We’ve had a few rainy days here in KC this week. While I don’t love being stuck inside, it definitely puts me in the mood for a warm bowl of nourishing soup!
This Sausage Lentil Soup is packed full of vegetables and you can adjust the spicy-ness to your liking. I originally found this recipe on Life Made Simple blog (a copycat recipe of the Carrabba’s soup!) and changed it based on what I had in my pantry.
It looks like a lot of ingredients, but if you chop veggies ahead of time the soup itself comes together quickly before simmering.
I used regular, all-natural sausage for this recipe and the soup was still a little spicy! If you need less heat, I would leave out the paprika and red pepper flakes. If you LOVE the heat, use spicy italian sausage instead!
As always, tag me on Instagram at @thegallagherhomestead if you make this delicious soup! I served it with a slice of homemade sourdough bread (post about that coming soon!) and it was exactly what the doctor ordered for rainy day blues!
Sausage Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1½ tbsp. olive oil
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, finely grated
- 1 stalk celery, minced
- 1/2 cup baby bella mushrooms, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb. all natural Jimmy Dean sausage (original recipe calls for 1/2 lb italian sausage, 1/2 lb cubed ham but I didn’t have any!)
- 1 small tomato, diced
- 2 c. water
- 4 c. low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 c. dry lentils
- 1 tbsp. fresh basil, minced
- 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp. paprika
- ¼ tsp. thyme (heaping)
- ¼ tsp. oregano (heaping)
- ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
Directions
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven set over medium-low heat, saute the onion in the olive oil until tender. Add the carrot, celery, mushrooms, and garlic, cook for 1-2 more minutes. Add the sausage and brown, breaking it into bits as it cooks.
- Add the chopped ham (if using) tomatoes, water, chicken broth, vinegar and bring the soup to a boil. Pour in the lentils along woth the remaining seasonings/spices and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the lentils are tender and the liquid reduces, about 40-45 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and serve immediately.
