Sausage and Lentil Soup

There is a chain Italian restaurant in Utah called Carrabbas that serves a sausage and lentil soup.  I had never tried the original, but I tried making a copy cat recipe about six or seven years ago.  This recipe was my first introduction to lentils that actually taste good!  Since then I have made it several times and each time I have made some adjustments until it is my own.  A few months ago I tried the original soup and Carrabbas and I think mine is much better!  This soup is quite healthy as it is full of vegetables, fiber, and protein from both the sausage and lentils.  In fact, lentils are the second highest source of plant protein.   This soup is flavorful, slightly spicy, and warms your soul.

Ingredients:
4-5 carrots
3-4 celery stalks
1 large onion
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
1 pound hot Italian sausage*
8 cups chicken broth
2 cups dried lentils
3 cans tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf

Optional:
2 cups lightly packed spinach roughly chopped
2 medium zucchinis, chopped

1. Dice carrots, celery, and onion.  Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium high and cook carrots, celery, and onion until they start to soften.  Mince garlic and add it to the pan.  Saute until vegetables are almost tender.

2. In a large stock pot add sauteed vegetables, broth, lentils, tomatoes, and seasonings.  Simmer for about 30 minutes or until lentils and tender.

3. While  the soup is simmering, brown sausage in the same frying pan you used to saute the vegetables. Set aside.

4. When the lentils are tender puree approximately 1/3 of the soup in the blender and return to the pot.  If you have an immersion blender, you could use that instead.  If desired, add the sausage, zucchini, and spinach.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes until the zucchini is soft, remove the bay leaf, and serve.  I like serving this with crusty bread and a green salad.

This makes a lot of soup.  It tastes even better the next day and freezes great for a busy day.

*I highly recommend using a good quality sausage.  It will really make your soup.  My favorite sausage is the hot Italian pork sausage from Sprouts.  It is reasonably priced and the soup tastes so much better than if you use a cheap sausage.  Just remember, garbage in, garbage out.