Lentil and Sausage Soup
It may be a peasant recipe, but this lentil and sausage soup recipe (ready in about an hour) is fit for a king
Hearty Lentil and Sausage soup: a steaming bowl of satisfying goodness to warm your day:
- This humble, healthy, and, yes-hearty soup, is packed full of vegetables: carrots, onions, garlic, potatoes, greens, and French lentils. Just a quarter cup of lentils has 14 grams of fiber, 13 grams of protein, and loads of calcium and potassium. It may be a peasant recipe, but my lentil and sausage soup is fit for a king. Have a hungry family that wants dinner in about an hour? Make this your go-to recipe.
- Most ingredients are in your pantry and fridge: broth or stock, lentils, canned tomatoes, garlic, onions, and carrots. Perhaps you have greens like kale or spinach about to go bad- throw them in the pot. Most recipes call for a traditional Mirepoix. I never have celery on hand so I leave it out of my recipe. I add kielbasa, an inexpensive source of protein, and keeps just about forever in the fridge.
Ingredients in Lentil and Sausage Soup:
- dry French Lentils- this hearty legume is packed with protein and fiber. See my note about which kind to use
- kielbasa or sausage
- onion
- garlic
- carrots
- potatoes
- fresh rosemary & thyme
- kale, Swiss chard or spinach
- canned chopped tomatoes
- red pepper flakes, salt, pepper
- chicken stock
- olive oil
- Parmesan cheese
Special Equipment needed for this recipe:
Other cold-weather soups to try:
- Mushroom, beef and barley soup
- Quick Italian Wedding soup with roasted meatballs
- Roasted carrot and coconut milk soup
- Corn and shrimp chowder
- New England clam chowder
- Wild rice and mushroom soup
- Après ski vegetable soup
- Classic French onion with Gruyere toast
- Beef and bean soup
Pro-tips about this lentil and sausage soup:
What to serve with this recipe:
- sour dough with salty butter
- cornbread muffins
- simple green salad with slices of crisp apples, chards of cheese and a light vinegar dressing and lots of cracked pepper
- Pinot Noir, Beaujolais Nouveau or a dry German Riesling
- for a non-alcoholic beverage- a bottle of crisp sparkling water with pomegranates arils, a glass of ice cold ginger beer or warm apple cider
How to choose the best legume:
- Buy French or green lentils-
- The best lentils in the world come from the Haute Loire region. The lentils thrive in the rich volcanic soil.
- I prefer French Green Le Puy lentils. They stay a bit firmer.
- You can serve these Le Puy lentils cold in salads or dressed with a champagne vinaigrette.
- Red lentils are used in Indian, Turkish or middle eastern cuisine- like Dahl -they will turn to mush if used in this soup- they are a base for many types of soups or curries- just not this recipe.
- Black lentils are grown in Idaho and Washington state. They are served as a side like peas.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups dry French lentils
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 3 cups yukon gold potatoes diced
- 2 unit large carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped fine
- 2 packages kielbasa sausages or 1 lb of pork sausage chopped
- 14.5 oz can of chopped tomatoes plus water to fill the can
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 sprig thyme
- 32 oz low sodium chicken stock or broth
- 3 cups fresh chopped kale washed
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
- salt and fresh pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a fine sieve, rinse lentils well. Soak lentils for 5 minutes in a bowl of cold water. Set aside.
- In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, heat 1 TBSP olive oil. Sauté carrots and onions until onions begin to soften- about 5-6 minutes. Toss in potatoes and coat with olive oil warming them through. Stir in red pepper flakes, ground pepper and fresh herbs- rosemary and thyme. Add in Kielbasa or sausage and stir until well combined. Add in garlic. Sauté another minute.
- Drain lentils and add them to the pot. Add in tomatoes with their juices. Fill the tomato can with water and pour into soup- this adds more tomato flavor. Add in chicken broth or stock. Bring to a boil for one minute, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes covered or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- After 45 minutes, add in fresh greens. Fish out the stems from the herbs. Check to see if salt is needed. Serve piping hot with freshly grated parmesan on the side to sprinkle over soup.
- If you use uncooked sausage, brown the sausage before the veggies to render the fat, wipe down your pot to remove most of the fat and then continue on with step 2.
