Italian Lentil Soup with Sausage
Italian Lentil Soup with Sausage is thick and hearty with lentils, Italian sausage, vegetables and spices in a rich broth.
Servings: 10 -12 Servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried lentils
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 medium fennel bulb trimmed and bulb chopped
- 3 medium carrots chopped
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 pound ground pork Italian sausage
- 1 can tomato paste 6 oz
- 1 cup water or broth
- 6 cups chicken broth homemade if possible
- 2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning blend
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Sort through the brown lentils to remove any small pebbles. Rinse in cold water, drain and reserve.
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, fennel, carrots, and celery; cook, stirring often for 5 minutes. Add sausage, breaking up with a fork. Cook, stirring often, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- In a small dish add the tomato paste and water, whisk together until smooth then add to the soup pot. Pour in the chicken broth, add the reserved lentils, Italian seasoning, cumin and bay leaves.
- Bring soup to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until lentils are tender, about 20-30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove from heat, discard bay leaves and ladle into soup bowls. Sprinkle each serving with chopped parsley
Notes
- An easy way to sort the lentils is to spread them out on a sheet pan. Discard anything that is not a lentil.
- When breaking up the sausage leave small chunks of for flavor and interest.
- This is a hearty, thick soup. Add additional chicken broth for a thinner soup.
Nutrition
Serving: 1-1/2 Cups | Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 1238mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g
