Lentil Soup with Italian Sausage
Lentil Soup with Italian Sausage is a hearty, zesty soup that’s made with lentils, sausage, tomatoes, and fresh vegetables.
This sausage and lentil soup is a one-pot meal at its best! Thick, hearty, healthy, and full of flavor for those cold winter nights.
Why You’ll Love This
This soup is super easy and ready to eat in under one hour. Lentils are nutritious and budget-friendly! So amp up that lentil soup taste with the flavor of Italian sausage!
If you love Carrabba’s Sausage Lentil soup this recipe is for you! Just add in some diced ham.
Ingredients
- Bulk Mild or Sweet Italian sausage – If you like it with some kick use Spicy Italian Sausage or hot Italian sausage.
- Vegetables – Onion, carrots, garlic, diced tomatoes (petite diced), and roasted red peppers.
- Broth– Chicken stock or chicken broth. You can also use vegetable broth.
- Lentils – You can use dried brown or green lentils in this lentil soup recipe. Red lentils or canned lentils won’t hold up well.
- Seasonings – Ground cumin, bay leaf, salt, and pepper
- Fresh kale – This is our preference but you can substitute fresh spinach.
Variations
- Make this healthy lentil soup vegan or vegetarian by omitting the sausage and using vegetable stock. Better yet use a plant-based sausage!
- Add other vegetables such as celery, potatoes, mushrooms, or bell peppers.
How to Make Lentil Soup with Italian Sausage
In a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat brown the Italian sausage, breaking it into crumbles. Drain the fat.
Add the diced carrots and onion and saute for about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute another 1 minute.
Add the diced tomatoes, red peppers, lentils, stock, cumin, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
Stir in the chopped kale and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the kale and lentils are tender.
What to Serve with Lentil Soup Recipe
Leftovers will tend to thicken as it sits. So when reheating add more chicken stock to achieve your desired consistency.
You can use ground pork, ground beef, ground chicken, or turkey if you prefer for this Italian lentil soup recipe. Just remember it won’t taste exactly the same, so you may need to season more liberally. The Italian sausage in this recipe adds a lot of flavor to the soup.
Lentils are rich in protein, fiber, folate, and iron! And the fresh kale for extra nutrients.
Yes, you can make lentil and sausage soup in the slow cooker. Brown the sausage in a large skillet, add the onion, and carrots, and saute for about 5 minutes. Add to the slow cooker along with the other ingredients and give it a stir. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for about 4 hours until the lentils are tender. Stir in the kale during the last 10 minutes.
Let the soup cool completely, transfer it to an air-tight container, and refrigerate for up to 4 days. This Mediterranean lentil soup recipe makes 6 hearty servings so it’s great for meal prep.
This sausage lentil soup freezes beautifully. Let cool completely, transfer to a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat gently on the stovetop. You might want to thin it out with a little more stock or water.
More Delicious Soup Recipes
- Slow Cooker Lentil Soup
- Vegan Split Pea Soup
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Root Vegetable Soup
- Easy Ham and Potato Soup
Lentil Soup with Italian Sausage Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb Italian sausage bulk
- 1 cup Onion diced
- 1 cup Carrots diced small
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 14.5 oz Can diced tomatoes drained
- 1/2 cup Roasted red peppers diced small
- 4 cups Chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 1 cup Dried lentils cleaned and rinsed
- 1/2 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper
- 2 cups Fresh kale coarsely chopped, packed
Instructions
- In a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat brown the Italian sausage, breaking into crumbles. Drain the fat.
- Add the diced carrots and onion and saute for about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute another 1 minute.
- Add the diced tomatoes, red peppers, lentils, stock, cumin, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the chopped kale and simmer another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the kale and lentils are tender.