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Italian Sausage and Lentil Soup in a White Bowl with a Spoon

Italian Sausage and Lentil Soup

A cozy, hearty Italian sausage and lentil soup with carrots, celery, onion, brown lentils, chicken stock, Italian herbs and a bag of fresh spinach stirred in at the end. Easily made with leftover turkey, chicken or meatless.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 cup onion chopped
  • 1 cup carrots chopped
  • 1 cup celery chopped
  • 1 pound Italian sausage or leftover turkey, chicken, ground lamb, or extra lentils
  • 1 1/2 cups dried lentils brown or any kind
  • 2-3 bay leaves
  • 6 cups chicken stock or turkey broth; up to 2 cups can be water
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 9 oz fresh spinach 1 bag, long stems removed

Method
 

  1. Heat the oil in a stock pot over medium heat and cook the onion, carrots and celery a few minutes until softened.
  2. Add the sausage, crumbling it, and brown with the vegetables until no pink remains.
  3. Add the lentils and bay leaves, then the stock, salt, pepper, parsley and oregano. Bring to a boil.
  4. Reduce to medium-low, cover and simmer about 20 minutes until the lentils are tender.
  5. Stir in the spinach until it wilts, 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves and serve.

Notes

A great home for Thanksgiving turkey broth and leftovers. Do not use more than 2 cups of water in place of stock or the soup loses flavor.