This hearty Sausage and Lentil Soup is made with Italian sausage, lentils, and vegetables and Italianseasonings for a hearty winter or fall meal. A homemade version of Carrabba’s spicy sausage lentil soup!
In my opinion, lentils are so underrated. Not only can you find a whole pound for under a dollar at pretty much any grocery store, but they are high in protein, fiber and they double in size when cooked because they absorb whatever you cook them in. This makes a great excuse to use up your rotisserie chicken bone broth.
Enjoy this Carrabba’s lentil soup copycat recipe!
🍲 How To Make Sausage and Lentil Soup
1️⃣ In a medium stockpot, heat up 2 tsp avocado oil over medium high heat. Add in ground Italian sausage and cook until it begins to brown.
2️⃣ To the pot, add tomato paste, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, oregano, thyme, basil salt and pepper. Saute over medium high heat until vegetables are softened and sausage is fully cooked through.
3️⃣ Add in beef or vegetable stock, lentils and bay leaves. Stir until fully combined.
4️⃣ Cover stock pot with lid and bring soup to a boil. Let boil for 5 minutes then turn down heat to a simmer for 20-20 minutes or until lentils are tender.
5️⃣ Garnish with optional Parmesan cheese and serve hot with Gluten Free Cornbread.
🥣 Slow Cooker Lentil Soup
You can also make sausage and lentil soup in your crock pot or slow cooker.
1️⃣ Simply follow the first 2 steps to saute the sausage and vegetables until cooked through.
2️⃣ Add them to your slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients and cook on high for 3-4 hours or until lentils become tender.
👩🏻🍳 Chef’s Tips
If you can’t find ground Italian sausage, simply buy Italian sausages and remove the casing.
For a spicy sausage and lentil soup, use spicy Italian sausage instead of mild.
To store lentil soup: let cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to one week. To freeze lentil soup, add to a gallon freezer bag and lay flat in freezer. Will keep fresh for up to 3 months.
Lentils continue to absorb liquid as time goes on. Add additional broth or water when re-heating soup if needed.
For an extra nutritional boost, stir raw spinach or kale to lentil soup after it’s cooked and let the heat of the soup wilt the greens.
💭 Do You Have To Soak Lentils Before Cooking Them?
It’s a common misconception that lentils are a bean. Lentils are actually in their own category of legumes along with peanuts. Lentils do not have to be soaked before cooking as they begin to absorb liquid very quickly. It is recommended that you rinse your lentils fully before using them to cook.
More Soup Recipes
- Pork Chili Verde
- Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
- African Beef Stew
- Vegan Carrot Ginger Soup
- Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken Soup
- Instant Pot French Onion Soup
- Keto Hamburger Soup
Sausage and Lentil Soup
This hearty sausage and lentil soup is made with Italian sausage, lentils, and vegetables and Italianseasonings for a hearty winter or fall meal.
4.56 from 9 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes minutes
Servings: 8 -10 servings
Calories: 458kcal
Author: Valerie Skinner
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground Mild Italian Sausage
- 1 cup White Onion diced
- ½ cup Celery diced
- ½ cup Carrots diced
- 1 large Zucchini diced
- 2 tsp Fresh Garlic minced
- ¼ cup Tomato Paste
- 1 pound Brown Lentils
- 2 Bay Leaves dried
- ½ tsp Dried Oregano
- ½ tsp Dried Thyme
- ½ tsp Dried Basil
- 6 Cups Beef or Vegetable Stock
- 2 tsp Avocado Oil
- 2 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
In a medium stockpot, heat up 2 tsp avocado oil over medium high heat. Add in ground Italian sausage and cook until it begins to brown.
To the pot, add tomato paste, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, oregano, thyme, basil salt and pepper. Saute over medium high heat until vegetables are softened and sausage is fully cooked through.
Add in beef or vegetable stock, lentils and bay leaves. Stir until fully combined.
Cover stock pot with lid and bring soup to a boil. Let boil for 5 minutes then turn down heat to a simmer for 20-20 minutes or until lentils are tender.
Garnish with optional Parmesan cheese and serve hot with Gluten Free Cornbread.
Notes
Slow Cooker Lentil Soup:
You can also make sausage and lentil soup in your crock pot or slow cooker. Simply follow the first 2 steps to saute the sausage and vegetables until cooked through. Add them to your slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients and cook on high for 3-4 hours or until lentils become tender.
Do You Have To Soak Lentils Before Cooking Them?
It’s a common misconception that lentils are a bean. Lentils are actually in their own category of legumes along with peanuts. Lentils do not have to be soaked before cooking as they begin to absorb liquid very quickly. It is recommended that you rinse your lentils fully before using them to cook.
Tips for Sausage and Lentil Soup:
- If you can’t find ground Italian sausage, simply buy Italian sausages and remove the casing.
- For a spicy sausage and lentil soup, use spicy Italian sausage instead of mild.
- To store lentil soup: let cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to one week. To freeze lentil soup, add to a gallon freezer bag and lay flat in freezer. Will keep fresh for up to 3 months.
- Lentils continue to absorb liquid as time goes on. Add additional broth or water when re-heating soup if needed.
- For an extra nutritional boost, stir raw spinach or kale to lentil soup after it’s cooked and let the heat of the soup wilt the greens.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 458kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 23g | Cholesterol: 144mg | Sodium: 972mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g
