Lentil Sausage Soup Recipe

As cooler temperatures move in, soup is my FAVORITE thing to have this time of year. When we had a rainy day last week, I went through my files to find a recipe that I knew we loved and didn’t require a lot of ingredients. As luck would have it, we had every ingredient for this soup EXCEPT for broth! Which was weird since I feel like we usually have at least a few in the cabinet and sometimes even homemade broth in the freezer. Anyway, a quick trip to the store, and we were in business.

This lentil sausage soup hit the spot on a rainy night, and we enjoyed the leftovers for a few more meals. In fact, my husband commented at dinner tonight that he thinks it tastes even better a couple of days later. I like this recipe because it uses lentils instead of rice or pasta like so many other soups. It’s nice for something different, and lentils are packed with cholesterol-lowering fiber, vitamins, minerals and protein. You cant go wrong with carrots, celery and onion in a soup. And sausage gives it lots of flavor.

We’ll be making this recipe throughout the fall and winter.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound fully cooked hot or sweet Italian sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
•  1 large onion, chopped
• 2 large carrots, peeled, chopped (about 1 3/4 cups)
• 2 large celery stalks, chopped about 1 cup
•  2-1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning blend
• 1 pound green lentils
• 3 quarts low-sodium chicken broth

Directions:

• Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a plate.
• Add onion, carrots, celery, and Italian seasoning blend to drippings in pot. Cook until onion is translucent and carrots and celery begin to soften, stirring often, 7 to 8 minutes.
• Add lentils and about 2/3 of the chicken broth. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally. Add more broth about 1/4 cup at a time, stirring. Continue in this way for about 20 minutes.
• Add sausage to soup and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 6-8 servings.