Lentil and Sausage Soup with Kale
This is my go-to cold weather soup recipe. It is hearty, healthy and just plain delicious. Most of the ingredients you will have in your pantry, so it’s easy to pull it together any weeknight. I love lentils, all kinds, but you could really substitute any type of bean in the soup and it would be delicious.
Tips:
We prefer our lentils to be soft, so I cook the dish a little longer than the recipe calls for.
The cubes of bread were added after two cups of homemade sourdough was going stale. I cubed the bread, tossed it with olive oil and some salt and pepper. The croutons were baked for about 7 minutes at 400 degrees. Add them just before serving.
Don’t keep a jar of bacon fat near your stove? Use olive oil.
Try with our homemade oyster crackers recipe.
Lentil and Sausage Soup with Kale
Makes 6 servings
PREP 15 minutes
COOK 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon bacon fat (or add another tablespoon of olive oil)
1 cup chopped carrots
3/4 cups chopped celery
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt
1 1/2 cup french green lentils, rinsed
28 ounces canned chopped tomatoes
1 sprig rosemary
4 chicken sausages (or substitute another kind of sausage)
1 1/2 cup chopped kale
2 cups of homemade croutons (optional- see tips)
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat the olive oil and bacon fat over medium heat in a large, heavy pot and add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Add a big pinch of salt. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add sausage to the pot and continue to break apart the sausage with the wooden spoon, until the sausage is cooked through and in small pieces.
Stir in the lentils, tomatoes and 4 cups water. Add the rosemary and a couple more pinches of salt. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook until the lentils are tender, 15 to 20 minutes, adding more water if necessary to cover the vegetables.
Add kale to the soup and cook for a few more minutes until it is bright green and tender. Serve and enjoy.