This lentil soup has everything you could want in a cold weather meal. It just makes me want to curl up with a good book and a big bowl of this cozy sausage lentil soup. This soup is also GREAT for meal prep!
Lentils are one of the most underrated foods I can think of. They are versatile and a great source of plant based protein. I think the reason lentils are looked over is because people don’t know what to do with them. What are they anyway? Are lentils a bean? Are they a grain? Lentils are a legume, somewhat similar to a bean. They do not need to be soaked and cook somewhat quickly.
Say it with me! Lentils are easy!
If you don’t want to read on and on about this recipe you can jump to the recipe below. My feelings won’t be hurt too bad.
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How this all came about:
This sausage and lentil soup recipe came to me by accident. My husband and I had just moved into our first house and it was going to be a couple of days before they could come turn the gas on for us. Since we had a gas stove that meant no stove (and no hot shower, but that’s a different story). I had no idea what we were going to eat! I got out my crock pot and started grabbing stuff out of the fridge to throw together. Carrots, celery, and onion (a good base for any soup). Sausages, a couple cans of tomatoes, and a bag of lentils. I put all my ingredients in the crock pot and let it cook while I went to work. When I got home I was greeted by the most amazing smell. The crock pot worked its magic and created a fantastic lentil soup.
This lentil soup has been a favorite in my home since then. It is very simple to make and is SO good.
Some notes:
Lentils: I use regular brown lentils in mine, but you can use any variety you like. Lentils need to be washed thoroughly before cooking.
Tomatoes: You can use canned tomatoes for this recipe HOWEVER fresh is always better. If you are using fresh, you need to remove the skins. Before you get your potato peeler out, here’s my hack for peeling tomatoes. Score the bottom of the tomato with an “X” and boil for 2 min. Once boiled, place in an ice bath or run under cold water. The skins will peel right off.
Once your tomatoes are peeled (and cooled), cut them in half and remove ALL of the goop and seeds.
Sausage: I usually get a red wine sausage for this soup. I recommend buying raw sausages (tip: the butcher’s counter at the grocery store usually has the best ones). You will want to remove the casing because it gets chewy in the soup. To remove the casing, score the side of your sausage lengthwise and peel the outer casing off. Cut the sausage into bite size pieces.
Bouquet Garni: This is fancy talk for a bunch of herbs tied together with string and cooked in the soup. As always, I recommend using fresh. Tie the herbs together with string to be removed later. If you don’t have string (because who has string in their kitchen?) then cut the herbs up and add them to the soup. If fresh herbs are not available to you, use a variety of your favorite dried ones! I usually use oregano, thyme, and rosemary.
Optional steps:
Once it’s done cooking I like to scoop some of the lentils out to blend. This will help to thicken the soup and give it that creamy texture we are looking for.
You can omit the sausage and use veggie stock to make this recipe vegetarian!
I like to add red pepper flakes to my soup at the end for some spice. This is totally optional but highly recommended.
Sausage and Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 carrots chopped
- 4 celery stalks chopped
- 1 onion diced
- 3 andouille sausages
- 5 tomatoes diced
- 2 cups lentils
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups water
- 3 tbsp herbs assorted
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
Prep:
- Chop vegetables
- If using fresh tomatoes peel them (instructions above)
- Remove the casing from the sausage (instructions above) and cut into bit sized pieces
To make the soup:
- In a large, heavy bottomed pot heat the olive oil then cook the carrots, onion, and celery until translucent.
- Add the sausage and tomatoes. Cook for about 5-6 minutes. (This is the stage where we are building flavor so we are looking for brown on the sausage and pot)
- Add the lentils, chicken stock, water, bay leaves, and 3 tablespoons of your favorite herbs.
- Cover and simmer until the lentils are cooked about 45 min
- Salt and pepper to taste
OPTIONAL:
- Scoop out one cup of lentils and one cup of liquid and blend. Pour back into soup to thicken
- Add red pepper flakes
