Lentil Sausage and Veggie Soup
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1/2 lb sausage out of the casing
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 14 oz (1 can) crushed or diced tomatoes
- 1.50 cups dry lentils (green are nice)
- 2 carrots
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 cup water (may need more – see directions)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp paprika/red pepper
- S & P to taste
- baby spinach
- juice of half a lemon
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat a little olive oil over medium heat. Lightly brown the chicken sausage (crumbled out of the casing, or chopped if your’e using pre-cooked chicken sausage). Add the onions and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add in all the remaining ingredients except spinach and lemon juice. Stir well, then simmer on low heat for about 40-60 minutes until carrots and lentils are tender.
- * Keep an eye on the water level. May need to add more water, as the lentils soak up a good amount: 1-3+ cups.
- After simmering, add some salt & pepper to taste, if necessary. Stir in spinach* and lemon juice at the end and immediately turn off the heat to avoid over-wilting the spinach. It might look like a lot at first, but a full package of spinach will mix in easily.
- Serve (with crème fraîche & fresh herbs) and enjoy!
Notes
*If not eating all of it right away, add spinach to bowls, and ladle soup over to keep from letting spinach be stored in the pot of soup.