Start by prepping the ingredients so they’re ready to throw into the pan when the heat is on. Chop the chorizo into small pieces, slice the carrots into small rounds (I washed them but didn’t peel) and destem the cavolo nero. To prep the thyme, remove around a tbsp of thyme from the stem, leaving the remaining thyme to place into the soup later.
Add a tsp of olive oil (not a tbsp!) to a large saucepan on a low heat. Add the chorizo, carrot, prepped thyme and mixed herbs to gently fry for 5 minutes. You don’t need that much oil as once you get the heat going, the fat will render from the sausage and create a great, friable environment.
After this time, add the lentils, 1.4 litres vegetable stock and chopped tomatoes. Place the remaining thyme on top of the liquid so it’ll infuse into the soup but is also easily removable. Leave to simmer for 15 minutes.
When your timer goes off, remove the thyme sprigs and add the de-stemmed/torn cavolo nero, new potatoes and peas into the soup. Leave to cook for a further 15 minutes.
To serve, season with salt and pepper and optional chilli flakes. I had some spare fresh basil so garnished with a little bit of that too.