Lentil and Sausage Soup with Mushrooms

The weather is finally starting to turn towards winter, with blustery cold days, damp days, and a dusting of snow occasionally. We’ve escaped the deep snows of last year… for now. But there are days when it feels like I just want something warm and comforting for lunch… and to know there is enough for another meal or two during the week. Warm soup, a blanket, and reruns of The Waltons… ah the winter lunchtimes I get to totally relax and maybe sneak in a nap!

With this recipe, I pulled from leftovers in my fridge (it is just past the holidays, so there are LOTS of leftovers) and drew from some soup tricks I’ve learned in the past. I hope you enjoy this hearty, warm soup. It’s simple to make and there are many options to make it your own!

Ingredients:

• 2 Italian Turkey Sausages (you can sub bacon or sweet sausage or leave it out), cut into slices
• 1 large onion, chopped fine
• 3/4 cup of carrots diced (or roughly chopped I used about 16 baby carrots)
• 2 stalks of green onion, sliced
• 1 1/2 TB minced garlic
• 1 TB Italian Herb-infused olive oil (you can use a different flavor or plain)

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• 4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken or beef or your choice)
• 2 cups water
• 1 14 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms (I used a mix of baby Bella and Oyster)
• 1 cup dried green lentils
• 1 TB fresh thyme leaves
• 2 small bay leaves
• 1 TB Italian herb infused olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• On medium heat, saute the sausage in 1 TB olive oil until browned on all sides, perhaps 5 minutes.
• Add carrots, onion, green onion, and garlic, and continue to saute until the onions are soft, but not browned
• Once your vegetables are softened, add broth, water, tomatoes, herbs, lentils, and mushrooms, and bring to a boil.
• Once boiling, reduce heat and allow to simmer, partially covered, for 35 – 45 minutes, until the lentils are soft but not mushy.
• Using an immersion blender and short bursts, blend the soup until it is thickened a bit, but still has some whole lentils and pieces of carrot. The sausage may break up during cooking, but there should also be a few full slices of that as well.
• Add salt and pepper to taste, and a drizzle of olive oil on top as you dish it out.

This is the perfect soup to eat alongside a piece of my no-knead bread . Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream, some grated cheese, or a few sprigs of parsley. It won’t last long!

Some possible substitutions:

I leave celery out of this recipe because we didn’t have any, but you could certainly add a sliced stalk or two of celery to the carrot and onion saute step

Consider adding to the vegetables: sliced bok choy, finely chopped green pepper, diced sweet potatoes, or green onion (especially if you don’t add in the regular onion)

You can use other flavored oils including basil, lemon, garlic, cilantro, herbs de Provence, tuscan-herb, wild mushroom and sage. I am addicted to flavored olive oils and usually keep a variety of flavors on hand to experiment with. They can be pricey, but you use so little, and they make a huge difference!

Which lentil to choose? Green lentils keep their density for quite a while when cooking. I used them in this recipe because I wanted the canister they were in for my red lentils, but in fact, both red and brown can become mushy in soup, and I prefer a bit more individual identity in my lentil soups. That being said, if you like the thick stew type of soup, by all means, try a different type. They all add their own unique flavor. You just may want to reduce your simmering time if you’re using other than green lentils. Check them at the twenty-minute mark and then every five minutes or so until they’re soft enough for you.