HEARTY LENTIL SOUP WITH SMOKED SAUSAGE

This is from the Foodie Farm Girl website. I added celery to it, and a bay leaf. Also used uncooked sausage and some of my frozen vegetable stock where she used just water, but mostly the same. I think the cumin and paprika give it a unique flavor. Nice for a rainy late winter/early spring meal. Audrey wouldn’t touch this, but Morgan said it was “fine”.

1 to 2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lb. sausage
1 large onion, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups water and/or stock
1 cup lentils, rinsed
1 28-ounce can diced or crushed tomatoes with juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 Tablespoon paprika
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
¼ - 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley


Heat 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil in a large soup pot. If the sausage is cooked, slice into bite-sized pieces. If raw, remove the casing. Add the sausage to the pot and cook over medium heat until nicely browned, breaking it up as it cooks if it was raw. Remove from pot and set aside on paper towels to drain any fat off.

Saute the onion, celery and carrots in the pot, adding extra olive oil if necessary to prevent sticking. Cook 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring so that the vegetables are coated with the caramelized bits left in the pot from cooking the sausage. Add the garlic and cook 1 to 2 more minutes.

Add the water/stock, lentils, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, with the lid cracked, adding sausage, cumin, paprika, salt, and red pepper flakes if desired. Simmer for about 50 minutes, until lentils and vegetables are al dente. Stir in parsley and serve