When I made this Lentil and Sausage Soup, it was delightfully easy and its flavor impressive. Surprised by numerous recipes calling for “just throw everything in the pot” once the sausage browned; I struggled a little with not layering the flavors, skeptical of great taste with so little effort. Melding a few promising recipes into one, this soup proved worthy of a regular spot on the menu rotation. Nothing fancy, just down right delicious.
Lentils boast a beautiful range of autumn colors to choose from; I selected yellow for a bright, appetizing soup. Green and brown lentils are more common and equally as tasty, but tend to make soups look muddy or cloudy. Its humble ingredients will never outshine Lobster Bisque or Cream of Asparagus for culinary elegance, however, Lentil and Sausage Soup delivers a flavorful and satisfying meal without a lot of fuss.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb Italian sausage — removed from casings (link chicken sausage is great too)
- 1 medium onion — chopped
- 2 stalks celery — chopped
- 3 medium carrots — chopped
- 1 orange bell pepper — chopped
- 4 cloves garlic — minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes — or more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon basil — or 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme — or 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 2 cups dry lentils
- 1 medium zucchini — chopped
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes — undrained
- 6 cups homemade chicken stock
- 1 piece Parmesan rind
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large pot, brown sausage in olive oil. Removed from pan and drain sausage on paper towels. In the same pot, saute the onion, celery, and bell pepper until vegetables are softened and beginning to caramelize. Add garlic, salt and spices, cook until fragrant.
- Mix in the remaining items, except the parsley, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour or until lentils are tender.
- Stir in parsley and simmer about 10 minutes before serving. Remove Parmesan rind and serve with freshly grated Parmesan and crusty bread.
Shared on the Following Blog Hops:
The Healthy Home Economist Monday Mania
Easy Natural Food Sunday Soup Night
Real Food Forager Fat Tuesday
Premeditated Leftovers Hearth & Soul Hop
SS & GF Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays
This sounds and looks delicious. I have some red lentils in a jar. I just might try this! Thank you for sharing it.
Looks fantastic!
The yellow lentils really make this a pretty dish. It must be the weather, it just did a bean soup recipe.
This is a great recipe and the very reason why I’m saving a parmesan rind. I’ll definitely be making this. Thanks for sharing!
What a lovely soup that is, looks full of flavour
Never fear lentils….especially with sausage!
What a great looking soup. It sounds delicious as well and the use of the rind is spot on here. I’d love to have a bowl of this. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Are you kidding me!!! Wow! I just ate dinner but this is making my mouth water:) I’m totally bookmarking this! I really love the use of all the fresh herbs! That’s what makes a meal as far as I am concerned:) This post is so informative and I think others would really enjoy reading this. I would love for you to come share it at Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways on Frugally Sustainable this Wednesday. And, I really hope that you will put Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways on your list of carnivals to visit and link to each Wednesday! Here’s the url: http://www.frugallysustainable.com
This definitely looked good as is but I needed a vegetarian meal. I made this soup as vegetarian and it turned out great as well. I can’t wait to try it with sausage or maybe even meatballs. Have a great day all.
John, thanks so much for taking the time to comment and let me know you liked the soup. One of the things I love about soup is how versatile it is, and I like your idea about adding meatballs too!
Thanks for linking your great post to FAT TUESDAY. This was very interesting! Hope to see you next week!
Be sure to visit RealFoodForager.com on Sunday for Sunday Snippets – your post from Fat Tuesday may be featured there!
http://realfoodforager.com/2011/11/fat-tuesday-november-15-2011/
This looks to die for! I love all of the beautiful colors. I’m going to make this!! Thanks for sharing this recipe with Sunday Night Soup Night. I’ll be hosting weekly through fall and winter, so I’d love to see you again with your next soup/stock/chowder recipe!
I love making soup, especially right now! I’ve made 2 starchy ones in the past week or so, potato & gf chicken noodle, but I think I want to add this one to my list. (it’s not as starchy which is better) I also love making dump soups- you just add what you have to it, like you said, they are (usually) the best, sometimes… not. hehe!
By the way, I would love for you to link this up to Healthy 2day Wednesdays this week (and every week until Saturday afternoon) You can add articles such this recipes, natural remedies, going “green” tips, suggestions, etc. Hope you’ll check it out!
Lentil soup is one of the few healthy dishes that my whole family can enjoy! Yours looks really good, and packed full of veggies just how I like it. I may just need to tweak your recipe next time I get the urge to cook up a big pot full.
This sounds so good – an easy, hearty meal! I love how thick your soup is. Thanks for sharing this recipe with the Hearth and Soul Hop.
That’s an awesome looking soup! So many ingredients and all of them so good for you. There’s a lot of nourishment there! xx
Hotly Spiced recently posted..A Wonderful Evening
Thanks Charlie! It is a nourishing soup and oh so good tasting too.