Lentil Soup with Smoked Sausage

This is filling, cozy, and delicious soup that should be in your rotation all throughout soup season. The key to making this a healthier soup is finding a great quality smoked sausage. I love this one from Pederson's Organic Farms...

I also use the Polish sausage from Teton Ranch. You can find it at some Costcos and also at Sprouts.

This recipe makes a BIG pot of soup! The four of us ate it for dinner and then we had lunch for all of us the next day. If the soup gets too thick the next day, add some more chicken stock or water to thin it out a bit.

Lentil and Smoked Sausage Soup

Makes 8 hearty servings

Ingredients

• 1 to 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 package smoked sausage (about 14 ounces) pork, beef, or turkey, cut into bite size pieces

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped

• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

• 2 celery stalks, chopped

• 4 to 5 garlic cloves, minced

• 1/2 to 1 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste)

• 2 tsp dried oregano

• 1 cup dry white wine (like chardonnay)

• 1 lb dried green lentils (rinsed and drained)

• 2 qts chicken stock (or use bone broth for extra protein)

• 1 – 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, tied together with kitchen twine

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 cup water

• 3-4 medium gold potatoes (about 1.5 lbs), cut into 1 inch cubes

• 2 tsp salt

• plenty of fresh ground pepper

• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley

• fresh grated parmesan cheese to garnish

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil. Use 1 tbsp if using pork or beef smoked sausage as they will render more fat, or 2 tbsp if using turkey sausage. When the oil is hot, add the sausage and brown for about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pot and set aside, reserving the oil.

2. Add your onions to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, garlic, red pepper flakes and dried oregano and cook for a few more minutes. Add the white wine and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan that might be left from browning your sausage. Add the lentils, chicken stock or bone broth, tomatoes, thyme bundle, and bay leaf and return your browned sausage to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and cover keeping the soup at a bare simmer for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally and check to make sure you are keeping the soup at a simmer.

3. After 45 minutes, add your cubed potatoes, 2 tsp salt, and plenty of pepper. Cover and simmer for about 15 more minutes or until the potatoes and lentils are both tender.

4. Taste your soup for seasoning, I added more salt at this point but if your stock or sausage is especially salty, you may not need to. Add your fresh parsley, reserving some to garnish.

5. Serve garnished with fresh grated parmesan cheese, a drizzle of good olive oil, and fresh parsley.