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    Home » Soup Recipes

    Italian Sausage and Lentil Soup

    Published: Feb 27, 2023 by Kelli Avila · This post may contain affiliate links ·

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    Italian Sausage and Lentil Soup

    Nourishing and delicious, this Sausage and Lentil Soup is made with simple pantry ingredient and infused with a little Italian charm.

    Sausage lentil soup.

    A few weeks ago it was gloomy and cold outside (as things go in the winter here in Boston) and I was craving something warm. With little in my refrigerator I threw together a Sausage and Lentil Soup completely expecting both kids to hate it (but fully knowing they'd pick the sausages out and eat those if that was in fact the case). Well, never was I more shocked to be wrong that the kids ate, and liked, the soup!

    Of course the soup is delicious, so that makes sense. But they're also typical picky kids and lentils isn't something I serve all the time so I just assumed the reception would be less than stellar. And then of course I did what mom's do and I made this soup several more times in the insuing weeks, and to my delight they enjoyed it even more.

    Over the last few weeks I spent time developing it with more of an Italian-American bend, adding in Italian seasoning, some diced tomatoes and peppers and a bit of red wine vinegar added at the end (to brighten things up).

    The resulting Italian Sausage Lentil Soup is well-balanced, super flavorful, and an easy-to-make weeknight dinner option. Meaning it's a win-win-win!

    So let's get to making it! The text below offers some tips for making it, or you can scroll down to the bottom for the complete recipe.

    Ingredients for sausage lentil soup.

    Ingredients and Substitutions

    Here is a brief overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The full recipe with quantities is listed below this text in the recipe card. If substitutions are available for this recipe, they'll be listed here. If you don't see a substitution you are looking for, please leave a comment below.

    • olive oil
    • sweet italian sausage (I buy bulk sausage, but if you have sausage links just remove them from the casing)
    • onion + garlic
    • carrots + red bell peppers
    • Italian seasoning
    • canned diced tomatoes (note in the recipe that the tomatoes are drained, and just the actual tomatoes are used and not the liquid)
    • green or brown lentils
    • chicken broth (or water!)
    • red wine vinegar
    • Salt and pepper (I use Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt in my recipes, if you use Morton's kosher salt or fine salt you will likely need to decrease the amount of salt called for)
    Steps of making sausage lentil soup.

    Overview of Steps

    This is a pretty simple soup to make:

    • cook the sausage and drain any excess fat
    • add in the "sofritro" aromatics and cook until tender
    • add in the seasoning, lentils, tomatoes, and broth and cook until tender
    • seasong the soup with the red wine vinegar and additional salt and pepper if needed

    Sometimes lentil soups can be partially pureed to give it a fuller body, but I find leaving this as is give the soup a lighter feel. I do however like to cook the lentils just to the point where some of them break down a bit, adding some heft to the broth. If desired, the lentils can be cooked even further to break down more. Basically, cook the lentils to your liking!

    • Sausage lentil soup before being cooked.
    • Sausage lentil soup after being cooked.

    Serving and Storing

    This soup is a meal in itself and needs no additional components. However, I sometimes serve this with rice and a reduced amount of broth for more of a "rice and lentils" vibe than a soup vibe, because that's how my Colombian husband eats lentils. So we do a mix of both in our home.

    This soup keeps well for a few days in the refrigerator. And while I personally haven't tried freezing it (because it always disappears in our house within a few days) it likely will freeze well for about 3 months.

    Lentil soup with sausage in a pot.

    More Comfort Food Recipes:

    • One Pot Mac and Cheese
    • Slow Cooker Tomato Soup
    • No Boil Baked Ziti
    • Pancetta and Pea Pasta
    Print
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    Sausage lentil soup.

    Italian Sausage and Lentil Soup

    ★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
    • Author: Kelli Avila
    • Prep Time: 00:10
    • Cook Time: 00:45
    • Total Time: 55 minutes
    • Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
    • Category: Soup
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    Description

    Nourishing and delicious, this Sausage and Lentil Soup is made with simple pantry ingredient and infused with a little Italian charm.


    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 2 teaspoons olive oil
    • 1 lb. sweet italian sausage (if links, casing removed)
    • 1 large onion, diced
    • 2 medium carrots, diced
    • 1 medium red pepper, seeded and diced
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced
    • 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, (more to taste)
    • 1 tablespoons Italian seasoning
    • 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained (see note)
    • 1-½ cups green or brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
    • 6 cups chicken broth/water, more as desired
    • 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

    Instructions

    1. Heat a large heavy bottomed pot. Add sausage and cook until no longer pink, about 8 minutes. If the sausage has rendered a lot of fat (more than a tablespoon), shut off the heat, push the sausage to one side and drain it. Turn back on the heat to medium.
    2. Add the onion, carrots and pepper to the sausage and cook until beginning to soften, about 6-8 minutes. The sausage may begin to brown and stick to the pan (which is ok, it means more flavor).
    3. Add the garlic, salt, and Italian seasoning and cook for 2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the drained tomatoes, lentils, and broth and stir.
    4. Bring the soup up to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the lentils are tender and just starting to show signs of breaking apart about 20-30 minutes.
    5. Add the red wine vinegar and season to taste, adding black pepper and additional salt as desired.

    Notes

    Draining the canned tomatoes ensures you are only using the actual diced tomatoes and not any of the accompanying sauce. This prevents the broth from feeling more like a tomato sauce, which is not the intention of this recipe. You can save the drained tomato liquid for another purpose.

    I use Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt in my recipes, if you use  Morton's kosher salt or fine salt you will likely need to decrease the amount of salt called for

    Keywords: Sausage and Lentil Soup

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    Comments

    1. Serina

      March 17, 2023 at 12:05 am

      This was delicious! reminds me of pea soup but not as thick. YUMM!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kelli Avila

        March 19, 2023 at 3:45 pm

        Agree! It defintely has that vibe!

        Reply

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    I'm Kelli, the creator of Everyday Family Eats, this space where I share easy and quick recipes the whole family will love! I'm a former professional cook and baker, and full-time working mom, who is passionate about creating approachable dinner ideas that allow the whole family to gather at the table and enjoy a meal together.

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