Is it just me or does mung bean sound gross and weird?  I bet it’s because it rhymes with dung.  And who wants to eat a dung bean?  No one.  No one wants to eat anything with dung in the name.

Unless you’re a dung beetle, but I digress. 

Mung beans aren’t gross but for some reason until a few weeks ago, I had never tried them.  I’m sad I haven’t because they are pretty tasty and really easy to prepare.  I’ve used them in place of lentils in a lot of my recipes like Tarka Dhal and I thought they would be a perfect addition to soup.

I made this soup a couple of weeks ago when I was craving something warm but a little done with all the heavy winter foods.  I’m ready for warm weather and this little cold/rainy/gross streak we’ve had here in Chicago has pretty much worn out it’s welcome.  Since I can’t change the weather, I will change my food. 

I almost didn’t add lemon to this soup but squeezed in a whole one towards the end and I’m super happy I did.  It brightened everything up and made this not only a warming soup but a refreshing one.  Can soup be refreshing?  Well, I’m making it a thing if it already isn’t.

If you’re tired of the cold and rain (or cold and snow if you’re out west/up north) try this soup.  It will still warm your bones but usher in the feeling of Spring with bright lemon.

And trust me, the mung beans don’t taste like dung beans.

Lemony Mung Bean Soup 

• 1/2 cup mung beans, soaked overnight if possible
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (4 cloves if you really like garlic)
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 2 cups lacinato kale, stems removed and chopped into bite size pieces
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 1 lemon, plus extra wedges for serving
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt, more if needed
• 1/4 tsp pepper, more if needed
• fresh parsley, chopped

1. Drain and rinse your mung beans and set aside.  Turn on the broiler on your oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Toss the sliced tomatoes with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper and then spread out evenly on the baking sheet.  Put under the broiler for 2 minutes.  Take them out shake the pan and then put them back for another 2 minutes.  Set aside while you get the rest of the soup ready.
3. Heat a little olive oil over medium-high heat in a large soup pot or dutch oven.  Add the onion and saute until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes.  Add the garlic and saute another minute.
4. Add the mung beans, tomatoes, and all the seasonings.  Stir until everything is coated and then add the vegetable broth and half the lemon juice.  Bring the soup to a boil then cover and lower to a simmer.
5. Simmer the soup for about 30 minutes until the beans are soft.  Add the kale and the rest of the lemon juice and simmer for another 5 minutes.  Taste and adjust the salt and pepper if needed.  Serve and top with chopped parsley!