utterly delicious. Once you get past your fear. For the first three years or so, I would slice or shred the peeled bulb and toss in a big salad where it’s flavors were unnoticed. I considered this a culinary success. A step up from the crisper drawer purgatory.
This year, I decided to conquer kohlrabi. Tired of being intimidated by a fist-sized plant, I got to work experimenting in the kitchen. The results?
OMY!
(Oh my yum!)
Kohlrabi is nutty and dense. Diced and sautéed in ghee (clarified butter with casein and lactose removed), it cooks up like onions, but tastes more like potatoes. After enjoying kohlrabi sautéed with a sprinkling of sea salt for a couple weeks, I upped the ante and went for broke with this week’s experiment.
A green kohlrabi appeared in my CSA basket on Monday. The purple is prettier, in my opinion, but both hued bulbs taste the same. The result of my experiment? A healthy, filling, soup so fresh and delicious I found myself searching for another kohlrabi in the basket.
The soup could not be more simple. Simply peel and dice the kohlrabi, sauté in ghee (or butter) add rinsed lentils, water, herbs and seasonings of your choice. I tossed in a healthy chiffonade of collard greens which made me happy, happy, happy.
Kohlrabi and Lentil Soup
Delicious pairing of kohlrabi, lentils and collard greens make this an exceptionally healthy soup. Packed with nutrition, protein, and flavor it’s worth trying.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ghee (or butter)
- 1 kohlrabi bulb, peeled and diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed and picked over
- 2–3 cups of water
- 3–4 collard green leaves, trimmed and chopped
- Salt and seasonings to taste – I used a teaspoon of fresh lemon thyme
Instructions
- Saute the diced kohlrabi in ghee until soft and beginning to brown. Add garlic and sauté one minute more. Add lentils, seasoning, herbs, and water. Simmer and cook about 15 minutes, until lentils are soft, but not mushy. Add collard greens and continue to simmer another 5 minutes.
Have you ever heard of kohlrabi? If so have you conquered your fear and experimented with the under appreciated veggie? I feel a kohlrabi revival coming on! Share your ideas, friends! And, if you haven’t joined me on The Schell Cafe Facebook page yet, I’d be honored if you ‘liked’ my page.
Love,
Thank you!!! You have no idea how much I needed this. The rotting kohlrabi in my crisper has been a source of shame and confusion ever since I started my CSA a few months ago. Confession: I was going to offer you this weeks kohlrabi, but now that you’ve equipped me with such a beautiful recipe I think I’ll hang on to it and make this TODAY! 🙂
Hope you loved the soup, Megan. It’s on my permanent rotation while the CSA basket is full of kohlrabi.
Finally…a use for this strange growth in my CSA box!! And today’s weather is pretty close to soup-worthy. Thank you!
Let me know how you like the soup, Susan. Even on warmer days, I think it’s a winner.
what do you think about using the kohlrabi greens instead of collards?
Tammy – YUM! Try it. I feel kind of dumb for not thinking of it myself. Sometimes our CSA basket only has the kohlrabi bulb, but next time ours comes I’m going to give this a try. Let me know if you try it too.
Did it and everyone ate it but I didn’t love the texture. I can’t tell from your about section if you are vegan. If not, kohlrabi makes and amazing creamy soup and with nut milk, there is probably an amazing variety out there also. The greens work fine and should be used if you have them. Enjoyed your “about” section – we have much in common.
Hi Kristin,
I love this soup recipe! I agree with your observation, kohlrabi is a less commonly used veggie around the kitchen. I just started my farm share and kohlrabi was my new found veggie love. In its honor, I recently posted a Indian style – kohlrabi lentil soup on my website. Thanks for sharing kohlrabi love.
Best,
Devi
Loved the soup . Made yesterday.i used chicken broth rather than water and canned cooked lentils. Still delicious
I got 3 kohlrabi this week from my CSA and was going to give them away. I’m going to try your soup and just sautéing them. Didn’t have a clue. Thanks for the recipes.
Judee, So glad to give you ideas for kohlrabi! I wish I had some this week now, too! Enjoy.
Hi,
Made my very close adaptation of your soup today , and it was truly delicious. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe .
Why not just use the kohlrabi leaves? They cook up pretty much like collards. I have not tried the recipe yet (but I will this weekend), but it seems very reasonable that they will be great in the soup.
We had this for dinner today! Our kohlrabi leaves had lice on it so we discarded those and the c9llard greens lat the store looked yuck, so I substituted those with spinach. We liked it!