Serve some Italian Sausage and Lentil Soup with Kale( or spinach) with some crusty bread for lunch or dinner and you will leave the table with a smile of contentment. I found a recipe on Pinterest for this soup, but altered the ingredients for what I had available in my pantry. Just trying to limit the grocery store visits these days. I’ve never made lentil soup before but have eaten a creamy version that was delicious at a Mediterranean restaurant a couple of months ago. Perhaps that will be for another day.
Once you have the lentils, vegetables and sausage prepped, it will take about another 30 minutes or so to complete it. Inspect the lentils and get rid of any little pieces which don’t resemble the rest. They will not cook like the “perfect” ones. Boil water in a small saucepan then add in the lentils. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Drain and rinse off. (You could cook the sausage or prep the veggies while they are cooking.)
Remove the casings from the sausage. Quarter each one lengthwise, then slice them into 1″ pieces. Brown them over medium -low heat until longer pink. Remove them onto paper towels to drain. (I actually placed the paper towels on the upside-down Dutch oven lid next to the pot.) Pour out all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.
Place the onions in the fat an cook for about 4 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add the carrots and celery and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in the finely minced garlic and cook until just fragrant.
Prepare the broth while the veggies are sauteeing. I used vegetable broth instead of beef broth called for in the original recipe I was using as a resource. I prefer using Better Than Bouillon brand vegetable base, 1 teaspoon/cup of hot water. To be honest, my husband was talking to me as I was measuring the base out, and I vaguely remember. Once garlic is fragrant, add the broth, crushed tomatoes,sausage and dried herbs. Simmer on low for about 15 minutes.
Wash the kale and remove the stems; coarsely chop. Add it to the soup. allowing it to wilt. Add the lentils and stir to distribute throughout the soup. Cover and simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Spinach or baby kale could be used in place of the kale, if you prefer.This is just what I had available to use.
Let the soup sit for a few minutes covered, before serving, to allow the flavors to infuse the soup.
Serve it up!
You could have additional items available to add to this Italian Sausage and Lentil Soup with Kale, if desired. I found it to be seasoned well,; perhaps it was the extra vegetable base. LOL. Anyway, possibilities are red pepper flakes, grated Parmesan cheese, Italian parsley,, or anything else you like! Let’s serve it up!..Don’t forget the bread!
Ingredients
- 1 c dry lentils
- 2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 pound Sweet/Hot Italian Sausage(or Italian Turkey Sausage) remove casings, cut lengthwise twice to quarter, then slice 1"
- 3/4 c red onion-finely diced
- 3/4 c carrots, peeled, sliced lengthwise, finely diced
- 3/4 c celery, finely diced
- 6 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 6 c vegetable broth I used Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base.
- 1- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1 T dried basil
- 1 T dried oregano
- 1- bunch of kale, washed, stems removed and coarsely chopped...or 1 pkg. baby kale
- red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper
- chopped Italian parsley
- Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Pick through lentils for "misfits" and discard. Place in a pot of boiling water for about 20 minutes. Drain and rinse off. Set aside.
- In a Dutch Oven or large soup pot, heat up the olive oil then add the sausage chunks. Cook until no longer pink and slightly browned. Remove from pot using a slotted spoon and place onto a paper towel to drain. Pour all but about 2 tablespoons of the oil in the pan out and leave for the next step.
- Saute the onion in the oil remnants for about 4 minutes over medium low heat until translucent.
- Add in the carrots and celery and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Stir in the minced garlic and cook until just fragrant.
- Pour in the vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, sausage and the herbs. Cook on low for about 15 minutes, uncovered
- Wash, remove stems and chop the kale coarsely. You may use a package of baby kale in place of this as an option. Stir it in and allow for kale to wilt a bit before the next step.
- Stir in the lentils, and place lid on pot. Turn off the heat, serve after 10-15 minutes. This will have given time for the flavors to infuse in the soup more.
o
