The Best Lentil and Sausage Soup

Today is a dreary, chilly day that is just begging for soup. This particular soup is an especially wonderful thing on this kind of day, because the way it makes your kitchen smell is simply amazing. I'm pretty sure I've posted this recipe on my blog before (probably more than once), but here are some more complete instructions (with pictures!) if you're a more hesitant cook. It's a great recipe for an inexperienced cook, because the only real skill you need is cutting the vegetables in reasonably similar sized-pieces.

The full recipe is at the bottom, but here's a step-by-step walkthrough.

First, gather your ingredients: butter, onion, garlic, thyme, cumin, salt and pepper, chicken broth, carrots, celery, dried lentils, sweet Italian sausage, and grated parmesan. You can make a vegetarian or vegan version by substituting olive oil for butter and vegetable broth for chicken broth and omitting the sausage and the parmesan.

I like to start by cutting up all my vegetables. The recipe calls for half an onion, but I like onion, so I use a whole small onion. My family doesn't like chunks of stuff, so I chop it fairly finely, but it's fine if you just slice the onion and let it separate as it cooks.

You can use either minced garlic from a jar (1 tablespoon) or mince some fresh garlic cloves. I use about four to get a tablespoon.  I don't worry about mincing it too finely, since it basically dissolves into the soup anyway.

Next, you need 1-1/2 cups of thinly sliced carrots. One medium-sized carrot is roughly half a cup of slices, so I peel and slice three carrots. It doesn't matter if you're a little short or a little over. It's soup; it's very forgiving. Also, if you hate chopping, or if your knife skills aren't so hot, get yourself an inexpensive kitchen mandoline. (This one's currently on sale at Kohl's for 12 bucks.)

Ditto on the celery: each stalk is about half a cup, so use three stalks and don't worry about it being over or under. Again, I chop the celery quite finely for my picky family's sake, but leave it chunky if you prefer. You can use a mandoline for the celery, too.

Now you're ready to start the actual cooking! Melt three tablespoons of butter in a Dutch oven (or a really large saucepan) over medium heat.

When the butter is fully melted, add the onion and garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent. (This is when your kitchen will start to smell really good.)

Next, stir in your seasonings: 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. I use a grinder for my pepper, so my measurement is not so much "1/2 teaspoon" as it is, "eh, that looks about right." You can always adjust the seasonings later. (Also, this is when your kitchen will start to smell even better. Cumin is magic.)

 Slowly stir in 6 cups of chicken broth.

 

Dump in the chopped carrots and celery and give the soup a good stir. 

Add a generous cup of dried lentils. The packages I get at my local grocery are about 2-1/4 cups, so I just eyeball half the bag. Remember? Soup = forgiving. We're cooking, not baking. Approximations are fine. 

Now slice open a pound of sweet Italian sausage - just slash them from end to end with a sharp knife. Peel off the casing like you're peeling a banana. (Discard the casing just like you'd discard the banana peel.) Pull the meat into pieces and drop it into the soup. Obviously, if you're making a vegetarian version, simply omit the sausage. The spices are so wonderful that the soup is equally delicious without it.

 Give the pot a good stir, then turn the heat up to high and bring the soup to a boil.

Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 50 minutes or so. Feel free to adjust the seasonings to taste, and add a little water or broth if the soup seems too thick. Sprinkle each serving with grated parmesan, if desired. Add a side of cornbread or hearty Italian bread and you've got yourself a complete (and delicious - and reasonably healthy) meal.

Here's the complete recipe:

3 tbsp butter
½ onion, sliced thin
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
6 cups chicken broth
1-1/2 cups carrots, sliced
1-1/2 cups celery, sliced
½ package dried lentils (~1 cup)
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage (optional)
Grated Parmesan-Romano cheese

Melt the butter in the bottom of a dutch oven or large saucepan. Saute the onions and garlic for a few minutes. Stir in the thyme, cumin, salt, and pepper. Slowly add the chicken broth. Stir in the carrots, celery, and lentils. If desired, remove the casing of the sausage and crumble into the pot. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 50 minutes (covered). Sprinkle with cheese before serving.

Enjoy!