Every year around this time — well into the winter season, but long after we found it charmingly brisk, as it is when you do googly-eyed things like ice skating around a sparkling tree at the holidays — we get some sort of brittle cold snap in the weather that catches me by surprise. Even though we live in New York, a place where a cold snap or two a January is as predictable as being hosed by some unspeakably awful puddle of street juice slush by a car spinning through an intersection; even though I’ve lived in this exact climate for every one of my thirty-I-don’t-want-to-talk-about-it years; and even though I have the audacity to look forward to winter every sticky concrete-steaming summer, when I walk outside on that first 20-degree day and the wind gusts into my face and renders it hard to exhale, the very first thing I do is audibly holler in rage and disbelief, “WHAT THE WHAT?” I am nothing — as we joke when my sweet little son tries to clomp down the hallway in his dad’s massive boots and immediately falls on his tush — if not Harvard Material.
Weeks like the one we’re having on the East Coast require their own bourbon cocktail plane tickets to someplace tropical and child-free, uh, family-friendly elixir and although I’ve previously found comfort in such meal intensities as lasagna bolognese, chili and mushroom and noodles, glorified, I think this year’s pick — a hearty Lentil Soup with Sausage, Chard and Garlic trumps them all. It hails from the new cookbook from the guy behind one of the first food blogs I ever read, and still do, The Amateur Gourmet. I think you should buy it right this very second. Why? Because in it, Adam Roberts does what he does best — schmooze with great chefs and get them to spill the dirt, all in the name of making us better home cooks.
[He’s also good at this with less famous, non-chefs, such as yours truly, when he got me to confess to a packed room last month my top-secret, totally-un-PC method of getting toddlers to occasionally eat what you’d like them to, not that I’d be crazy enough to let that happen twice.]
To write this book, Adam travelled all over the country to visit chefs in their work or home kitchens with a reporter’s notebook and jotted down everything. He learned all sorts of goodies such as why Sara Moulton says you should steel your knives before starting to chop things and how you can tell without sniffing or tasting (or crossing your fingers) whether your butter is still good. Oh, and he’s just getting started. Reading this on a lazy Saturday afternoon before my son decided to start his still ongoing nap strike [our household internal dialogue is something like this right now: noooooooo], I was enrapt as I learned the secret of Jonathan Waxman’s technique for tossing salad and how Alice Water’s “crown” of fresh herbs can make even the simplest olive oil-fried eggs heavenly, plus a font of tips he picked up through observation, such as how chefs manage to use their produce before it gets forgotten and goes bad to (still shocking to me) how sparingly most of them used freshly ground black pepper.
What none of these tips — delightfully, refreshingly — aim to do is intensify the gap between restaurant chefs and home cooks. There’s nobody on a high horse, rolling their eyes at people who prefer to cook from recipes or who benefit from (gasp!) suggested measurements of seasonings. I had very few opportunities to take part in my own eye-rolling-at-chef-recipes pastime, such as when they expect you to use four skillets and eight prep bowls to make a single soup. No, instead this book’s stated goal would, in an ideal world, be the stated goal of every cookbook on the shelves, to be “a prompt, a catalyst for self-reliance in the kitchen.” That it also yielded one of the most delicious, hearty soups that’s ever graced a frigid January day was just the cherry sizzling garlic oil on top.
One year ago: Buckwheat Baby with Salted Caramel Syrup
Two years ago: Pizza with Bacon, Onions and Cream and Baked Potato Soup
Three years ago: Poppy Seed Lemon Cake, Black Bean Soup + Toasted Cumin Seed Crema and Cranberry Syrup (+ An Intensely Almond Cake)
Four years ago: Squash and Chickpea Moroccan Stew, Vanilla Almond Rice Pudding, Light Wheat Bread, Clementine Cake, Mushroom Bourguignon, Sugar Puffs and Smashed Chickpea Salad
Five years ago: Crunchy Baked Pork Chops, Pickled Carrot Sticks and Chicken Caesar Salad
Six years ago: World Peace Cookies, Salade Lyonnaise, Artichoke Ravioli and Leek and Mushroom Quiche
Lentil Soup with Sausage, Chard and Garlic
The original recipe calls for “4 large links of sweet Italian sausage” but we always make it with 2 and it feels like the right level; most of you have said the same over the years so I’ve adjusted the recipe accordingly. This works out to roughly 8 ounces of sausage meat.
One P.S. I have a weird aversion to overcooked greens in soups, so only added what I needed right before serving, into the portion we were going to eat. It kept them vibrant, and I kept the leftover greens for today’s eagerly anticipated leftovers.
InstantPot directions added December 2017!
- 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
- 2 large links (about 8 ounces) of sweet Italian sausage [see Note]
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 celery ribs, sliced or diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into half-moons or diced
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced (reserve half for later in recipe)
- Kosher salt
- A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 cup brown lentils, sorted and rinsed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 6 cups water
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 to 4 cups shredded or thinly ribboned Swiss chard leaves or kale
- Grated Pecorino Romano cheese to finish
When the lentils are cooked, add the chard and cook until the leaves are tender, just a few minutes more. Discard the bay leaves.
In an InstantPot or electric multicooker: Proceed as written above, using the sauté function on high (I find this to be like medium-high on a stove) to cook the sausage and then vegetables. Once you’ve added the remaining ingredients, including dried lentils, lock the lid and set to high pressure for 15 minutes. Let it naturally release for at least 10 minutes (or longer, if you have time), to help keep the vegetables intact. You can manually release the rest. Use the sauté function on high again to bring it back to a simmer (this should be take no time at all) and add the greens; cook until wilted.
Both methods: To finish, divide soup among bowls, then add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 garlic cloves to a small skillet (on the stove) and heat over medium until the garlic softens and hisses. Drizzle this over soup bowls, and top with fresh Romano, passing more at the table. Leftovers will keep for several days in the fridge.
(You could probably do this in an empty multicooker pot too but it feels faster and more efficient to do it on the stove.)
Yummy and healthy. Perfect for the dense fog, thank god for the lavender gin.
Beyond hot Italian sausage is perfect in this soup, for a vegetarian substitute. I always use frozen lacinato kale because it’s what I have on hand, but I hope to try with chard soon!
Oh, a hearty soup is just what I need!
This soup looks perfect to stand up to this frigid winter weather! Thanks Deb!
This soup is a hit every time I make it. It’s fast, easy and makes for great leftovers!
For the sausage, you mention breaking it up, do you cut it into slices before adding it to the pot?
No, I break it up with the spoon or spatula as I brown it.
Remove the sausage from the casing first so it’s just seasoned ground meat. :)
I’m trying to cook my way through your book and you’re not helping by posting such delicious looking things on your blog at the same time! :)
Elizabeth — It makes up for all the time I wasn’t posting when working on the book! :)
How do you feel about using the immersion blender on soup before adding greens?
This recipe is one of our staples and I’m actually planning on using the immersion blender on a cup or two for my baby. I don’t want a smooth consistency – just a tad less chunky. I’ll have to try and remember to post how it turns out.
Personally, it would not be for me here. I wouldn’t want blended sausage; I like this one with texture.
Nom.
Perfect for a winter day especially with the chilli weather we have been having lately…
Is there anyway to substitute the sausage for a type or fish? Or perhaps a vegetarian version (tofu, anything like that)?? Looks great!
I use field roast vegan Italian sausage and it turns out great!
Oh, this looks perfect — hearty, easy, healthy, and great for leftovers. I love thick lentil soup as well and refuse to add more water :-)
This sounds amazing! Quick question… Do you put the sliced sizzled garlic in the soup too or just drizzle the oil?
Pam — I used the garlic too. You don’t have to if you don’t think you’d like it.
Jocelyn — I mention in the headnotes that the sausage can be skipped. It’s great here, but the soup would also be good without it.
Julie — Glad you’re enjoying the book and that we got to meet! I say make it both ways; one veg, one just with meat and pick your favorite. There’s a lot of winter left and I don’t think you’ll mind eating it twice. :)
Psst — It’s been over a week since I last posted! (Shame on me.) Surely I’m not putting up new recipes too quickly. :)
This looks so delicious! Would love to try the vegetarian version of it.
You even make raw sausage look pretty. Always impressive.
Hi Deb! Loved seeing you in Wheeling, and have made and loved many of the recipes from your book. I’m kosher and can’t do both the meat and the cheese- do you recommend skipping the sausage and just using cheese, or go the meat route and skip the cheese?
Thanks Deb – like Elizabeth, I’m trying to make my way through your cookbook and you keep throwing me curve balls! I am on such a soup kick – I think this is being added to the repetoire for next week. I’m making the gnocchi w/ tomato broth tomorrow!
When cooking with my big Italian family, we sometimes say “there’s no such thing as too much garlic.” Funny, but I never applied it to lentil soup (my mistake!). I sometimes get sick of lentil soup, but this variation with the garlic drizzle looks like a must try.
Ridiculously timely! I was just looking for something to cook tonight. Thank you so much!
I took some sweet italian sausage out of the freezer this morning, not quite knowing what I would do with it for dinner tonight. I think you’ve just decided for me!
Deb – i think you mean, Secrets of the Best Chefs, not Cook Like a Chef :) Anyway the link takes you to the right book. And it’s an amazing book at that. Been loving reading it.
Just made this for dinner tonight. Since I used kale instead of chard, I made some kale chips and added them as garnish. Great recipe — a hit with the kiddos too!
Lentils are such an over looked legume, aren’t they. I know this recipe and have this book. They are both awesome. :-)
Oh you tease. How do you get your toddler to eat what you’d like him to!!! I would have been there if I could have…so it’s kinda the same as telling me now…:)
I’m always on the hunt for a new, great, lentil soup – especially this time of year. Thanks for sharing this. I plan to pick up the ingredients for this, along with Adam’s new cookbook. I love all the tips!!
This looks like the perfect January soup. Warm and filling, yet healthy enough to be inline with nutritious eating resolutions! I’m definitely making this!
this and some red wine has my name on it tonight.
Yuuuuuuum! Does it get any more delicious than a warming lentil soup? Could really use this today, especially considering how snowy it is outside :)
Thanks for sharing!
This looks absolutely delightful…especially as I stare out of my snow-laden New York window.
I’ll have to check out Adam’s book! The soup looks delicious- like a good reward for being sloshed by NYC’s grey puddles!
Love this soup! I made it with farro once (I forgot to buy lentils) and it was just as delicious!
I love, love, love the combination of sausage and lentils. It’s SO satisfying.
This soup looks delicious; just the sort of thing I enjoy making. I am a soup fanatic, even though southern California weather hardly warrants it (hello, 80 degrees outside). I know the cold may be miserable, but I feel a little ripped off over here :)
Anyway, can’t wait to try the soup and check out the book!
I am with Tracy – now we need to hear the un-PC tip for feeding toddlers. My daughter is just starting solids, but I am already thinking about this topic!
Love everything about this post. You totally nailed the Winter Denial thing and I have lived thru enough sticky-concrete steaming summers in NY to feel your seasonal-transition pain. I’m a longtime fan of Adam Roberts too. Quite possibly, I discovered his blog thru yours, or vice versa.
Definitely ready for a new lentil soup recipe, so this helps. As always, the pictures are lovely too. Thanks!
Looks delicious, and just the thing for the cold snap, as you mentioned!
I am a huge fan! I have your book on order and just made your best birthday cake for my son’s 5th birthday (along with many many other things from your blog and they have never disappointed). Thank you for inspiring me! Every time I visit my boyfriend in New York (I live in Dallas) I always hope I’ll magically run into you! So… you have to tell us, how do you get toddlers to occasionally eat what you’d like them to? Ha!
Yum! I don’t have very good luck with lentils, but with all these other delicious things maybe they will turn out just fine. Your timing couldn’t be more perfect, with this vicious cold snap breaking across the country. Hope you and yours are staying warm in NYC!
I’ve been doing a lot of lentil soup with kale this winter already and love it. i leave out the tomatoes and use really good chicken broth, and finish it with some orange juice. Kale and oranges go so well together! Adding sausage, or chorico, is yummy as well, although I prefer it without.
This looks absolutely for the cold snap that can also be felt up here in MA.
I have leftover cooked sausage in the fridge from yesterdays dinner. Do you think i could use that instead of fresh sausage? Chop it up small and throw it in at the beginning, middle or end?
What’s your thought on using red lentils instead? I have a bunch….impulse food buying again…. :)
Marci — Red lentils are great, but they fall apart more easily in soups.
Danielle — It’s hard to say. Because there’s just water in the soup, you’ll probably want all the flavor you can get from the sausage so earlier might be better.
Julie (& Deb): I get a wonderful vegan chorizo that I think would be really nice here along with the cheese. I’m usually not into fake meats (at all) but as an accent in soup it can really hit the spot by providing some hearty chew and smokiness.
How would you make this with canned lentils? Less cooking time?
This is perfect for the snowy cold day we are having here in Toronto. I may try the red lentils too and just add them later in the cooking time? Love you blog.
I, too, audibly rage at the first frigid day of winter. I also almost always underdress the first couple days, too, like I forget how serious this Chicago winter is. In my defense I’m from far friendlier climes, but this is my 5th winter and I still can’t get over the snot-freezing cold! And the WIND!
Must try this – it looks fabulous! Probably the only thing I was disappointed in your cookbook was that it didn’t have many soup recipes.
Oh my dearest Deb, I’ve followed SK for a few years now, and I owe the vast, vast majority of my greatest home cooking successes to you! I made the gnocchi in tomato broth last night, and when I woke up and saw this recipe, I knew I had to make another tomato-based soup again this week. Thank you so much for your blog, your recipes and everything you do for home cooks! It’s a testament to the ease, affordability and deliciousness of your recipes that even though I’m a busy grad student, I still make one of your recipes once a week to stay well-fed. Thank you!
I’m not usually a soup eater, but this winter (in CA, no less) has changed that. I’ve made a 16 bean soup using these ingredients and it was fabulous, too. I usually put the spinach or kale in our soup bowls and pour the hot soup over them. They wilt perfectly, retain their perfect texture and the leftover soup in the pot doesn’t get muddy with tough, overcooked greens. (just to let you know, I have noticed your aren’t posting as often. Hope you aren’t getting bored with blogging now that you get pulled from our attention by the book..;).there, I said it! :)
Susan — Oh my goodness! I am not even close to being bored of blogging. I really look forward to returning to it full time, as I still love being here most of all. It’s still the book distracting me, a mix of ramping up for the UK release next month (lots of phone interviews with people with awesome accents), planning for the next book tour, and oh, last week there was the small exciting matter of a film crew that took over the apartment for a whole day (details to come!). Anyway, I’ve been baking a bit and hope to have a great cookie to share this week or next. It’s worth the wait. There’s also been some biscotti and a big weekend pancake.
Re, soups: I always thought I wasn’t a soup person either. But this is my third soup recipe in just a few months and I made a few from the archives recently too so I’m with you. Right now, it’s just working for us.
Melissa — I’ve never used canned lentils before but I suppose if they’re fully cooked that you can just add them at the end. You might need less water, however, as it won’t be needed for the lentils to “drink.”
Mayay — I don’t think so. You’d only be reheating/recooking your portion for that day, no repeatedly rewarming the same pot.
Do you think the lentils would get mushy if I made a big pot to take for lunches over the week?
Lentils! Lentils have become symbolic of my post-marriage life. My ex/late husband refused to eat lentils. His explanation–it sounded like yentl. That makes sense? So now I love lentils and appreciate getting this recipe on a cold day that’s perfect for lentil not yentl soup.
Oh c’mon! Please share your top-secret, totally-un-PC method of getting toddlers to occasionally eat what you’d like them to! We won’t tell anyone!
It’s going to be -18 today in Minnesota! Brrr!
Please! Stop introducing me to all these amazing cookbooks!! My kitchen has more cookbooks than plates at this point!
Winter is the perfect time for soup- can’t wait to try it. :)
Okay, so I know you mentioned skipping the sausage if you are a vegetarian. I just can’t eat pork, so do you think substituting turkey sausage would change the flavor too much? Otherwise, I can just skip it.
It seems like everyone is doing soups for the last couple weeks! I blogged about it, and so did CanYouStayForDinner and HandletheHeat recently. It’s the weather I suppose!
So happy to see a lentil recipe, and this soup looks like a beauty. I think the Lilliputian lentil doesn’t get the respect or attention that it deserves in the States. Lentils are loaded with fiber and come in so many pretty colors. And while I’ll try this hearty soup before winter moves on, you’ve put me in the mood for a French lentil salad with bacon vinaigrette on this sunny day. Thanks!
I’ve always loved eating sausage with legumes, and now to have it in soup form, along with my favorite veggies, and in time for the cold week ahead – brilliant! Thank you for sharing!
This looks so incredible. I love chard and am always looking for ways to incorporate more of it into my daily cooking. This looks great and healthy!
xx Kait
Perfect for this awful cold weather that just arrived and seems to be here for a bit.
This is the most beautiful soup! I want a big heaping bowl of this RIGHT NOW.
So, if I’m making this with plans for leftovers… do I drizzle the garlic oil on the individual portions before storing? Or do I store the garlic oil separately, heat it up separately, and THEN drizzle on the oil?
Jennifer — I just made a portion of the oil and garlic, will make more this evening for leftovers.
haha, I was just searching your site last night for lentil soup inspiration! I’ve got a batch going in the slow cooker for when I get home tonight, but I might have to try out the garlic oil drizzle. It’s warmed up to 15 degrees from 8 this morning, when, on my way into work with my still slightly damp hair, my hair froze. When it’s cold enough out that you’re worried about your hair shattering (is that possible?!) it’s definitely soup weather!
So, what’s the un-PC way to get your toddler to eat? What works for us is to lie (“That’s not an onion!”), or avoid the questions entirely, “Do you really think I would put tomatoes in this chili? I know you don’t like tomatoes!”
This sounds amazing! I’ll definitely try it sans sausage and probably extra garlic :)
Yum! Thanks for a great recipe. I was looking for a delicious soup that was different from our usual and my family will LOVE this one. I can always count in your blog to help me out of my dinner rut!
This looks amazing! I can’t get enough soup this winter. Will put this on my list.
Wow this looks great!
Sorry this isn’t relevant, but you’ve said that this is the best way to contact you: Can you do a post all about how to freeze & reheat different foods? Thanks!
Ohh I am going to need this today, negative 7 here with negative 25 windchill, whoa!!
I am going home to make this right now! it is So incredibly cold here, i needed exactly this!!
Love lentils!!
This soup is just what I need! Temperatures have been hovering around -40 for nearly a month where I’m from…yikes. Great review of Adam’s new book as well!
I loved this line: “such as when they expect you to use four skillets and eight prep bowls to make a single soup.”
How true. It’s like when you read a cookbook from the “best chef in America” and find that the recipe for the scallop dish has 4 sub recipes, and just isn’t worth the bother.
That’s what the challenge for (chef) aspiring writer – to connect with the audience in a way that will leave people wanting to make their recipes. Hard, I know!
This looks awesome! I’m new to chard, but everything in this sounds great. The photos only add to my hunger, ha. It will definitely be added to my “To Cook” list. Nice work.
This soup looks absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to try it. One quick question- are the lentils you used dried or from a can? I always have a hard time rehydrating dried beans. If dried, do You have any suggestions for getting them soft again? Thanks!!
I just saw from an earlier post that you dont use canned lentils. Any types you happen to have for rehydrating beans I would greatly appreciate as I’ve never gotten it to work. I feel silly because it should seem so simple, but when I do it theyre still a little hard in the very middle. Thanks!
This soup looks delicious!
This is my first year living so far north! I experienced single-digit temperatures last week and thought I was going to die. I don’t know how y’all do it year after year. I’m sure spicy sausage & lentils have something to do with it, though! :)
Hi Deb! Have you ever tried black lentils? Next to lentils de puy, they are my favorite. They are very delicate and have almost a caviar-like quality. I like to make a curried soup with black lentils, or even a Mexican flavored one with cumin, a dollop of sour cream and cilantro on top.
Nap strikes are the worst. I remember those days! But soups like this are the best! Such a vibrant, beautiful color, Deb!
I live in a frigid part of the country and I’m with chid. Thank you for sharing this soup, it’s just what the doctor ordered. Also, your cookbook is beautiful.
You mean I travelled all the way to NYC to buy your wonderful cookbook only to find it is coming out here in the UK next month?!?!?
Just kidding, trip was planned but did make a special excursion to find it in Barnes and Noble! Oh well at least the friends I keep raving about it too will be able to buy it for themselves and stop stealing my copy!
I have already made 3 recipes from your book – I have never felt compelled to do that before!! (i’ve been back from NYC for 10 days!)
Sounds delicious!! Have I noticed a tendency toward beans on this site lately? Oh yes, it’s January. (I’ve got your a batch of your crispy chickpeas in the oven; they’re awesome.) Also: Do you have suggestions for other winter vegetables that would stand up to this soup, maybe as substitutes for the chard? Could it be made with something besides tomatoes, as a lighter and less, um, tomato-ey soup? (Anathema, I know.) Thanks!
I’m making this now for dinner tomorrow (always like soups better the next day), using Trader Joe’s Sweet Italian chicken sausage. Will let you know if the flavors still pop!
Looks delicious. I have pre-ordered your book and can’t wait for it to reach my in Australia!
My question is: How do you get your toddler to eat what you want them to?
Hi Deb! Would hot sausage work? I am concerned it could overwhelm the flavor?
erika — Absolutely. You could always use half hot, half sweet if you’re worried about it getting too hot.
Becki — I wouldn’t say that I don’t use them, just that I haven’t. I’m sure they’re just fine. As for cooking beans, I’ve used a million methods, from presoaking overnight before simmering them a shorter period of time to just simmering them without presoaking. I also use the slow cooker sometimes. I just cover them with water and put it on high until they’re done, sometimes 3 hours, sometimes 4 or 5. I like that they’re out of the way and don’t have to be monitored in there.
Thank you for continuing to be somewhat psychic! This looks fabulous and it came at a time when I was trying to figure out what the heck to make this week that involves beans and greens. :)
Does this soup freeze well?
I’d like to second the “does this freeze well” comment/question. :)
I know I’m not Deb, but I’ve made this soup often and freeze a portion every time. It freezes and thaws beautifully.
Thank you so much for reply Emily!! Do you freeze the greens or add after thawing?
This year’s staple cold-weather dish has been your stewed lentils with tomatoes. I think I’m liking the looks of this soup as well!
Would split peas work? Also, the link to how you get Jacob to eat what you want just went to a Facebook page for the event. Will you explain in the comments?
Have you tried it with split peas? My kid is allergic to lentils, and I’m looking for a substitute.
I made this for dinner tonight, and it was amazing!!! Everyone loved it, including my three and six year-olds. Thank you!
I love soups! It’s such a childhood memory of comfort, wellbeing and love. My grand-mother was the queen of soups and it’s because of her passion for cooking and feeding the people that she loved that I enjoy so much cooking myself. This recipe is definitely something that I will try. Thank you!
This looks perfect and amazing. I LOVE soups – and especially ones that make you feel like “eating the air”! :)
Can’t wait to give it a try!
So I made this soup for dinner and it was, dare I say, even more delicious than it looks! I used half hot sausage, half mild (I also used all four links for mega-sausage flavor) and kale instead of chard and it blew my mind away. My husband ate two full bowls and I had to swat him away from a third. I would definitely say do not skip the garlic oil, the smell alone plus that first garlic-y slurp … I can’t even.
Another thing I will say is that it makes a ton of soup – we’ll have leftovers for days. A+
So I was going to make your stewed lentils and tomatoes tonight, but then you posted this. Without a trip to the grocery store, I subbed bacon for the Italian sausage, diced tomatoes for crushed tomatoes, kale for Swiss chard, and Parmesan for the Romano. Still delicious. :)
I made this for dinner too. Boyfriend ate probably two bowl’s worth in maybe… 5 minutes. He loved it. I was a little unhappy at first, mostly to textural reasons. The flavor’s incredible – I used 3 hot sausage links, (I have a feeling this drastically changed the flavor) and while at the store I didn’t bother buying crushed tomatoes as I already had a full can of san marzano whole tomatoes, peeled. I hand-crushed them, which I figured was fine, because I’ll take those tomatoes anyway I can get them… however at the end of my 40-ish minutes the broth wasn’t thick as you had forecasted, and it really did seem *done*, with the lentils nearly falling apart they were so tender. I gave up, and put my bowl of soup in the blender… PERFECT! HOLY CRAP!
Funny, I just made lentil soup for the first time last night! I couldn’t agree more – it’s the perfect dish for this kind of frigid weather. Mine was vegetarian though…wouldn’t mind switching it up and adding some sausage
As someone who has worked in a restaurant and cooked professionally, I must agree–sometimes chefs can use a ton of bowls, etc, to get things done! Haha–I am not for that in a home kitchen at all. The more tips to simplify and make delicious, straight forward meals, the better! :)
Looks delish! I know someone asked about red lentils above…what about green?
A few things:
1. As always, thank you. This recipe sounds perfect and I have everything for it, even the Swiss chard because I made your Swiss chard, pancetta, white bean pot pies tonight. Yum.
2. I’ve been tempted by this cookbook and now with your endorsement will definitely purchase it soon!
3. I, too, NEED your “how to feed unwilling toddler” advice!! Desperately. I can’t believe mine was just born with an aversion to green vegetables…but if he was, I need a clue on how to get him to eat them anyway!
This looks amazing! Very excited to try it. No complaints from me when you post! I still check at least once a day.
I got a slow cooker for Christmas this year, and I’ve been looking for recipes to try it out. I’d assume I should still brown the meat and the mirepoix before putting it in the slow cooker, right? Any tips on adapting to slow cookers?
This soup is amazing!!!!!!!!!!
I made saw it on the blog earlier, and since i had to pick up some things at the store i got the ingredients for this too. It’s so delicious, and i’m not a huge lentil fan – they are my least favorite bean. My husband went back for seconds and even my daughter ate it. The cat ate some too (lentils and all) but if you knew my cat you’d know that getting the 12 yr old to eat it was the bigger feat.
Thanks for the recipe!
We are definitely soup folks in this family (even though living in So Cal makes soup season a wee bit short.) Saw this and it totally fit the bill today, including using up a huge bunch of chard I had in my fridge from our CSA. It was a total hit with all ages! Thank you so much for this recipe. Definitely heading into rotation.Delicious!!
Oh Deb your Jacob’s eyelashes! Are you KIDDING me with those! Soup looks beautiful too. happy January.
I’m on board too – share your un PC way of getting a toddler to eat!! Although, I’ve got to say, my toddler likes SK recipes with veggies…mostly what you’ve done in the pancake method!
Comforting and delicious that’s my idea of soup!
I need this. It’s not winter here but on those certain days of the month (ehem..) like today, I really need a hot steaming bowl of soup to make me feel like all is good in the world.
This looks delicious! Will definitely be giving this a go!!
xx
It’s very, very cold in Michigan, too! Delicious lentil soup is just what we need. Lot of hugs to you and your family.
yep, was delicious for dinner. made veg version using kale, didn’t taste like it was missing anything. thanks!
My question is: the sausage gets cooked all that long time. Doesn’t it make it fall to pieces? I can imagine unidentifiable nuggets of grease floating around and being generally repulsive. I would like to hear – no,that’s not the case.
Will try this recipe next. Got on a soup kick shortly before the cold snap. Love the way it looks in my prized LeCreuset pot. Found a great vegetarian recipe for Moroccan Lentil Soup in EATING WELL magazine. After having it at my house a friend swore never to buy a can of lentil soup again.
mmmm… the perfect winter meal for the 15 degree weather we’re having today!
This is perfect for today’s cold cold weather here in the east coast. I love all the flavors you put in this soup. I’ve never been brave enough to try chard in anything, though I will eat it if someone else made it for me. Your recipe seems simple enough. I will try this soon. Thanks for sharing. Stay warm today !
Love!
Gorgeous! Thanks for a new blog to check out AND another cookbook to purchase!
Ok – I couldn’t wait – gnocchi & tomato sauce just had to wait. I made this last night and it was FANTASTIC!! I’ve brought some to work with me today to share. I had never had lentils or kale before. Such a sheltered life I’ve led. Keep up the great work!
Is the nutritional information available for this or for any of the recipes in your book? I was thrilled to receive your book as a Christmas gift and eager to try the recipes but my husband was just diagnosed with diabetes so I have to be very aware of the nutritional data for recipes now.
Mariola — I don’t include it, but I often cut and paste recipes here if I’m looking for nutritional information. It’s much more useful/flexible because you can adjust ingredients for what you have/want to use and serving sizes.
steph — I don’t see why not.
Are green lentils ok instead?
This looks perfect for the ridiculously cold weather here in NYC this week…I can’t wait to try it.
I subsist on soups like this (minus the sausage, alas for my spouse) for much of the winter. So good. Will try the garlic oil for sure! Any chance you can be convinced to spill the beans again on your method of toddler coercion? I may be willing to offer incentive!
My baby is now preparing to get married and move out…and in my head I just want to scream noooooooo…it seems to be the word of choice for mothers and sons…I’m going to miss him! I’ve been stock-piling “comfort foods” to help me get over myself, this sounds like a winner.
The meat, bean, green combo is a winner everytime! Especially with cheese and tomatoes in the mix. I like sausage, white bean and kale too. Cabbage is a nice substitue for the greens as well. Delicious and so comforting!
I will have to try this. Field Roast makes an Italian vegan sausage that might be worth trying in this. It is fairly crumbly, so it definitely works better for dishes that don’t rely on structural integrity.
Do you think tossing frozen chard in at the end would be pleasant? It’s not possible to find local chard fresh this time of year, alas.
It’s sooooo cold today, this soup looks PERFECT!
woah, mind explosion! Just before i read this i finished making a lentil-sausage-and-whatever-else-is-in-the-cupboard soup (post-snow here in UK and we haven’t been food shopping in near two weeks – we’re getting desperate!). This looks fantastic, as per usual – my mum had a strange aversion to celery, so i’m actively seeking out recipes that sneakily slip it in and seeing if she’ll notice – this one’s going straight for the ‘to-spike’ list!
This looks soooo yummy and perfect for this really cold weather. Amen for really tasty food for the home cook!
Okay, this could be a fun game. If Deb won’t share her un-pc method of getting a toddler to eat healthy foods, we can guess. Um, Swiss chard dipped in melted chocolate? Ranch dressing?
LOVED IT! used frozen carrots and red lentils because i couldn’t wait to make it. SO GOOD and i wouldn’t change a thing :)
This looks fabulous! I’m trying it this week. I had a bit of a soup fail last night and I need to redeem myself. ;) Thank you!
I’m so excited to give this a try!! The high’s are in the single digits today so it’s a perfect soup day…
I made the soup with farro instead of lentils, and it is delicious! I’m currently having a bowl for lunch at work now and really looking forward to having more for dinner at home :-)
I usually only comment AFTER I try a recipe, but in this case……..was at a loss for dinner tonite, you fixed that. And I follow three bloggers, you, 101 Cookbooks, and David Lebovitz…how did I NOT know about Adam and the Amateur Gourmet???? Guess I have some catching up to do while the soup is cooking……Thanks!
I think you mean, in paragraph four, “a ton of tips” rather than “a font of tips.”
Naptime has been slowly slipping away from me too for the past several months. It’s good to know I’m not alone.
Could you sub bacon for sausage? I’m wanting to make this, but don’t have sausage…will try and convince the hub to go meatless if you think it’s not baconable. :).
Deb – I have sneaky ways to get toddlers to eat too… As a nanny for five plus years, I’ve had to use different tricks for each child (or set of twins). Shall we compare notes? I’ll start.
1) While i’m still putting the final touches on dinner, i give them veggies. super small servings, a few varieties. Sometimes I make faces/ designs/ or landscapes out of them, sometimes I don’t. I have a ate for myself and I eat the same thing.
2) i let them add a sprinkle of finely grated cheese, or actual sprinkles.
3) If they are at all doubtful, I tell them of the secret, awesome ingredient… It’s usually bacon. Sometimes it’s cheese. Once, it was magic pixie dust from a house elf. (They had really liked that book)
4) I play drinking games with milk. who can finish first, the silly toast/cheers game, the pool in your belly needs liquid for the food to party/swim in, and the original 1,2,3 – drink! So, I’ve taught kids drinking games.
5) I do silly voices to make the food talk to the kids, basically asking to get eaten so they can join the party in the child’s belly. For some reason, broccoli has a French accent, while carrots are Russian.
I have more, but this is getting a bit lengthy… Maybe I should start a blog. :)
NOW, WHAT IS YOUR TRICK???
Made this last night, was amazing and hearty. Since we’re experiencing the coldest week of winter so far here in DC, totally appropriate. And semi healthy to flush out all the fun that was had this Inauguration weekend :) Thank you for sharing!
I just made lentil soup last week- it’s so hearty! I love reading new ideas, and this one looks delicious. Anything (almost) with chard or kale is a definite winner for us :)
Wow— just in time for the flu season! can’t wait to try this out myself!
This looks sooo good – I love lentil soups. I have been dying for a good recipe for red lentil soup (a la Beyoglu), do you think you can make it using red lentils??
This soup is perfect for a chilly winter evening!
I am so curious as to how and where you find inspiration???.. Do you have a mood board you wouldn’t mind sharing? Also, I do find soup to be a frequently delightful meal, snack, or appetizer.
I’m a chef at a wilderness ski lodge in Maine, the high today was -6… as in six degrees below zero… as in, I’m making this soup for our hungry guests tomorrow, as they definitely need something to snap them out of this cold! As always, your pictures and writing make it look and sound delicious!
Our high today is 20, the low is 4, the soup looks perfect!
My daughter put me on to your blog just recently and I am loving it. This soup looks fantastic, although it’s summer in Australia and I’ll need to tuck it away for the winter months. The “sweet Italian sausages” are unfamiliar. Are they sweet, because they have sweet paprika in them?
Thank you SO much Deb! That site is exactly what I’ve been looking for. It’s been so overwelming trying to figure out whether what I cook is healthy and appropriate for my husband ( we LOVE to cook, and eat, of course :) ). Every recipe analyzer I’ve found was really a pain to use but the one you referred me to is wonderful – so user friendly. I’m am incredibly grateful – and I promise to use it to be able to make some of your recipes….
Thank you, thank you for this recipe! I’ve been on a bit of a lentil soup kick lately, but have a bad habit of using it as an excuse to just empty out my fridge – and spice cabinet – resulting in a less-than-restrained flavor combination. I made this last night and it was perfect!
I received this in my inbox this morning and was delighted to have tonight’s dinner dilemma solved. I substituted flageolet beans for lentils and garlic chicken sausage for sweet Italian, adding the pepper flakes and fennel seed for a little kick. It’s the perfect antidote to this chilly Cleveland evening. Many thanks, Deb!
My sister-in-law recently recited her (mother’s) lentil soup recipe to me over the phone; very old-school Italian American and very much like this one. I grew up eating this soup, but as a curious wanna-be-modern cook, I fancy-up my lentils and can’t even manage to keep regular old green ones on hand. I think that has to change, because just looking at the recipe has revived some simple childhood hungers. And that’s a good thing. Thanks!
As soon as I saw this soup this morning, I knew it would be dinner tonight. It did not disappoint! What a tasty, satisfying winter soup. We loved it!
Hey Deb, thanks for a wonderfully comforting meal on a freezing night! Love your blog!! Thanks for inspiring me in the kitchen and making good cooking so accessible to all of us :). Also, LOVE your cookbook – congratulations again!
I just made this soup last night and yowza was it delish!!!! I substituted sausage for soy chorizo (love the stuff from Trader Joes) and added a few small red potatos. Super harty and so full of flavor. The garlic oil drizzled on top really did wonders too!
I just made this soup tonight. I made part of it with the sausage and part without since I don’t eat meat. It was delicious! Definitely would make again!
I made this tonight – what a meal! I substituted spinach for cabbage and brown lentils for green because of my CSA haul this week. I thought the garlic and oil final touch would get lost among the other flavors . But it totally elevated the dish .
I made this for my family tonight. It was delicious. The swiss chard made it look beautiful. The tip on adding it last was a great one. The only change I made was substituting grated parmesan for the romano (which I found a tad strong). My kids aren’t big soup/stew/gruel eaters, but they gobbled this up! thank you!
Subbed a quarter pound chorizo for the sausage, doubled the onion, quadrupled the garlic, added a diced parsnip, and instead of a bay leaf tree in an aged Gouda rind. I’d be lying if I said this didn’t make my day.
Long time reader, first-time poster. I made this tonight and it is absolutely divine. The grocery store was out of swiss chard and kale, so I used collard greens instead. This one is a keeper!
PS I bought all the cooks in my family your book for Christmas– we’re having so much fun cooking through it!
Just made this yummy soup — it’s perfect, but don’t burn the garlic garnish.
Hi, love your recipes! How big of a pot is used in this recipe? I started to make it but had to abandon ship after adding the sausage and veggies as I could tell that there was no way that it was going to hold all the liquid and the tomatoes.
Isaac — I used a 5-quart Dutch oven comfortably. Think you could get away with a 4-quart if necessary, but 5 is preferable.
Mary — It’s actually not sweet at all. They’re referred to as sweet to contrast them with the “spicy” Italian sausage that’s the other primarily available variety at most grocery stores. I.e. They have lots of flavor and garlic/fennel/the works, just not heat.
I’ve been reading you since the Fromage Fort, which is great, and now it’s lentils! Blessings! I do the Hungarian sour lentil soup from the Paprikash Weiss book (um, it’s old), but a new soup is more than welcome. And if it’s anything like as good as your incredible carrot soup with the crispy chickpeas, it’ll be worth its weight in gourmet dijon ketchup. Thanks!
I made this lentils today and it’s delicious! Really, Thank you for sharing!
For #13 Julie above who is kosher, another suggestion is to omit the sausage and add some fennel seeds and a little more red pepper flakes to mimic the sausage taste and then use cheese.
I love lentil soups. This looks delicious and I think I’ll make it sometime in the next couple of weeks. I’d make it sooner except I have no greens or sausage and ingredients to make both chili and a sweet potato soup.
This is a really wonderful soup. I made it last night because it reminded me of one that I made back in the late ’60s (yes, I’m THAT old). It was called ‘Mrs. Saladin’s Meal for the End of the Month’. The idea being that if you were poverty stricken at the moment, and the rent was coming due, you could have two different meals from one kitchen session. The recipe directed you to cook a huge pot of thick lentil soup with sausage, similar to yours. For night one, you scooped out some lentils/sausage and served it as a kind of casserole or stew. The second night, you dined on the remaining soup, served up with bread. I always loved the idea, and your recipe brought the whole memory back. Thanks!
I’m usually not a sausage person but for some reason, in winter, I’m ALL about it. It’s just so hearty. This soups makes me want to wear pajamas and watch movies and knit.
Fan-effing-tastic soup! I had such a shit day yesterday. Came home, cooked up a pot of this, and all was good. A friend of mine has recently started up a food blog and I had to post my (only slightly altered) version of this wonderful soup. http://vegetablebandits.com/lentil-sausage-chard-soup/
I, of course, gave a nod to you.
Oh my!! Made this Tuesday night, with turkey sausage, and it was fantastic! Leftovers the next day for lunch, sill delish even without the garlic oil which I didn’t bring to work with me! On Tuesday, I stopped at Westside market in NYC and noticed that the woman ahead of me in line had lentils, kale, carrots, and sausage in her cart…your influence is everywhere!!!
I made this last night and it made the house smell so good. Loved the garlic oil, too. My favorite were the bites flavored with fennel from the sausage. Have enough left over for lunch today! I like that your soups make just enough for a couple meals for my family. I usually get carried away and have way more than I want to eat day after day. Good portioning, Deb.
Earlier this week I made the gnocchi and tomato broth. I am thinking of using the strained out vegetables for this and making purée soup that I will add the sausage back into along with the chard. What do you think?
Our long standing, go to lentil soup recipe has been de-throned…..sorry Ina!!
Bravo Deb and thank you for a delicious dinner. We had corn bread along side as a nod to our southern roots.
Hi, I was wondering if I used canned lentils (they are pre cooked) do I still need to add 6 cups of water, or less? thanks Fran
I made this last night and it was delicious. I used kale since that was what I had on hand with turkey italian sausage. Warm, comforting and satisfying. Thanks so much for your blog-your recipes inspire me many days. It’s so easy to get into a rut and fix your old stand-by recipes week to week-so happy to have you on my shoulder urging me to break free from the routine!
I just made the soup and I’m eating it as i type. It was the perfect dinner on this freezing cold evening in Denmark. I added a little thyme and sprinkled some parsley on top. Yummy!
By the way I made it vegetarian and its great without meat.
Yummy! Perfect for freezing weather here in Indiana :)
P.S One quick question though? What can I substitute for sausage? If I skip it, will it alter the taste a lot?
Deb, this looked so delicious and warming that I had to make it after work yesterday. I cobbled together a version from at-home ingredients but it still turned out wonderfully. I subbed baby kale for the chard and local chorizo for the Italian sausage. Threw in some farro, too, for extra toothiness. Your cooking is such a nice combination of straightforward and graceful – thanks!
everyone has said it all . really good,did the ingredients as per,but added two pods of star anis
zing badda bing
Simmer covered, or uncovered, please?
Love the touch of the garlic drizzle! I make this type of thing a lot. What do you think of removing the sausage after browning/cooking and bringing it back at the end with the chard? I often fear cooking the flavor out of the meat, and by sauteeing the aromatics in the oil I used to brown the sausage, I get the best of both worlds. But I’m going to try it; maybe my fears are unfounded! Oh yes, and I sometimes use lamb merguez which is great with lentils.
Any guess on the weigh of 2 (or 4) large sausage links? I’m asking because I plan to substitute Trader Joe’s soy chorizo to make the soup vegetarian/vegan. Chorizo may change the flavor a bit, but I think it will work really well with the lentils and greens.
This looks so great, yet it’s such a simple classic soup recipe. Love it! I’m also really into lentils right now (mostly because I have a huge bag of them at home :-P)
Made the lentil soup tonight. Added a dollop of sour cream, the Romano cheese and some crusty bread…It was delicious! (I also added some potatoes)
Deb– I am making this as I type. What am I doing wrong here? The soup tastes like watery crushed tomatoes! I only used two sausages, as you suggested, and even though the texture is nice and thick the way I like it, the taste is flat. I have gone to my spice cabinet thinking, oregano? garlic powder? italian seasoning??? I don’t know….never had kale before, so hoping that once I add it, that will make the difference.
Lynn — It shouldn’t be watery. Were you using dry lentils? They’ll drink up so much of the cooking water, the soup should get quite thick and hearty.
Travels4Food — Uncovered.
Made this with red lentils because that’s what I had. I think they probably gave it a smoother texture than the brown. Used 2 links of sweet Italian turkey sausage (=0.6 lbs). And I had to add basil because to me you can’t have tomatoes and Italian sausage without basil. Delicious. Next time I will spice it up with fresh fennel diced and sauteed with the vegetables and spicy sausage. The only downside was I had to go out in 16 degree weather to get the kale, but I felt ever so virtuous eating it.
So delicious! Love breaking up the sausage…I used red lentils as I prefer the color and can’t really get the difference. Isn’t it a good idea to rinse the lentils first? ps I used 3 sausages, which were uncooked, local butcher, chicken mild Italian. Serving with Naan, and yes, I think sour cream would be good on top as an option.
I made this tonight. It was sooooo yummy! Thanks, Deb. :)
This soup couldn’t be more timely. It’s 19 degrees out there and it even snowed. What could be better for dinner? Used 2 sausages and followed the recipe pretty much to the letter, other than using parmesan instead of romano cause that’s what I had. Also put in about double the chard since I LOVE chard so much and don’t use it often for some reason. The soup was even better than I imagined, the garlic oil and parmesan really make the soup. Next time I will double the garlic in the soup, and maybe add some fennel or fennel seed since I think 2 sausages are plenty, but I kind of wanted more anise-y flavor. Great recipe I’m gonna be making this again for sure!!
wow what a tasty treat, vivid pics are great
Just made your sherry-shallot roasted root veggies for dinner. Shallot vinegarette? In short: a revelation.
OMG. I am so looking forward to making this tomorrow. Like another of your posters, my kids don’t love soup/stews/gruel, but I think adding the sausage will the the way I can get this to happen! Do you think Dupuis (French) lentils will also work?
There should be a never ending pot of this soup in every single household…at all times…summer or winter!
Great recipe, as always! But I do find it a bit funny that you consider,(quick math to convert fahrenheit to celsius), -6 to be cold. At the time it’s -17 here, that’s 1.4 degrees F to you, and here people are still going outside without hats and gloves. I began typing this with the mind set that you are crazy to complain about a little -6. But now I’m beginning to think we are the crazy ones for living in an ice box and not completely realizing it. Maybe a bit of both.
Success! As a one pot meal specialist, this fits my M.O. perfectly. It reminds me of an Italian soup I once read about – peasant food. One thing you might want to consider doing is adding a touch of stale bread with cheese (It’s cheese – what could possibly be wrong in that?) like we do with French Onion soup. Other than that, it was a complete winner and definitely on my list of mealtime specials. Thanks so much!
Delicious… perfect for the weekend… I shall be trying it out… Happy weekend… xv
Made this the other night as we had everything and the photos were so beautiful, I didn’t have sausage so made without… Wish I’d used some sort of flavorful stock instead of water, as suggested. It was better the next day and after I raided the wine cabinet and grated extra cheese and sriracha, the garlic on top was a
great touch though Thanks
Made this last night ( that phrase seems to be quite popular for this soup!) and it was wonderful. I doubled the recipe, freezing tons for future cold nights. I will add the chard or whatever greens i have on hand when I reheat it. Loved seeing you at Politics & Prose in DC!
Made it last night too, and my 3 yr old and 8 yr old gobbled it up! It was perfect for our 5 degree upstate New York winter night. Yum! Thanks:)
I made this the day you posted it. I love lentil soup but my usual recipe has gotten so boring. This was just so amazing that I wanted to lick the bowl. I used tofurky sausage to make it vegetarian. Fantastic!
I’d love to hear your top-secret, totally-un-PC method of getting toddlers to occasionally eat what you’d like them to :) Right now we’re stuck on chicken nuggets and appple sauce, with an occasional apple or dairy product or pbj sandwich. She’ll be three in March, so a little younger than your little one.
I ended up making this with spinach instead of chard (because I had it in the house already) and I did 1/2 sweet sausage and 1/2 spice italian sausage (again, because I had it in the house). It was DELICIOUS! My husband had 2nds, and he doesn’t even like lentils!
It is AWESOME to see recipes that can easily go vegetarian and don’t rely on soy (I am allergic to soy and my boyfriend is vegetarian)! I am really excited to make this very soon… It’ll be nice to change up my usual soup rotation and have something a little more interesting for our couple of forecasted 19-degree (in NC!) days we have coming up!
Making this now… smells delish!
Oh my gosh. I consider myself an experienced soup-maker and I was doubtful that the simple ingredients wouldn’t make a complex, flavorful soup…I mean, no stock? Helloooo? But I was WRONG, so wrong…this was delicious. The only subs I made were using yellow lentils from Trader Joes and Tuscan kale instead of chard. 1/2 pound of sausage was the perfect amount. Even as I was putting the cooled soup into a container (tonight’s dinner!) I was surprised by the rich aroma of this soup. I’ll be making it for my next overnight guests – that’s how good it is!
Love lentil soup and make it quite regularly. I’ve never tried it with sausage and greens though so going to give it a go. It sounds (and looks) delicious!
Really delicious, I used tofurky (seeing as I am vegetarian), and although the texture is not the same, it still worked wonderfully! This will surely keep me warm during these sub-zero Boston nights.
This was really delicious. I’m surprised that the broth was so rich and flavorful. I did make a couple of substitutions, only because my grocery store was out of lentils. I substituted 2 cans of drained and rinsed cannelini beans. I also added some broccoli since it was in the fridge and needed to be used up. The garlic chips were a wonderful addition, they gave a nice crunch. My husband told me to keep the recipe and “it’s a do-again”. (this is the highest praise for a new recipe in our house)
Oh…. one more thing… When are you going to bring your book tour to Honolulu? I’d love to meet you.
This was a huge hit! It was quick to make and full of flavor. I made it exactly like the recipe and loved the topping of sizzled garlic. Thanks for another “keeper”!
I am also cooking my way through your cookbook and LOVE it!!
And here I am, allergic to garlic. Does that mean I can never cook this soup? I sometimes feel weirdly guilty b/c I always have to substitute garlic and then I think I don’t do it *right* and I’m not a good cook if I don’t use garlic. (I get sick even from the smell, so it’s barred from my house in any form.)
Oh, what the hey. I’ll try it without because I love me some lentil soup!
Claudia — You can nix the garlic (maybe do a sizzling rosemary oil) but I think there’s garlic in almost all Italian sausages.
This sounds great but I’m having trouble convincing my wife to go for the lentils. What would be a few substitutes for lentils that would go well that I could get her to try?
Oh man. I made this last night and. It. Is. Good.
This was delicious! I was being lazy so i didn’t do the garlic at the end and just added more to the soup itself, but it was perfect for a cold, rainy day. Thanks!
I’ve just gotten a batch of this soup on the stove, and I’m bringing it to Brooklyn tomorrow for my son and daughter-in-law, and my new baby grandson (maybe we can puree it?). I’m wondering if you put the cover on the pot to simmer, or if you leave it uncovered. I’m also thinking that one could use ground turkey or chicken in place of the sausage, if pork’s not your thing. Might need a little extra spicing if so. I love every single recipe in Smitten Kitchen, like it’s all customized to my palate. I’m smitten, so to speak.
I ate leftovers of this soup for lunch and now wondering if it would be bad form to have it for dinner too? I subbed green lentils for brown, used 3 mild italian sausages, and subbed baby bok choy for the chard/kale. The garlic oil and pecorino were divine. I also added a squeeze of lemon which made it sublime.
The carrot soup was going to be next on my list, but now I’m tempted by the chocolate sables you posted…plus all the bookmarked recipes from your book still to try…*sigh*…As my 3yr old nephew would say “So many recipes!”
Currently eating this. I am supremely satisfied. :) Thanks!
Hi Deb! I had a similar problem as Lynn…I made this the other night, and it was good, but not as great as I thought it would be. It tasted a little blah. I halved the recipe (ah the endless frustration of cooking for one) and thus wasn’t very liberal with the garlic oil over the top. Do you think that makes that big of a difference? Maybe I’m just bad at soup…it sounds like lots of other people really liked it.
Hadley — Did you make any other changes? We found it to be intensely flavorful, the furthest thing from blah, so I’m surprised to read your comment, though don’t doubt your tastebuds. Did you season it well with salt and red pepper flakes? Usually the answer to something “blah” is just that it needed more seasoning.
Sending the DH to the store in the tomorrow (well, later today) for chard or kale and a nice loaf of crusty bread. Have everything else so this will be dinner. I think I may try it with various beans too as it sounds like something we could happily eat for days and days.
(The watery soup problem a couple people had could be because 28×2=56 oz which is actually 7 cups, not 6.)
Deilicious! Thanks, Deb. You continue to impress. This is absolutely the perfect recipe for the cold snap we’re having. I used Trader Joe’s soy-rizo, and was happy to see that a few other commenters made the same vegetarian substitution. I also threw in a couple peeled and cubed potatoes, and may have been somewhat liberal with the vegetable volumes. I should have followed your instructions, though, to use a “large” pot. My medium dutch oven overflowed!
I tried your recipe for this soup last night and it was a hit! Keep up the great work!
thanks!
The flavor of the base soup pretty much reflects three things: tasty and complex sweet italian sausage; rich, fruity tomatoes; and the earthiness of the brown lentils. The bay leaf, the red pepper, the celery—even the sweetness of the sautéed garlic and carrots—add subtle enhancements, but the coming together of this trio is what makes this such a great soup. Until, of course, it gets even better with the fresh chard, garlic drizzle, and sprinkle of romano but even so, these two finishes can’t overcome a mediocre soup base.
So for this sort of recipe, I would make sure to use sausage (meat or veggie) that I know is seasoned well. I am also careful to used canned tomatoes that are KNOWN to be good tasting—I used whole san marzano tomatoes and broke them up by squeezing them by hand right in the pot BEFORE bringing the soup to a simmer. And while other beans will work, to get the same earthiness I would try pigeons peas or maybe even black-eye peas. Red and yellow lentils are tasty, but break down quickly to a puree and thicken the soup. I used pardina lentils which are small brown lentils that hold their shape even after multiple reheating.
I made it yesterday and enjoyed it; the only change I made was to not use extra olive oil to sauté the sausage; there’s more than enough fat in sausage to keep it from sticking and to help with cooking the onions and carrots (I ditched the celery). And I used the microwave to make my garlic oil, zapping a small juice glass with oil and sliced garlic one minute at a time until until the garlic crisped and was fragrant (about 3-4 minutes total); the glass went right from the microwave to the table for service so one less pan to clean!
delicious…..I used kale and venison sausage!
I did make this tonight with my brand new pressure cooker/slow cooker and the vegetarian “field roast” sausages and it worked really well. It was less than an hour including all of my prep time and sneaking in some reading time.
Made this tonight with San Marzano rather than crushed tomatoes, kale instead of chard, and bulk Italian sausage. Even my teenage son who doesn’t like tomatoes devoured this. It’s a definite keeper. I have 3 large containers headed for the freezer. Yum.
I just made this soup tonight. Was wonderful. Like Deb, I would suggest using two sausages instead of the recommended four. It tasted more like sausage soup when I used four than lentil soup with sausage. Nonetheless, it was fantastic!
please tell me what a “sweet” italan sausage is?
This soup is amazing! I admit, I cheated and used baby spinach because that’s what I had on hand. I t still smells and tastes great! I’m also super excited that you are coming to Denver! I am super excited to meet the person who’s recipes completely dominate my cooking each week. :-)
Perfect for this winter storm that is passing through!
Fabulous!
Oh man… The weather has been entirely gloomy here (surprising for Phoenix, AZ) and this would be perfect! If it happens to freeze again, or maybe just on a night before this lovely weather ends, I must try this.
The husband loves lentils, and loves sausage even more. This could be a family favorite! Beautiful!
I made the soup, it was delicious, but I found that it served 4 people generously, with some sourdough bread and butter, and some room for dessert. I think 6 might be stretching it, unless there are ample appetizers to fill the stomach, or something more substantial for afterwards. anyway, awesome recipe, used Italian spicy sausage along with some red pepper flakes to add a gentle kick, and savoy cabbage instead of chard or kale because that is what is sold here in southwestern Germany this time of year.
This was delicious – a perfect soup for the winter. I skipped the garlic oil at the end and used red lentils (I added the red lentils 20 minutes after the water and tomatoes). I also only used 4 cups of water. So flavourful and hearty!
I am definitely going to give this a go!! Looks amazing, and I truly think it might have superpowers to fight through this sub-zero temperature snap we are currently experiencing. Quick question – if I was going to prepare this in a slow cooker, how long would you recommend I cook it for?
I made this for dinner last night, and the aroma permeating my apartment was worth making the soup alone. Oh, and it tasted awesome. That, too. The broth did an excellent job of salvaging the whole wheat bread fail that I made to accompany the soup (you win some, you lose some– all about balance!). I also halved the sausage and loved the flavor it brought without dominating the soup, though think I would have missed it if it were not in there at all. I am very much looking forward to my leftovers for lunch today…
I whipped this up after a cold afternoon of cross country skiing in the Gatineau Park in Ottawa, and it was just what the doctor ordered to warm up my frozen limbs! Delicious, healthy, hearty, and warm! Love.
Delicious, made it on Saturday with kale and extra sausage and w/o the garlic oil at the end. Was perfect on Saturday and even better today (in icy/rainy DC) for lunch at work. Froze the rest which I may have to break out later this week.
YUM!!! even though I had to make it with frankfurters instead of italian sausage… here in austria when you ask for italian sausage at the supermarket the workers give you really funny looks…
Seems silly to go to the bother of being the 200-somethingth commenter, but I made the soup yesterday and had it for lunch today, and it was so tasty, and I just wanted to thank you for such a delicious soup. Lots of vegetables, no one flavor dominated or texture, and two sausages was the perfect amount. It somewhat salvaged what is otherwise a very, very, very gray, sleety, foggy day here in Brooklyn.
Made it without the sausage (I’m vegetarian) for today’s lunch! I found it flavorful enough and didn’t even think the garlic oil and cheese were 100% necessary to doll it up. I did add more salt than usual, perhaps 1/2 teaspoon or more; I also probably cooked it for longer than most people would have since I kept it on low the first time. How yummy!
Delicious!! I made this soup last night for dinner – so very good! I made a double batch so that I could use the whole bag of lentils and because I just love having lots of soup leftovers. I doubled everything except the sausage and tomatoes (used only 2 links of the sweet Italian type and one 35 oz. can of tomatoes, substituting water for the other can). Used spinach instead of chard since that’s what I had on hand. Amazing soup with deep and rich flavor! Deb, you are so right – it is all about the correct seasonings. Thank you so much for this recipe – looking forward to leftovers tonight on this cold, icy, rainy, snowy day in Westchester, NY.
Made it last night for dinner and ate it reheated for lunch today. I used the full amount of sausage, added a half cup of farro in addition to the lentils, and used kale instead of swiss chard. If you use farro, it will need for time to cook than the lentils (perhaps cook it in advance and add it in) as it was still a bit crunchy at the end of the 40 minutes. Today for lunch the farro had soaked up more liquid (or benefited from the additional cooking/rewarming) and was lovely and chewy. Since I knew I would have leftovers, I didn’t add the kale to the soup while cooking, just ladled the hot soup over the shredded kale in my bowl, the residual heat was enough cooking for the greens. Delicious!
Deb – I made this soup for dinner last night and it was amazing! Even my 2 year old ate it! Kudos! Until now, I’ve had neither lentils nor chard but I am a fan of both. Thanks for a great recipe!!
Amy
Wow..made a double batch of this tonight. I always double my soup recipe if I suspect it’s a good recipe..it’s doesn’t take much more effort, haven’t met a soup that doesn’t freeze well and prevents me from having to throw away the rest of the celery & carrots at the end of week.
I made this with turkey sausage and added some fresh rosemary and some red pepper paste. It was outstanding. I love that I didn’t need to use a stock, helped me keep the sodium down since salt and I are not friends. I found a giant container of fresh chopped/washed greens at Whole Foods, a variety of kales and chard,. excellent time saver.
Made this yesterday, added turnip greens to the mix, it was awesome!!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! Thank you!
Thanks for introducing me to swiss chard, I used it for the first time tonight and loved it. The soup was perfect for a cold winters night!
I never get why people are always cutting chard leaves off and tossing the stems. You’re already sauteeing aromatics for the stems, just chop up the chard stems and throw them in like they were celery. Extra fiber!
I made your soup for dinner with the Homesick Texan’s buttermilk biscuits on the side. It’s a keeper! My ten year old happily ate it (sans greens) but my son, true to form, had to be lured on with the promise of jam on his second biscuit. Sigh.
I made this tonight and my husband and I both loved it. The garlic drizzle was inspired and the soup was packed with flavor. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow!
i made this exactly as instructed, but with the two sausage links instead of four (used a spicy variety because it was what i had on hand) and it was amazing. I think you’re right, that the full amount of sausage would be overkill – i think it would have been more of a “sausage soup with lentils” rather than a “lentil soup with sausage”. anyway, thanks for sharing such a delicious, easy meal!
quick and easy! thank you for a last minute dinner solution. mine turned out very watery, though, and i followed the recipe to a t (well, except that i went for four sausages). can’t figure out where i went wrong, as i was hoping for thicker soup. still delicious, though!
What better than a delicious homemade soup on a cold winters day. Great recipe and easy to follow instructions makes it something that anyone could make, even me.
Delicious! Going in the regular rotation. We made a few changes based on what we had on hand:
– Not enough lentils, so threw in some canned white beans to round out
– Had less-than-a-glass of red wine left in a bottle, so added that
– Original recipe did not fit in the slowcooker we decided to use, so cut down on the liquid
– Combined with an asiago baguette from the farmer’s market for dipping = winter evening heaven!
Did anyone else have a problem with this being REALLY oily? Maybe it was the sausages I was using, and the cooking them in oil, along with oil on the top (not that I’d want to get rid of the garlic oil). I didn’t notice it so much when it was piping hot off the stove, but as leftovers, even reheated, it was almost uncomfortable in my mouth. But then, I’m pregnant and food is weird to me now…
I like the idea to keep the greens fresh in the fridge and only what you need per serving. Great tip in general for greens in soups.
Just made this, and it was amazing! My only recommendation is to make it a day before, put the pot in the fridge once cooled, and then heat up for dinner the next day. Allowing the soup to rest a day and melt together makes it over the top!
In case anyone was wondering, I made this last night with chicken sausage, and it was great! I used 3 sweet italian chicken sausages from the butcher (not the pre-packaged kind, which I’ve found don’t come out of the casing and crumble like the fresh ones do). I also used spinach instead of chard, because it’s what I had, and it was DELICIOUS! I can’t wait to get home tonight to eat it again! Thanks Deb for the fantastic recipe!
Stopping at the grocery store to pick up the few ingredients I’m missing to make this tonight! Just curious if you think you can substitute a pasta, like elbows or orzo, for the lentil for something a bit heartier (albeit less healthy)?
I made this vegetarian by substituting the sausage with Tofurky sausage. It was d.e.l.i.s.h.
Made this last week and used chicken Italian sausage. I also used kale. So yummy and my kids loved it. They even requested that I pack it in their lunches the next day. Thanks!
This is ridiculously delicious; and easy enough to make after a long day of work. I used the full amount of sausage, but it was a lighter Italian chicken sausage, along with home-canned tomato sauce from last summer’s CSA bounty. I also used kale because it stands up so nicely and looks so beautiful in the mix. You are absolutely right about the sizzling garlic oil drizzle at the end — I think I licked my bowl in public. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Even the greens naysayers in the family loved this soup.
OMG this was good. I ended up using turkey broth that I had on hand (and needed to use up) for 4 of the 6 cups of liquid, which maybe made it so crazy over the top delicious?
Wow – used kale (again, cuz we had it and it needed using).
Simply fantastic. Oh: and I bought the book you reference in the text, gonna hunker down with it this weekend! :-)
THANK YOU, again ….
To answer my own question (and for anyone else wondering), I substituted orzo for the lentils, and it was AMAZING. Turkey sausage to health it up a little… you know, counteract the gobs of pecorino I grated on top. I noticed some weird kale shortage at Trader Joe’s recently…. didn’t have it on my last 3 trips… so I also had to use spinach. It was good, but can’t wait to try it with chard or kale. The best part is, it’s so EASY! If you’re cooking for one, like I am, first of all, definitely half this. I made the whole recipe thinking I could eat the leftovers for a few days for lunch, etc….. I WILL BE EATING THIS FOR A WEEK AT LEAST. Also, if you hate buying a bunch of celery, carrots, only to throw most of it away because you can’t use it all, do yourself a favor and get the prepackaged mirepoix at TJ’s also. :)
This was super yummy and easy to make, although, I did change things up since it what I had on hand and didn’t read the instructions beforehand! I used already cooked spicy Italian chicken sausage which I cut into small pieces and added after the lentils were cooked. I tossed in a can of diced tomatoes and a can of stewed tomatoes (which required a bit of chopping/mashing up in the pot since the chunks were big). Tossed in 2 cups of chicken broth since I had some in the freezer instead of all water. Instead of buying a bunch of greens I used in a whole bag of Trader Joe’s organic power greens. Since I had to make it ahead for people who were coming and going at different times i didn’t do the sizzling garlic, but may try it with the leftovers when a quorum of the eaters are here…Love the tip about adding the greens at the end to keep them bright!
Oh MY GOD!!!! This soup has EVERYTHING that I love in a soup and SOOO much more! A friend introduced me to chard and I have been in love ever since (with both a friend and chard :)))) Here is the soup that she shared with me that highlights this beautiful leafy vegetable – http://cuceesprouts.com/2012/03/swiss-chard-and-potato-stew/
Absolutely delicious! Just recovering from a cold and this is the first real meal I have had in a week and it was amazing. I substituted chicken sausage for the italian sausage and it was heavenly. The chard at the end was the finishing touch. Yum!!!! Soup IS good.
My friend made this soup last night and it was unreal. She added white shoepeg corn and kale instead of chard. We also ate a sweet cornbread with it…delish! I am going to make it Friday night for my mom’s birthday dinner! Thanks!
This looked fantastic and mixed ingredients I normally wouldn’t buy (swiss chard, lentils). I also have trouble with sausage because I now live in Switzerland and I’m never quite sure of what I’m buying. There certainly isn’t anything labeled sweet Italian sausage, and believe it or not I’ve never seen that in Italy either. But I did find a perfect substitute, a type of farmers sausage mixed with mountain herbs and gruyere cheese.
Your recipe was wonderful and it’s just what we needed to spice up the winter, thanks!
I added a few things here and there because I don’t think I had the right balance of water and canned tomato nor do I ever add enough salt. A splash of worcestershire sauce and a half of beef bouillon.
This is good soup, my friend. (Used red lentils, they cook quickly, but yes, fall apart. It worked well).
+1 grilled cheese ; )
I made this soup on Sunday and my family and I ate it Monday night for dinner and I’ve had left overs every day this week. Today I’ll have my last little bowl and I’m so sad. I will make this again for sure. It was so delish and so comforting! Even my 3 1/2 year old son loved it. When he has a bite of something and says “mmmm” it makes me the happiest mother in the world. Thank you for your wonderful recipe!
I made this soup last night for my fiance – it was fabulous while we waited out the storm in Raleigh. Deb, I am going to miss you coming to Raleigh (next to where I work in downtown) as I will be in New Jersey celebrating my nephew’s first birthday. I have to tell you, I recieved your book as an early wedding gift from my family…and my sister had you sign it for me in Bridgewater NJ. I am using the book as our guest sign in at our upcoming wedding! Thank you for making my life so much more delicious!
trader joes has a surprisingly delicious soy chorizo that i used in place of the (probably more delicious) real sausage and it worked beautifully!
Hi Deb — I have a ton of indian lentils of various kinds in my house. Can I substitute them for the brown lentils? It seems a shame to go out and buy more lentils when I already have so much at home. I don’t know if this will help, but I have urad, mung, and chana lentils on hand.
This was delicious! I made it with veggie sausage. Thank you!
Thank you Deb!! Doubled the recipe and made this for a huge group we were having over, including several very picky/unadventurous eaters. Everyone loved it! Definitely a new standard recipe at our soup-loving house.
Made this last night and we LOVE LOVE LOVED it! I had chicken Italian sausage on hard so I used that, and omitted the carrots and celery (I know, its weird but I hate cooked carrots and celery) and it was AWESOME. Just ate the leftovers for lunch today!
I made this soup last night and it was delicious!!
I forget to add celery, but it was fantastic!
Thanks much!
This was wonderful, Deb! My husband was sweet enough to make this for me last night using his homemade Italian sausage. We are big fans of lentils in Italian food (e.g. a Lidia Bastianich recipe for rigatoni with lentils, tomatoes and loads of pecorino), and this was both satisfying and beautiful!
I tried making this for a cozy, winter anniversary dinner with my boyfriend.. and it was absolutely fabulous. I couldn’t bring myself to buy the $8 bay leaves though (cue struggling post-college complaints), so I used just a dash of cumin instead to add a little depth. So much home-made healthy goodness! Loved it!
Like Deb, I hate overcooked greens in my soup. So I cut the greens (chard, kale, spinach, whatever green I’m using) into ribbons, place the cut greens into the bottom of the bowl, and ladle the hot soup over the greens. The heat of the soup cooks the greens to perfection. No more overcooked greens. They’re fresh and vibrant down to the last bowl of soup.
Made this last night and it was absolutely delicious! My husband, who cooks about once a year and its usually spaghetti with jarred sauce, actually made it himself. We left out the bay leaves, garlic infused oil (ran out of oil), and cheese (I’m dairy-free), and used kale (since that’s what was in the frig) and it was go-back-for-seconds perfect.
I just made this recipe tonight and it turned out delicious! Thank you for the wonderful winter recipe idea.
This soup looks delightful! In the long winter months, sometimes a bowl of hearty soup is the perfect antidote for cold weather! One of the things I especially remember as a child is my mother making a delicious bowl of soup to sit down to after playing in the snow all day. This looks like a wonderful sophisticated version of what I remember. Thanks for sharing!
Yesterday was cold and overcast, so I made this soup last night. The soup was delicious, filling, and comforting. Just what you want in a soup.
Like Deb, I only used 2 sausage links and found that to be more than enough. I also used on sweet and one spicy Italian sausage for a bit more flavor. As previously mentioned (comment 283 above), I cut the kale into ribbons, placed them in the bottom of my bowl, and ladled the soup over my greens. They were perfectly cooked, bright green with still a bit of bite to them. Also, they won’t be overcooked when I reheat my leftovers.
Thank you for another great recipe, Deb. I hated lentil soup as a kid, but this one sounded so good I had to give it a try. So glad I did.
Made this for my boyfriend and I while we watched the Super Bowl. Served with homemade cornbread and green salad. Very delicious and filling. Thanks for another great recipe.
Isaac, not sure if you can hear me up there at comment 160, but I had the same problem (though having too much of this soup is by no demonstrable means a “problem!”). But yeah, I too had to bail on the 5qt Dutch oven for an 8qt pot. I used three sausage links, not too, but I don’t think that accounts for all of the volume difference. And we absolutely got 8 servings out of it. Win!
Yummy! 8 hours in the crockpot and it was perfect…only change- a little less water needed. Thank you!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I made this last week and my three-year-old has eaten three times for dinner since then. Last night he finished the leftovers and begged me to make “hot dog soup” for him again (we’re kosher, and I couldn’t find kosher sausage, so I used spicy hot dogs that didn’t break up when I cooked them). Even my husband who hates lentils loved it. Thank you, Deb. Delicious!
This soup was amaaaazing! I made it on Sunday, got home late last night from work and had a big bowl of this! Comfort food at its finest. I used spinach as the leafy green wih some sprinkles of Parm cheese too!! Thanks this will be a staple in our home.
I’m a graduate student in Ohio, and I’m always on the hunt for warm and tasty winter lunch foods I can make in bulk on Sundays or Mondays and reheat during my midday breaks Monday-Thursday. I made this soup basically as written (except that I used a pack of three chicken sausages from Whole Foods, subbed green lentils for brown, and added all of my chard on cooking day), and it is a winner! It’s warm and filling, smells delicious (even when microwaved) and doesn’t become strange and coagulated in the fridge. I was apprehensive about the sausage, but it’s every bit as good as it was straight out of the pot even on day three…and that’s coming from a girl who’s consistently weirded out by leftover meat.
I also omitted the cheese and the daily dose of the warm garlic oil (though I did add garlic oil to the original batch), and didn’t find the soup to be missing anything.
Made this last night and it was delicious!! Having it again right now for lunch. The Pecorino Romano is the perfect addition – I’m sure it’s good without the cheese, but it’s so darn good with it, I won’t even try going without!
I love soup, especially during the winter. And I had been looking for a good lentil soup to try. This was a home run for me. I used chicken sausage instead of regular sausage, though, (I can’t eat beef or pork) and it came out great with that too. Of course anything of yours I’ve ever tried has been super great.
I made this for tonight’s dinner–so delicious an d a nice change from my usual lentil soup recipe.
Deb, thank you. I made this tonight with Italian chicken sausage (just 2 link as you recommended) and it was delicious. You’re totally right about the hot garlic oil.
MMMM! I made this soup last night and it was delicious! I think next time I will add less water and more lentils, but otherwise, yummy!
This was incredible. and #43 of your recipes I made in the past 4 years. YAY!
I made this tonight and it was wonderful. The family was skeptical, even up until the moment they tasted it, but then they ate it like ravenous wolves. I didn’t have bay leaves, so I used some dried tarragon from my garden, and I added a dollop of Better Than Bouillon with the water. At first, I was afraid of the amount of water and that it would end up too watery, but it was just perfect. My lentils took a bit longer to cook, too, so maybe more water evaporated than otherwise would have. I’m really looking forward to trying it again tomorrow for lunch!
So. so good. Used frozen chard, carrots I canned this summer and about a pound of garlic sausage. Glorious.
This was amazing!!! I made it just in time for the blizzard hitting Jersey City – I used 3 sausages and some brown lentils and red lentils (I saw someone asking if they could use different types). I didn’t expect the olive oil garlic to be totally delicious but I followed your tip and it was great! My BF liked it too!
I made this tonight, as the blizzard was blanketing NYC :) Amazing! I usually have a very poor sense of smell but you were right–makes the whole apartment smell wonderful! I used green lentils & 1 Italian sausage mixed with 3 small sweet apple & maple chicken sausages as that’s what I had on hand. Lovely & complex despite the simplicity of the ingredients! Perfect meal for a wintry weekend! Thank you for making me feel like quite the cook today and all the days I embark on one or more of you recipes. Congrats on the book–cannot wait to own it!!
I made this for lunch today and it has been a big hit. As I had a quick-cook four grain mix lurking in the cupboard, I used this in place of lentils and it worked really well (for those in the UK, this is the Waitrose mix that includes spelt, barley, rye and wheat berries). Italian sausages are almost unknown in the UK, so I used a pork and herb sausage, which worked very well, and I also subbed in Savoy cabbage for chard, as others have done.
I am waiting patiently for the UK release of your book – I wanted to support the UK publishers, so avoided ordering from the US and having it shipped. Dare I hope there might be a book tour over here as well??
This was the best soup I’ve had this winter. And I’m in Wisconsin so that’s a pretty hefty endorsement. I followed the recipe but had a quarter head of green cabbage laying about so I chopped that and added it too. Utterly perfect. I did NOT share.
I have mixed feelings about this soup – I kept sampling it during the simmering stage and the flavors weren’t quite what I expected. And then I tried a few rouge lentils that seemed perfectly tender, while it turns out most of them weren’t as well done. The cheese made a total transformation for me (and I only had parmesan – I bet the romano would have been amazing). My husband, the super carnivore, would have preferred all four sausages, but said he would eat it again. It was surprisingly filling! My not-quite-18-month-old daughter didn’t go for it, but I’d already fed her a light dinner since I got started late, so we’ll try again tomorrow.
I made this tonight for dinner, with the two sausages as suggested & it was fabulous!!! At first I thought it didn’t have enough flavor, however, as it continued to cook it all came together beautifully! P.S. This soup isn’t just flavorful & comforting on a cold winter day it is also very economical to make, it’s wonderful to have a recipe where it all comes together!
I made this last night and it was terrific. I did only use 2 links of sausage since a lot of folks recommended that, and my 14 year old son said after his first bowl – “It’s good but I wish it had like 3 times more meat in it.” Just something to consider if you’ve got hungry teenagers in your house, you may want to use all 4 links. I will next time!
This soup is so easy to make, it took me no time at all and is delicious. Perfect for a cold NY winter evening and for taking as lunch to school. Goes really well with nice fresh bread.
OMG, this is the best use of lentils and chard ever! I’m usually not a fan of lentils or chard, but this entree was to die for! As my husband said after his second bowl (and I agree), “My mouth is wanting more, but I better listen to my full stomach”. My own mouth is dancing with delight and I’m so looking forward to the leftovers for lunch tomorrow! And you were right….you can’t skip the garlic oil at the end (I allowed my garlic to get golden brown and crispy and my husband loved that bit of crispness to his soup).
Spot on for total servings.
I love it!
I could have written the comment above by Anita! It is so good. All I had was a 28oz can of puree…worked well, really hardy and warming on a cold winter night! Thanks again Deb!
This is the first time I’ve ever made one of your recipes… and my wife and I LOVED it. This is certainly going into our regular rotations. Thanks so very much.
This, without a doubt, took the edge off of cabin fever here in Upstate NY. The house smelled great, the soup tasted great and I actually had to go outside, to my neighbors house to borrow carrots. Hadn’t seen her in months! And the 2 28oz = 6 cups, invaluable! You are the best
To be honest, this lentil stew doesn’t have anything different in it than other stews than you’d see on other blogs in the food blogging world, but you really have an eye. It looks exciting!
I am making this soup for a second time – I posted a few weeks ago on the first (amazing) batch and forgot to mention that I used fire roasted crushed tomatoes from Muir Glen Organic brand. If someone else has already passed along this tip, forgive me for the repeat – but a little fire roasting takes a great dish into the sublime.
I made this for dinner tonight for our three year anniversary! It was delicious. Of course, as I almost always do with recipes, I altered it :) I used vegetarian italian sausages instead, and I used wild rice, because lentils don’t sit well in my stomach. It was amazing! And since it’s just the two of us at home, I portioned off the leftovers into meal sized containers for the freezer to bring to work during the weeks ahead. Also, I made traditional bannock from scratch to dip into the soup (I am a carb junkie and always need bread with soup!)
Made this last night and it was amazing!!! So rich and hearty and warm and comforting. A big bowl of “home.” Thank you so much for creating and sharing, Deb. You’re a rockstar.
Wow, this has become the new favorite soup in our house. We used some Trader Joe’s spicy Italian chicken sausage and it’s a huge hit. Next time, I’m going to add some smoked paprika.
Again, wow.
Now one of my all-time favorite soups. Thank you!
This soup is fast, easy and, most importantly, DELICIOUS! It’s the first Smitten Kitchen recipe I’ve made—I’m new to the blog. I’m now scouring the archives. Thanks so much. And, you are absolutely right about not omitting the garlic oil topping. Yum!
You can also chop up the chard stems and add them when you add the onions and carrots. They’re tasty and it avoids waste. They’re a good substitute if you, like me, aren’t that fond of celery. Also, if you’re using red or rainbow chard, the stems add nice bits of color to the soup.
Your lentil recipe came up in my blog reader a while back and it was excellent inspiration. I followed you and only used two sausages, wish I had more in the house because that was my favorite part. Next time I make it, I’ll use more sausage and maybe less lentils.
Here’s my blog post about making the soup
http://bloginspiredcooking.blogspot.com/2013/02/cajun-sausage-lentil-soup.html
I just used my last onion the day before, so I substituted scallions, used some kale I had frozen from late summer, and substituted smoked sausage for the Italian (because I don’t like it in spite of living in PA and being surrounded by Italians), and it was still delectable…and it’s crazy filling…
One of my favorites and two little things to add to send it over the moon………..one or two tblsps of sauce anglais(Worcestershire sauce) and a small splash of white vinegar to liven up the lentils. I am actually making the dish as I type and am using spinach instead of chard.
Forgot my can of crushed tomatoes, and at my 12 year old’s suggestion, added a jar of mild salsa. So delicious, and warming after a cold Oklahoma middle school soccer practice. My family loved it!! Thank you!!!
WOW! I have tho say that I’ve never really been a soup kinda girl. That is until now. This was amazing. My whole family ate it, for days! Thanks for sharing.
Wow! Thanks so much for this recipe–it was amazing. My boyfriend and I decided to make this last night and we were not disappointed. He loved it so much, so, we have to give credit where credit’s due: thanks! I just wish I hadn’t put all the swiss chard in at once. I should have waited and maybe just put it in each individual bowl so that it didn’t lose its beautiful green color.
Made this when you first posted it – and it rocked my world. Really really fantastic. ALL three of my children ate it. Shocking. I made it again last night and could not get the lentils to soften. How weird is that?! Any thoughts on what that was about?
This is probably not a comment you were expecting on this particular recipe but: made this for the first time tonight, and it ended up being my baby’s first solid food experience. Which, I know, breaks about 800 rules of parenting, and don’t worry, we only gave him the liquidy bits, and not very much. But he was so into it! And I’m so proud of him for having such good taste! We’ve been putting little bits of baby appropriate food in front of him for weeks, and he has never expressed any interest at all. Imagine our surprise when my husband almost perfunctorily put the spoon up to my son’s lips and he just went for it. And then wanted more. And more. I’m sure we’re going to pay for this tonight (tomatoes! in an already barfy baby!) but it was just so exciting. Thought you’d like to know your recipe played a small part in a milestone moment.
Just a thought: I’ve made this soup twice now and I see absolutely no reason not to use the ribs of the Swiss chard in place of the celery. Chard is even more flavorful than the celery and complements the other flavors nicely.
First I just want to say a thousand thanks to Deb for providing me with many great meals and the foundations and confidence to explore.
Now, this soup: it was amazing the first time I tried it, straight from the recipe. Tonight I decided to play with it a bit and the result exceeded my wildest hopes. First, I added some cubed Adirondack red potatoes, which added some nice texture and gave a bit of silkiness to the broth. Next, I chopped the chard stems and added them about fifteen minutes before the soup was ready; this lent the whole thing a wonderful earthiness and a bit of crunch. Finally, I tossed in a small handful of chopped cilantro in the bowl and gave it a quick stir before grating the pecorino on top, and, well, wow. The cilantro and the pecorino are like ballroom dancers cooperating and competing to see who can make it more awesome. They tangle up together and each enhances the other remarkably. This is the best soup I’ve ever made, hands down.
This was delightful. I’d bookmarked the recipe a few weeks ago, after showing it to my husband elicited an “ooooh, when are we going to eat that?!” I mean, he doesn’t even really like chard! It’s such a solid soup–I’m making it again tonight. Soooo flavorful, so satisfying!
2 28 oz cans does NOT equal 6 cups.
js — Whoops! No, it does not. Thanks for the heads up.
So good…my husband hates lentils, but loved this! I used half the sausage also, and it was the perfect amount. Garlic oil finish was incredible!
Delicious! I just wanted to comment because I love hearing other people’s adaptations.
I made this last night for a girls’ night in and it was just right. I had four leftover cooked bratwurst sausages and a few pieces of bacon from breakfast, so I sautéed that all together and went from there. Brown lentils, spinach instead of chard, and definitely was pleased that I added the red pepper flakes because the kick was just right.
I (um) forgot the garlic oil in the pre-dinner rush, but the flavour was still excellent. And my 3 and 5 year old daughters ate it up after initial hesitation. Will be making it again!
This recipe is awesome! I’ve made it with both chard and kale, both were delicious. I’ve also used a number of different sausages (and different amounts) and it always comes out fantastic. Thanks!
This looked so delicious I had to try it. I made a few changes (less oil, some mushrooms and parsley, turkey sausage) and then one that was totally unplanned. Those lentils I thought we had in the pantry turned out to be whole buckwheat groats. Even so, it was wonderful!
love this recipe! tried it for the first time on my own after a friend made it in March… i used kale, and it was just as yummy!
LOVED LOVED LOVED this! I can’t eat onions, so I used shallots or green garlic. I also didn’t use celery but used the chard and kale stocks. We used so salt added diced tomatoes to. My boyfriend loves loves loves this soup too. This is a great great recipe.
Am delighted to report that this freezes wonderfully and makes for rich eating when living on a pauper budget. I am adding rice to my servings this time in addition to the greens (so the delicious soup will last a little longer) and it’s just as delicious served with the rice as a hearty stew as it was as a soup. I used locally made Italian sausage and the resulting flavors are heavenly.
This may sound insane, but since I didn’t have chard, kale, or spinach in my fridge, I substituted the one lonely leek that missed the boat on a recent potato-leek soup. It was absolutely delicious! Used vegetarian sausage, green lentils, and no celery; next time, I might add some prawns as well. Oh, and that garlic oil? I might have to just start adding that to everything I make from now on… hello, mashed potatoes… Anyway, thanks for yet another fantastic recipe, Deb.
I tried this soup over the weekend and it is delicious! Instead of just lentils I added half lentils and half pearled barley – yum :)
I made this for dinner tonight. It was actually Plan B because I was out of the cheddar I needed for Plan A. I have never been so glad to be out of cheese! This was one of the best soups I’ve ever had, and that is coming from a soup girl through and through. My husband, who has only recently started warming up to soup, also loved it, as did our one year old. The almost-three-year-old ate 4-5 bites without being asked, which is quite something for him!
Changes I made: used smoked turkey sausage instead of Italian, used two cups of turkey broth (it was already defrosted for Plan A) instead of all water, pureed a small can of diced tomatoes instead of the 28 oz of crushed tomatoes, used kale instead of chard.
This one is going into the Tried & True file!
I had a bag of organic green lentil soups that just sat in my cupboard, literally for months, maybe three. The last time I cooked lentils, which was my first and last, I cooked them as the bag suggested. They sat and eventually spoiled in the fridge. I didn’t want to do that again, so I figured I’d hold on ’til I found a better way to use them.
Today, I came across your awesome recipe after googling “delicious lentil soups”. My watering mouth and rumbly tumbly told me to give this recipe a go, and so I did. I had nearly everything the recipe called for minus the Italian sausage, so I made a quick lil trip–which lasted a total of three hours!! (This is what happens when the market is next to the mall!) Anyway, I got home and made this quick and easy lentil soup.
I tend to modify or add a few things to dishes I cook to add my own touch. For this recipe, I added three ingredients for extra kick: cumin, paprika and cheese. This gave the stew more complexity and extra flavor with every spoonful. The third ingredient was a small slice of fresh goat cheese at the bottom of my bowl prior to spooning this yummy goodness. This added a creamy texture to the soup.
Also, I forgot to buy the canned tomatoes, so I roughly processed four roma tomatoes, added a bit water and salt to taste, and brought them to a simmer to get that stewed texture. I later added them where the recipe called for them.
I’ll definitely be making this batch again. I really enjoyed it. Especially since it had been a while since I last cooked. This was definitely special treat for me during this holiday break. Thank you for sharing this recipe with the rest of us :)
Just made this for my father and it was great. I used the full four sausages and as stated it does kind of dominate the soup when you do that–but that’s just the way we like it. Healthy, hearty, and delicious and you’ve got plenty of leftovers! Definitely making this again.
I’ve got to learn how to cook. I love soup, especially tomato soup but I’ve never made it myself. Now is the time to give it a go as just looking at the images is making my mouth water, and how hard can it be to make lentil soup when you’ve laid the process out so well. Time to do some shopping.
Could you freeze this once it was completely done?
I am using lamb sausage- hope it turns out!
Wonderful recipe! I made it a few times last winter and just made another big batch now. Do you think this can freeze well? Thank you!
I know this comment is old, but in case people read this in future, I freeze it in individual portions and it works really well.
I don’t do the garlic drizzle, but I do add some grated Parmesan before freezing.
Wow, made this last night and loved it! I had a similar soup at a friend’s last week that used chicken broth, and I really think using the crushed tomatoes and water provided a much, much more flavorful “broth” for the soup. Loved this and can’t wait to make it again! We used our favorite chicken italian sausage, which I think I will add more of next time. Also, we didn’t have any parmesan, so I put some thin strips of provolone on top and it was delish!
Made this tonight and it was killer!! Perfect for a chilly night. I added a pinch of cinnamon with the lentils and it added really nice dimension. Thanks for another amazing dish Deb!!
How much would 4 sausages weigh?
I am thinking about a pound…
Yeah, I’m thinking it was a pound too and I’m really confused as to why I hadn’t weighed them and nobody had even asked yet. However, it really does sound from commenters that most of us preferred this with only two links (unless you’d like almost more of a sausage-lentil stew). I suspect that the recipe’s creator had smaller links; it makes more sense.
Made this soup 2 nights ago and had the leftovers tonight. Partner and I agree that it’s one of the tastiest soups ever and even better the second time. I followed the recipe as written, including the Pecorino Romano and the fried garlic. After reading the 2 links vs 4 links discussion I opted to use 3. It seemed to be just the right quantity.
I made this tonight,, it was very good…i did not use can tomatoes i used some paste . Very hearty!! I thought i could get seconds!!! Wrong i got full fast… Thanx
Made this tonight – so good! Made pretty much as written except only had one link of sausage and used collards cut into ribbons instead of chard, added for about 5 minutes at the end – the collards keep their texture so well, it was almost like having fettuccine in the soup! Thanks for a great recipe !
Now that I’ve made this recipe, like, 18 million times, I figured I should comment. It is my favorite winter soup!! We do use the sausage (3 extra large links, roughly 1.3 lbs) and kale instead of chard. It is so incredibly delicious and easy. Thank you for this amazing concoction that has become a seasonal staple in our household. :)
One of the best soup ever! I use beer instead of at least half of the water, and find it adds a nice depth to the already delicious flavor. Thanks for all your terrific recipes, and all the smiles you bring with your writing!
My dad recently introduced me to your blog and I’ve cooked almost exclusively from it since! It’s wonderful to know that I can pick at random from your recipe archive and find another favorite to add to my repertoire.Thanks for allowing me to be so lazy ;) This soup was incredible–I’ve been searching for years for a good lentil soup recipe, wish I had seen this post last January!
Yes-it’s that good. Quick, easy,healthy, yummy delicious. I did use 4 (1lb) Trader Joe sweet Italian sausage and red pepper flakes as husband likes his protein and heat. We both loved this soup. Garlic oil finish puts it over the top!
this was super easy and delicious.
This is amazing! I used French lentils and vegetarian “sausage” and it worked splendidly. So flavorful. And even my toddler liked it! I cooked it in a slow cooker which was perfect; added the chard during the last hour, and stirred in sauteed sausage at the very end. YUM. Thanks for a great recipe!
How funny that the previous comment was a Mel too… more to the point: Deb this was absolutely amazing!!!! So easy to put together, healthy, and so, so delicious!! Love the combination of flavors. And so many vegetables…I feel virtuous ;) Exactly the hearty, healthy meal we were looking for on a cold winter’s night!!
made the lentil soup absolutely LOVED it but mine needed more sausage! I also added a dollop of sour cream. Really nice soup! cant wait to eat it again :)
I can’t thank you enough for posting this recipe. Since last January when you first posted it, I have made this soup so many times. It’s now my favorite lentil soup; and tonight is a perfect snowy night to make it again.
I’ve made this fantastic soup over and over again. It’s one of my favorites. It’s easy and delicious but has such complex flavors. The garlic chips are an inspiration. I double them. We like it spicy so add the crushed red pepper. Last night I made it again and threw in some fennel seeds. Delicious! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You deserve a medal for this one.
This is delicious, even when you realize you have barley instead of lentils in your pantry. (Oops!) Thanks for sharing this!
I was not prepared for how delicious this soup turned out. I was planning to save it for my lunches this week, but I ended up accidentally eating nearly a full bowl’s worth of it out of the pot with my “tasting spoon” before it even left the stove. I kept sneaking spoonfuls every time I walked past the stove; eventually I had to throw my tasting spoon in the dishwasher and force myself out of the kitchen until the soup was cool enough to stash in the refrigerator. I will be making this soup again and again.
I made my own adaptation of this, but made it spicy hot and curried like I love my food, and topped it with a cooling cilantro mint and yogurt (with some dijon and garlic for a kick). Ended up tasting like something from the local Indian restaurant!
This is, crazily enough, one of my boyfriend’s favorite dishes. I make it again and again.
Beautiful recipe! I tweaked it slightly and added chicken stock and half a can of tomato paste instead of the water and diced tomatoes. I previously made some chicken stock the day before so wanted to tested it out and with the tomato paste combination it gave it a beautiful body and mouth feel. Also, for the sausage I used our local butchers Lamb Merguez links… outstanding with your recipe! Thanks for sharing :)
Hello Deb. I love this blog and your cookbook both – both have changed our kitchen for the better. I went back to this recipe tonight, a chilly rainy day here. I just wanted to share something my mum recently taught me that I tried tonight and think is worth passing on: You know when you buy fresh parmesan cheese and you grate all the grateable bits off the hunk and are left with a basically inedible hard crust (I don’t know if that’s wax?)? Anyway, I usually slice as much as I can off of it and throw it out but my Mum is so smart and dumps hers in the freezer, and then when making the right soup, she drops them in. I did that tonight here with this soup. Ohmygoodness. It was amazing. Flavoured the whole soup with a subtle creamy “parmesanyness” and then we pulled them out at the end and fought over who got to chew on the warm mushy flaking cheesy wax rods. :) Did this instead of the romano on top.
Anyway, thought id pass along a good tip.
Hi Deb. I love your cookbook and blog. Both have changed our kitchen for the better. I returned to this soup again today, a chilly rainy day here. My mum recently told me a secret of hers I thought was worth passing on: You know when you buy parmesan and grate all the grateable cheese off the hunk and are left with that hard ungrateable crust (I don’t know if this is wax?)? Anyway, I would always get as close as I could to this edge and then just throw it out. My smart mom throws hers in the freezer. Then, when she has a few she drops them into an appropriate soup. I did that tonight here with this soup and omigoodness! The whole soup developed a subtle creamy “parmesanyness”. And after pulling out the mushy waxy rods (before serving) we fought over who got to chew off the bits of melty flaking cheese. It was perfect. I didn’t use the romano on top, then.
Anyway, thought this was a secret worth telling the world.
Nikaela — It’s a great tip and I bet it was wonderful here. I like the flavor so much that I made a whole broth of it last year.
This soup looks so delicious! Can’t wait to make it! I plan on making it for a church dinner for a large group. I will need to have about 5 gallons of soup. I’m not sure if I should just multiply all the ingredients by 5 or make 5 individual batches. I know sometimes recipes do not turn out as good with they are doubled and tripled. What do you think would be the best way?
Hi Deb, this soup looks delicious! If I’m omitting the sausage, would you recommend using vegetable broth instead of water for added flavor?
Kari — Yes, definitely.
Hi Deb,
I make this soup at least once a month and freeze a few batches during the winter. I’ve converted several coworkers to this soup. I am so eternally grateful for this recipe! My kids will probably eat this so much in their life that they will remember it as a family staple. Thank you.
Hi Deb! Made this last night and it was delicious. I followed your directions and added the garlic at the end like your recommended, it was amazing! Thank you for your abundant delicious soul warming recipes. Happy New Year.
Holy. Garlic. Oil.
Sounds delicious. Does anyone know if this will freeze well?
Nevermind; just saw someone else’s comment that it will freeze :)
OMG! I forgot I had saved a full bowls of this soup for my freezer. Just came home from water aerobics class, it’s only 18 degrees out & I pulled this from my collection for lunch. I could not have been more pleased with how wonderful it tasted. It was perfect for today. I’m so glad I had this surprise waiting for me in the freezer. It reminds me to make more & have friends over during this frigid Ohio winter.
I just made this over the weekend and wanted to say how much we enjoyed it. It’s so flavorful and really simple. I used baby kale since I had some laying around in the refrigerator. My husband is always a soup skeptic (as in, soup can’t possibly be a meal), but I changed his tune with this.
It’s been smitten kitchen week at my house. I think I’ve made 3 or 4 things this week alone.
Thanks!
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I’m snowed in at my apartment in DC, and this fit the bill. I used the extra garlic oil to anoint thick cut toasts that I ran under the broiler mounded with cheese until I got garlicky frico to dip into the soup.
This is absolutely the best lentil soup ever? My husband was blown away by it. Perfect for any day really- a pleasant surprise for soup night!
This is a terrific recipe- delicious any time of year really.
In SC, swiss chard is a winter garden crop – I love cutting some fresh for this soup.
My husband loves this soup!
I added too much water and it became very bland and flavorless but I saved it by adding salt and lemon and potatoes and boiling it down to a stew! Turned out great! Although I didn’t wash the chard I picked from my garden and ended up accidentally cooking a caterpillar in the soup :/ Still tasted wonderful.
I have made this soup so many times, and every time I say “I love this soup”!
I thought this recipe came from Gina DePalma, former Chef at Babbo….or did she crib it from you……neither of you credits the other….intersting!
Carl — The first line under the recipe title says “Adapted from Secrets of the Best Chefs, where it was provided by Gina DePalma.”
Made this on the weekend (even though it’s crazy hot and humid here!). Was very tasty. Great way to use my garden chard. I used vegetable stock instead of water.
Congratulations on the birth of baby Anna! I read Smitten Kitchen obsessively; it’s the first thing I check when I get home from school (I’m 14.) Despite my ferocious addiction to reading and cooking from your blog this is my first time commenting. And it’s because I found a menial typo in the second sentence of the first paragraph of the instruction. You wrote “pinch fo salt” instead of “pinch of salt.”
Nell — Thanks! Now fixed.
I make a one pot dish with chard, sausage and lentils that I love. Anxious to try a soupified version!
This soup sounds delicious! Any ideas as to how to make it vegetarian?
N — In the headnotes, I explain how to make it both vegetarian and/or vegan.
Is there a substitute for lentils? I like them, but they give me indigestion.
It rained in Los Angeles today! It rained in Los Angeles today! This was perfect (modified for Weight Watchers and using veggie Italian sausage) for dinner. I can’t wait for lunch tomorrow!
Sounds amazing! But since I live in California, I’ll just pretend we have a brittle/bitter cold winter day. But like Wendy said above, it did rain in LA today. Sort of. For a little bit.
Just tried this recipe last night and loved it! Even my husband, an avowed soup-hater, enjoyed it.
Just made this tonight, sans greens, and it was amazing! I can’t wait for the leftovers!
If I leave the chard out will this freeze well? Any idea for how long?
Rachael — I’d expect it to freeze well. How long things last in the freezer, I find has more to do with your freezer itself and if it imparts a freezer taste/smell. I find this usually happens long before frozen stuff goes bad.
Just joining the chorus to say that this was an exceptionally delicious soup! We served with twice baked potatoes and it was steamy, spicy, flavorful – perfect, nourishing comfort food. Leftovers were fabulous tonight, as well. Thanks, Deb, for the treasure trove of wonderful recipes here. Your recipes have come to define many a milestone and every day memory here at our home.
I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! I used 4 links of sausage and thought it was perfect that way – not too much at all. Thanks for the great recipe!
This has been one of my favorite recipes of yours (I’ve tried so many). I have a fairly young baby (about the same age as your little girl:))and three other small kids. I was wondering how to adapt this for the crockpot. I was thinking about just cooking the sausage ahead of time and putting everything else in the crockpot for 6ish hours. Any reccomendations?
Hi Erin — Congrats! See Comment #290, she said 8 hours in the crockpot did the trick. I haven’t tried it, but if you’re home, can’t hurt to check sooner.
Like many others I subbed the pork sausage for chicken (Applegate farms chicken-turkey Sweet Italian brand). I diced it fairly small. Used all 4. Tastes fabulous to me.
I’m a long-time follower, but first time commenter (though I often find reading the comments/responses a super helpful part in taking on new recipes!). I felt it was finally warranted to comment as I made this soup last night (with minor modifications below) and it was declared “the best veggie soup ever” by my significant other. See below for the (slight) modifications, in case they might be helpful for others:
– I left out the sausage all together. We didn’t have any meat or non-meat varieties at home and still really wanted to try this– and it was still super flavorful
– Rather than 6 cups of water, I used 4 cups homemade veggie broth and 2 cups water (I was worried it would lack flavor without the sausage. It didn’t!)
– I used collard greens rather than chard, as that’s what we had on hand.
– I used half leeks, half onion, again, because we had some on hand that we wanted to use up before they went bad.
Thank you for another wonderful recipe! I’m also loving the weekly e-newsletters– so many exciting things to try!
Made this last night with venison sausage, extra garlic, and grated Romano because it was all I had, and it was amazing! The garlic and olive oil puts this over the top and worked well to balance the strong flavor of the venison.
Hi Deb, LOVE YOUR BLOG AND BOOK! I especially love the “Surprise Me” feature on the blog. I came across this soup (I know the entry is from 3 years ago) and I am wondering if you can swap out the lentils for quinoa? My husband is not a big fan of lentils, but he can do quinoa. Do you think this would compromise the texture?
Hi there!
I made this tonight and it was delicious- perfect winter warmer. I’m wondering if you have any tips for getting rid of the metal-y taste from canned tomatoes? I can’t afford premium tomatoes, but I find the tin flavour is hard to do away with. Any tips would be fab! Thanks!
Turned out delicious! I substituted kale for chard. So much flavor! Thanks again, Deb.
This was delicious – I preferred it without the garlic oil at the end… Thank you!
This is a favorite recipe of mine but I have come into a problem sourcing brown lentils. My Whole Foods used to carry them but now offer only green, red and black. Any suggestions as to the best substitute? It’s funny that the browns “are the most common” according to many websites but completely unavailable in North Carolina.
Sarah — I am sure Amazon or other online grocery stores carry them, but I also think green would be fine here. They just stay more intact, which some people prefer. The small brown ones (Italian imported, not standard brown lentils) I used are very close to green ones in texture.
This recipe is fantastic. Quick and easy, but the depth of flavor is phenomenal. I have made it multiple times and keep coming back for more. Thanks, Deb.
Sarah, I have used green lentils every time… it is still perfect. Brown lentils mysteriously disappeared from all of my grocery stores, as well.
Has anyone made this with a pressure cooker?
Sue — Sounds like Seanna Lea (way up the thread) did successfully. I haven’t auditioned it in one but would expect it to work.
I love, love, love this recipe. I have made it numerous times and it is now my favorite to bring to a new mother. Lots of protein, fiber and good flavor to fill you up.
I recently adapted the recipe to cook in the Instant Pot. I was wondering if I could share this on my blog, giving complete credit and link back to your original post for the original recipe?
Thanks for considering!
@deb @sue @seannalea
Pressure cooker tip:
Cook everything the same as you would right up to the simmer step, but make this change to the ingredients: add 2 of the 6 cups of water where indicated, then seal the pressure cooker & bring up to high pressure, cook for 8-10 minutes (a generic time that you would use to cook the lentils that you just added), and then use the natural pressure release method. As soon as you open the pot, quickly stir in the greens, and when they are cooked to your liking, add the remaining 4 cups of water, stir to integrate. (Or add the greens after adding a little water so that they “cook” more slowly. Or, as Deb suggested, don’t add the greens until you’re ready to serve hot soup!)
I have done this with the full six cups of water for the pressure phase, and though it doesn’t ruin the meal, it adds significantly to the time needed for both pressurization and depressurization. So, why do that to yourself when you could keep the pressure phase short & serve your meal in 30-40 minutes total?
Note: adding 4 cups of cold water to a hot pot will have a bit of a cooling effect, obviously, and if you intend to serve the soup immediately you may want to make sure that the water you add is also at soup-serving temperature. On the other hand, adding cold water at the end may be extremely convenient if you intend to cool & freeze the results for later serving. (keep the chard/kale out of the soup until post-thawing if you do this)
——-
One last generic tip: you can easily bulk up this soup with cooked cauliflower or broccoli… particularly if it is steamed to perfect doneness before adding.
I love this recipe, and have made it many times. Sorry if someone else may have asked this question before, but how might you adjust this recipe if one is using a pressure cooker?
I’m also looking for a substitute for lentils. I’ve made this soup a few times, and everyone loves it, but from feeding it to my kid, I’ve discovered he’s allergic to lentils!
Perhaps beans might work?
probably not helpful nearly 3 years after the fact, but I made this over the weekend. I had chopped all the veggies and had the sausage sizzling in the pot when I realized I only had about 1/4 c. lentils. So I made it with barley instead. Beans might’ve been a better choice, but it’s still good!
Maybe macaroni or another pasta? It would be a bit like a minestrone.
This is an old post I know, but just in case anyone is wondering, I make it with barley instead of lentils and it’s delicious!
ha, just saw this after my comment
If you are making it in the instant pot, should you reduce the amount of water? Thank you.
I make this soup multiple times every year- it’s delicious and easy! I always use spicy italian sausage- it gives it a good kick, but it’s not overpowering. I once used chorizo and it was absolutely divine. Thanks for a great recipe!
Spanish or Mexican chorizo?
Delicious. Perfect for fall or wintery evenings. I added a few cups of organic chicken broth and macaroni noodles for added texture.
My dude is a vegetarian but I make this a few times a year, just for me! This is one of very, very few recipes I don’t significantly mess with. A little less oil, two hot sausages and a few extra greens is how it usually shakes out in my kitchen, but even as written it’s foolproof.
This is so delicious! I’ve also adapted this recipe to be vegetarian so it’s now a (super healthy!) weekly staple on our house. I swapped out the Italian sausage with thyme, basil, oregano, paprika, fennel seeds, a pinch of red pepper flakes and a little glug of red wine. I don’t miss the sausage and it’s gloriously rich.
Thank you for the notes! I didn’t think about subbing in the spices. I’m going to try the vegetarian version.
Because I’m a heathen, I used ground beef *and* a mix of the herbs/spices you added, and it went super well. Thank you for mentioning this!
Delicious, thank you! Can’t wait for the (ample) leftovers. I think I’ll throw in some cubed potatoes next time.
Hi! Is this recipe doable in the slow cooker?
this was really lovely. i used two links of italian veggie sausage, which i’ll leave out next time as i now know i don’t care for them (ha!). i don’t think i’ll miss them, honestly. i might add some diced potatoes just for added bulk and texture, which i think someone else suggested. really i was surprised how something so simple could become so rich and flavorful. am looking forward already to making it again!
My favorite soup!!!! Requested by family members often! Thank you!!!!
This was really delicious!! I made it just as the recipe states but did include all the sausage and it was amazing. My 2 year old ate it up too. Thank you!
Love this soup! Huge hit with the husband too — so hearty and flavor-packed. I used kale in place of chard because it’s a bit heartier and can stand up to leftovers, reheating, etc. a bit better. Heading to the store right now to pick up more crushed tomatoes to make it again, after we polished off last weekend’s batch super quickly due to friends visiting and I only got to have 1 bowl! I’m planning to freeze some of it, will report back on how it holds up.
Also, I skipped the garlic oil at the end (sorry Deb!) and did not find it lacking in flavor in any way, although I’m sure it’s a delicious addition.
I know this is an old post, but did this freeze well for you?
I have frozen it and find it does great.
Perfect, thank you! I love this, and it will be great to have a quart in the freezer for a back up meal.
I made this tonight with beyond sausage and added butternut squash for a hearty vegetarian meal. My husband and I both loved it!
This is now a part of our rotation and leftovers freeze beautifully! I alternate using sweet and spicy Italian sausage, depending on what I have on hand. I also use frozen spinach instead of chard to cut down on prep time.
That last step of course! Making it tomorrow…happy feasting.
This is one of the best things I’ve ever made. So delicious and hearty. I used the 4 links of sausage and it was perfect.
This was fast and delicious. I don’t think salt is needed as the salt from the sausage is enough. Perfect for a snowy December evening, servied with buttery buns. I will make this again.
Made the soup both ways, vegetarian and with sausage. Without the meat, the vegetarian version lacks a bit in flavor, since you are using water. Next time I’d use broth to punch up the flavor if you’re not adding meat. The meat version is good, especially now that it’s gotten so cold. I used 1/2 tsp of red pepper, but like my soup with more kick in it, so I added siracha at the end.
Deb,
This was delicious. I knew I was going to make Lentil Soup so I thought I’d check out what recipes you had. Don’t know how I missed it before. I used a pound of sausage, we buy a hog at our county fair and I had spinach instead of swiss chard. Yummy!
I followed the recipe but substituted hot italian chicken sausage, added a sweet potato, and blended it a little with my immersion blender before adding the kale. It’s a tad too watery for my taste (next time I’ll use just 5 cups of water), but the flavors are excellent. I’ll definitely be making this again.
This soup is perfect. It is a regular in our house and thoroughly enjoyed by all three of my children, two of whom claim to not like soup. But they make an exception for this one (as well as leek potato soup).
Whoa. This is so good. And freezes great. I made it with red lentils because that’s what I had on hand. It’s delicious. So flavorful!!!!
This was delicious. And only got better with time. I used merguez sausage made with mutton and the gaminess was sooooo good in this soup. My 17mo old is chugging this soup by the bowlful. Thanks!
It was awesome- I used kale, and the garlic olive oil was a great touch. Even better the second night. Making double next time!
I’ve made this soup 3 times since seeing the recipe a month ago. I love it, and cannot get enough of it! It is perfect.
INsane. SO good. I have never done the garlic oil on top of soup trick, and, it won’t be the last time. I chose to go with the 2 sausage link recommendation, and we were out of bay leaves, but it was unforgettable, despite these mods. This one’s going in the repeat cycle!
This recipe has become a winter stand by for us – the only times it turned out less than spectacular could be entirely attributed to me tweaking the recipe a wee bit too much. We’ve settled on kale instead of chard, leeks instead of celery, and a quarter pound of bacon instead of the sausage – whether in the original format or adjusted, this is my favorite recipe from the site. Thanks for all the deliciousness, Deb!
Wondering if something like lemon or red wine vinegar could be added for a little bite? I’ve had lentil soup at restaurants with lemon that was great but never found a good recipe
I love this soup and have made it several times!! What’s the feasibility of making it a crockpot soup?
I haven’t done that yet, mostly because the recipe cooks pretty quickly … but I think it would do well in the crockpot.
Thank you for this terrific recipe. It’s become one of our go-to favorites. I used extra sausage (5 links), and baby kale and mirepoix from Trader Joe’s, making this recipe super easy. Oh, and now I add barley. My latest batch is on the stove now, and it smells wonderful.
This is amazing as is.. I used spicy Italian sausage and that gave the soup a bit of extra kick. I was apprehensive about it being too tomato-y, but the earthy lentils balance out the tomatoes!
Was looking for a recipe for lentils, kale and sausage. This recipe was a hit. Used chicken stock in place of the water (just for more flavour) and added some Italian spices (extra boost).
Such a great soup for a cold day.
Thanks.☺
Made this soup again! It is so darn good! Use kale as I always seem to have that on hand. The recipe is quick to pull together and makes a big pot so lots of leftovers for the freezer.
I put a parmesan rind in the pot while simmering for a little more flavour.
This recipe is going to be a go to one for me.
One of my standard winter dinners! It’s on the stove now for an unseasonably cool and damp May night in upstate NY, since this may be my last chance before I officially switch over to spring / summer recipes. : )
I’ve settled on a few basic tweaks, like always adding a generous glug of wine (whatever is open) to the aromatics, using the entire pound of sweet Italian sausage, and always subbing kale for the chard. And depending on how many are joining for dinner, I’ll add another half cup of lentils to bulk it up.
The less conventional tweaks include adding a tablespoon of harissa at the same time as the wine (this is non negotiable now — it’s a killer addition!), and adjusting at the end with a small glug of maple syrup and/or a squeeze of lemon to round out the flavor.
This was outstanding! I used mild Italian chicken sausage and added a few extra pinches of crushed red pepper. I also used fire roasted tomatoes, which added a nice earthiness. I put the fried garlic on top but rather than drizzling the oil over the soup, I used it as a dipping oil (mixed with some Maldon salt) for toasted bread I served on the side. So, so yummy. Thank you!
A bit concerned after putting the kale in to find out that kale needs to be cooked and rinsed before adding to a soup to decrease dangerous goitrogenic properties. This should be mentioned in the recipe prep steps for those that haven’t used kale before.
Made this for dinner tonight. It was very tasty and healthy. Husband really liked it and I got to use the kale that came in our Imperfect produce box last week! No changes needed to this recipe. Good job!
Can this be done in a slow cooker? Mine has the browning function. If so how long would you think on either high or low?
This soup is a marvel. I substituted the celery with leeks and skipped the garlic oil at the end (simply because I didn’t want to use another pan) instead opting to grate raw garlic and lemon rind over the top at the end as an impromptu Gremolata. Recommend that move for the washing-up shy. After a bowl and a half I feel healed and fortified!
This sounds so good — I love lentils! Just wondering, the 4 sausages, is that about 12 ounces in total? 16? Sometimes I can find only it loose or in one of those giant sausages you slice into patties. Thanks!
The sausages I get run about 4 to 6 to a pound. However, I usually use half of what is suggested and many people who have commented seem to agree. So, perhaps 6 to 8 ounces?
Thanks, Deb
Finally made this soup and it was incredible! I used 2.5 spicy italian sausages which removed the need for hot pepper flakes or any other seasoning. I also left out the celery because I have childhood trauma from that vegetable. I will be sharing and making this for years!
Hello! I may have already commented on this but whatever. Life is short, you know? Anyway, I made this soup last year for Hanukkah dinner and it was a Big Hit. I just made another batch and froze basically all of it to have on hand. It’s my favorite soup. Thank you.
I always end up adding about two cups of water to thin it out, and then I put something acidic in to balance the flavor. This time I used like, I don’t know, Some red wine and it rounded things out without making me add a ton of salt. Also, I always think about buying meat substitute sausage for this but never do. I’ll let you know if I do, though.
Can I substitute the brown lentils for red, green or black lentils? I have everything but brown!
Yes, but they’re all a little different — black and green (French de puy lentils, not other green ones) will stay intact; red are usually split and will fully fall apart. I’d say green would be my second choice here after brown.
Thank you! I ended up making it before I received your reply and used red. They seemed OK and didn’t completely fall apart, but just enough so that it thickened up the soup a bit. The soup was delicious on an unseasonably cold October day. Thank you so much!
Thank you for this recipe Deb – it was exactly what I needed on this particularly wet, gray, fall week. I found that the soup actually tasted better the next day, making it perfect for work lunches. I will definitely be adding this into my meal prep rotation well into the winter. Speaking of work lunches, have you thought about adding in that category? I’d love to see which recipes you think work well reheated in an office setting (with a microwave handy and MAYBE a toaster if we’re lucky). It definitely made the whole work lunch thing (from an overcrowded group fridge and heated in a questionably funky microwave) an event worth looking forward to!
Thanks. I have this lunch category but probably not everything is a perfect fit. In fact, not sure why soups aren’t cross-tagged for it, they should be!
My new FAVORITE soup. Made it as directed except for adding a little chopped eggplant because I wanted to use it up. Did not cut back on the sausage (used 4 large links), did add red pepper flakes, and did include the final olive oil/garlic drizzle. I LOVE this.
Just made this for dinner tonight. Absolutely delicious! This will definitely get in the rotation!
does this soup freeze well? thanks
It does freeze well, although I’ve had best results with portioning out the soup to be frozen before adding the greens. I also put the to-be-frozen portion in a bowl and an ice bath to stop the lentils from continuing to cook. That way, they stay firmer. When reheating, I add the greens prior to serving and top with the garlic oil as described in the recipe.
This is so good, you guys. The first time I made it, I accidentally dumped A LOT of red pepper flakes into it and it was basically inedible (super sad). So I remade it last night, and it’s delicious. I used chicken broth instead of water, spicy Italian sausage, and added some whole wheat orzo, dried parsley, and a bit of dried thyme. It’s even better the second day around.
Made this tonight using the instant pot method! Brilliant and so easy. To make this literally a five minute meal to put together – I used frozen onion, carrot, celery and pepper mix that is chopped to perfect soup size. I also used red lentils because that’s what I had on hand. Spicy red pepper tomatoes also gave it a nice zip! Perfect Monday night meal when I’m trying to get the kids off to dance and hockey! Thanks Deb for the Instant Pot conversion!!
I also have an aversion to leftover greens in soups! This recipe looks awesome, I’m going to make this week!
Cam confirm that the Instant pot directions work perfectly! This soup is delicious, and it’s definitely going to become one of my winter soup staples!
Deb, I saw you make this on your insta story and couldn’t wait to try it. It was fantastic! I made it in my instant pot and it will be a go to recipe for me! Thank you for sharing your recipes!
I have to make this right away. My generous friend made a pot and gave me some when I was sick. This is amazing!
I have commented before but I’m back again to say how much we love this soup! My first time making it in the InstantPot today and I think it somehow might be even better?! Is that possible? And it freezes wonderfully. Perfect lunch for this crazy cold day!
So grateful for the Instant Pot instructions! Will be trying tonight.
It’s a chilly 58 in Santa Monica so I made this using sweet Italian chicken sausage, trader joe’s premade mirepoix, and kale. Garnished it wish some balsamic vinegar and Parmesan. It was delicious. Thanks Deb! Here’s to good eating in 2018!
Thanks so much for this recipe. It was easy to make, not too time- consuming, and absolutely delicious!
Cooking up an older Smitten Kitchen recipe for the new year! This one is a keeper for sure – wonderful amount of veggies and packed with flavour! Happy new year Deb – thanks for helping with my eating-healthier and cooking more resolution for 2018 :)
Deb, You have crossed over to the IP cult! Excellent soup!
This was so good, and we didn’t even have canned tomatoes so we just did it with all chicken stock (no water). Also added a few parmesan rinds from the freezer. It was really a perfect January soup. So savory, delicious, and filling. It’s definitely going into regular rotation.
I liked this soup. The chard offered an interesting “bite” to the soup that made it pretty flavorful. I made it in a crockpot and doubled the recipe. It is a pretty flexible recipe, so if you are short on something or have something slightly different, I think the soup will still taste yummy.
Can I make this in my slow cooker which setting and how long? I made it several times on the stove and love it.
I made this in the instant pot and it turned out great! I followed the recipe except I subbed kale for chard. This has been one of my favorite soups for years (making it on the stovetop) but I liked it even better in the instant pot because the lentils were very tender and it saved some time. Thanks for updating!
So so good! A perfect one pot meal for cold winter evenings. Made this multiple times already. Used spicy sausage (full amount) and red pepper flakes for a little heat. Also added more veggies than called for and a can of diced tomatoes in addition to the crushed tomatoes. Nicely caramelized oven-roasted butternut squash and diced avocados make nice toppings.
I can’t believe I’m saying this about a Lentil Soup, but this might be in my Top Five Faves, which involves some very hefty competition.
This soup is so comforting. The flavors are perfectly balanced. The garlic oil and freshly grated Romano kicks it up a notch into the heavenly realm. I love the use of chard as a green here. I’ve used spinach in a pinch in the rare occasion that I can’t find chard, but it really is the best choice.
I make it exactly per the recipe, which I alway do with your recipes. Why mess with perfection? For those of us blessed to have a Trader Joe’s in the neighborhood, their chicken Sicilian sausage is perfect for this.
I make this soup at least a couple of times a month, and my family loves it every time.
Hi Deb, do you think I can make this recipe with red lentils? If yes, what kind of time adjustment should I make for the instant pot? Thanks!
Yes, but keep in mind that they fall apart. They also cook faster; you’ll probably be done in 10 minutes, if not sooner, on high.
Thank you!
LOVE this soup. I’ve made it three times in the past month. Very easy, quick and delicious I would not change a thing. One time I made with three sausages- mistake – two is just the right amount ! Perfect soup to whip up for a friend in need too. Thank you!!!
love, love, LOVE this soup! So hearty and delicious on a cold night with winter-seasonal chard. My whole family enjoys this soup, especially with crusty bread!
This is so good! I made a half pot since I wasn’t sure how my vegetable hating hubby would take to it. Didn’t have chard and used spicy sausage, and served with goat cheese crumbles instead. Will definitely make a full pot next time! Hubby just said that I gotta make it again.
Made this again tonight for the first time in quite a while. This is a regular go to when I need to freeze a hearty meal in individual servings for nights when I won’t have time to make dinner. It reheats in the microwave beautifully, and I just add the garlic oil and freshly shredded cheese once it’s reheated. Oh and I use turkey Italian sausage, mostly because it’s usually what I have on hand, and it turns out very flavorful. It’s so satisfying, filling, and it makes a lot. Love this one!
I finally made this! It was the perfect dinner for the rainy end to a rainy weekend. The best part was it was so easy–prepped the veggies during bathtime, cooked the sausage and veggies after the kids were in bed, then let it simmer while I did a workout. Came back, threw in the kale, and done!
We used red lentils and 5 cups of low-sodium chicken broth, and then pre-chopped kale instead of chard because that’s what we had on hand. Finished with the garlic/oil, parmigiano reggiano, and a squeeze of lemon. YUM. Oh and we only got five servings because … we were hungry. I have a feeling the leftovers will be even better tomorrow!
Just wanted to update that I’ve made this many times since, and have now introduced it to my kids. All three of them (10, 6, 16 months) love it. I’ve added it to the (very short) list of foods everyone in the family will eat!
Thank you SO much for converting this to an IP recipe. I love this soup so much and I have distinct memories of making it in the 2013 New England Blizzard. It is so good and I can’t want to make it a little faster in the IP.
Do you think this would work with chicken Italian sausage?
Absolutely.
Deb, I made this tonight for dinner and I t was amazing; the perfect hearty meal for a cold night. I replaced the sausage with grain sausage and chard with kale just because it’s what I had on hand. We’re also getting a major Nor’easter tonight and I imagine the leftovers will be even better during our snow day tomorrow. This one is definitely being added to our winter rotation; best lentil soup recipe I’ve ever found.
My husband is a chef and he thoroughly enjoyed this meal!!! He had me add it to my book of recipes, stating, “if you made this for me once every couple weeks, I’d be a happy man.” Even my kids (6 yo and under) had a couple bowl fulls! Win win win!
I’ve made this dozens of times on the stovetop: doubled every time, froze half! I just got an instant pot, and I can wholeheartedly say that it’s equally good in the instant pot! I left the natural release on the entire cook time and the texture of the vegetables was excellent!
This soup is so, so good. I doubled the onion+celery+carrot, food processed them down to very small pieces, and added a third sausage to make it a bit stewier – no regrets! Will be making this again later in the week to freeze!
I made this tonight in my Breville pressure cooker. Another delicious success!! Thank you Deb, your recipes at so much joy to my cooking. I used chicken stock I had just made instead of water. I put two pinches of chili flakes in, next time I’ll do only one pinch. Putting the chard in at the end is perfect, and you’re right, the garlic is a must. So good! So hearty during the first snow of the year.
I always reduce (or omit) the salt in recipes, because I like to add it at the table. If your tomatoes are not salted, this recipe can take a surprising bit of salt. It is delicious and freezes beautifully.
This recipe filled up a 14-cup container after we ate a couple of large servings. Good thing it’s delicious because it’ll be lunch for the next 2 weeks.
Looks delicious, I’ll definitely be making this… err… what was that secret to getting toddler’s to eat!?!? :)
I haven’t seen anyone ask but what do you think about using sweet turkey Italian sausage?
I make this at least once a year, or a variation. Chard is a bit harder to come by so I use savoy cabbage, and I either omit the sausage or use whatever sausagey ingredient I have on hand. Other than that, no changes. Love it! It’s basically the only reason I save parmesan rinds, so far.
Hi Debbie, I have been preparing epicurious lentil soup but your soup recipe looks delicious. I love the garlic infused olive oil and cheese added before serving. Can’t wait to try it, thanks! SB
Hi! I’ve just discovered you several months ago and I’m loving it!!! Do you have the nutritional breakdown for this recipe?
Made this tonight in my Instant Pot and it was SO good. I have a 6 qt. instant pot that I’m still experimenting with. I almost doubled the recipe since I happened to have enough ingredients, except I just used x3 14 oz. cans of tomatoes and still only 6 cups of water because that’s all I could fit in the pot! I was really nervous it wasn’t going to be enough liquid, but I’m actually really glad I only used 6. It was the perfect consistency for us. If I make it in the future and don’t double it, I would probably cut the amount of water in half. I suppose it becomes more of a stew than a soup that way, but that’s fine with me. Yum!! Thanks Deb!
Simmer with the pot lid on or off? Thank you! Making 2 versions right now: One with sweet Italian sausage and one vegetarian!
I do it with the lid off, but you can also leave it on partially and it’s fine.
I just made this tonight. Super delicious and easy and perfect in this weather!
I’m first to admit I’m not a soup fan, so maybe I shouldn’t have attempted this one. I followed the recipe exactly besides using four sausage links instead of two. I found the flavors rather one-note (earthy lentils, tomatoes, meh) and only looked forward to the bites with sausage.
I know other folks are big fans of this soup, but if you, like me, are already tepid about soup, this may not be the recipe to convert you.
Wasn’t expecting much, but this was AWESOME. It pleased picky teenagers with weird eating preferences, as well as boyfriend with weird carb-avoidance issues. Far tastier than I anticipated after reading the recipe. Boyfriend declared this “the best soup” I’ve ever made.
This was a huge hit for dinner tonight! The sizzling garlic oil at the end is key. I used some frozen chopped spinach instead of chard, because it was what I had on hand. Delicious!
Deb this soup is SOOOO GOOD. I am obsessed. I’ve eaten it several days in a row and get so excited every time! Thanks!
I made this soup last night and it was SO delicious! I added a lot of red pepper flakes as I like a little spice and it was perfect and hearty! Great for a cold day!
Oh and I used Kale because my grocery store did not have Chard.
It would be helpful to know how much chard to buy to get 3-4 cups of shredded leaves.
1 bundle is just fine.
Thanks! But there is such a range of sizes of bundles, particularly at our farmers market. If you have a weight, that would be helpful. I picked up a really big one to make sure I had enough greens. About to make it now!
For the stovetop method it said to add first two cloves but didn’t mention when to add the remaining..
I reach for your recipes often but I know they will always be good!
Hi Deb, this soup looks delicious, and I’m planning to make it tonight, but I need to stay away from cooked tomatoes (acid reflux). Do you think it would work without the tomatoes, or do you have a suggested substitute? Thank you!
It’s six years later, and I still love this soup. Thank you for the perfect antidote to this frigid night, Deb. ❤️
Good lord this is so good. Without a doubt the best soup I’ve ever made (truly). I swapped in black lentils (whole black matpe beans) since that’s all I had, and used 3 links of hot Italian sausage. Had to simmer for about 1.5 hours since my beans weren’t pre-soaked, but so. incredibly. worth it. The garlic oil drizzled on top took it to another level! Thanks for warming up this snowy Sunday evening!
Made this as written, just left out the cheese at the end. Soaked it up with a good hunk of bread. Can’t wait to have leftovers for lunch this week!
I made this once and it as delicious. I made it a second time with the addition of a teaspoon of good balsamic vinegar and it was even more delicious.
Thank you for the delicious recipe.
Oops, *was delicious
This is a solid staple in my house, my fussy 5 year old who “doesn’t like” lentils or sausage asks for this soup! I use sweet Italian chicken sausage, double the recipe and put several meals worth in the freezer. With homemade croutons or just a slice of crusty buttered bread, this is the coziest meal.
This was the first recipe I made in my Instant Pot and have to say it’s outstanding. I usually throw baby spinach in instead of kale, throw in a parmesan rind and use Trader Joes garlic olive oil instead of doing my own but we love, love, love this recipe. Thanks for the great food Deb!
Made this for second time tonight. So easy and delicious. I’m vegetarian so did not use the sausage. Made up for the lack of sausage flavour by adding extra garlic, fennel, marjoram, rosemary and bit of smoked paprika at start, and replacing two of the cups of water with stock. Thank you Deb, wonderful as always, and commenters for the extra vegetarian flavour tips!
Do you soak your lentils prior to cooking the soup?
No; it’s not necessary for this recipe/cooking time.
Love, love, love this soup. First and best thing I’ve made in my Instant Pot. I’ve only used Chard once and thought it was good but have used baby spinach every other time I’ve made it, because it’s less work. I’ve also used Trader Joes garlic olive oil which is excellent for the final garnish and used chicken Italian sausage a couple times. This soup is a great place to throw in some parmesan rinds or shave some parmesan over at the end. Awesome (as usual) recipe Deb!
My husband and I didn’t think we liked lentils when my brother made this soup and asked us if we wanted some. It was DELICIOUS! Thanks for changing our minds
If you are making this in the instant pot, should you reduce the amount of water?
looks delicious… will try this one …escarole should work with it, also
This soup is one of our favorites. I am vegetarian and it works great with our favorite brand of vegetarian sausage. I put in the kale if I have it, but I’ve made it plenty of times without. So good.
You said you prefer with half the amount of sausage; could I use the full amount of sausage and double the remaining ingredients? I’m thinking it would be nice to do that and freeze half.
I made this for dinner last night (which was cold and rainy) and it was GREAT! I served it with double corn cheddar muffins and a tart crunchy green salad which paired well with the soup. I can see this being a good recipe for adaptation…I think this would be great with lots of root vegetables; diced potatoes, turnips, and carrots. This is a keeper, thank you so much!
Lovely soup. I made it in an instant pot. At the end, I added some cooked pasta I had on hand. I don’t generally like soups of the lentil/split pea variety (too sludgy and thick for my taste) , but this is more like a minestrone, with the lentils playing nice with all of the other vegetables. The amount of water was exactly right.
This soup was delicious and one I will definitely be making again! I followed the recipe for the most part, making just a couple tweaks. I added a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice at the end (I think soups likes this need a hit of acid; it does wonders to the flavors). I also didn’t plan on making the garlic oil (though I’m sure it’s delicious) so I used 3 good-sized cloves with my veggies. Very yummy indeed.
I love, love, love this soup. It’s my family’s favourite lentil soup, even my picky kids eat it. We make it about once a month, I usually bake a loaf of sourdough bread or a focaccia to go with it. The one thing we changed is that instead of the garlic oil, we drizzle it with a vinaigrette of olive oil, white wine vinegar, garlic and parsley, which gives it a nice acidic zing… So delicious!
This soup was amazing! Often, my test of truly good soup is whether or not I feel like I’m missing a piece of crusty bread (aka, it’s better as a dip than a soup). For this: I didn’t even think about bread (of course: it certainly wouldn’t hurt). I swapped cooked kielbasa for sausage, cause that’s what I had, and we ate this for days without getting sick of it.
I have a small pressure cooker, so I only used a half cup of lentils and two added cups of water, although it actually came out to a perfect stew-like consistency, so I’m glad I didn‘t add more. Also added some homemade croutons to the top at the end, which added a great extra crunch.
I made this for dinner and was pleasantly surprised how easy it was. I added a tiny pinch of red pepper flakes because we like our heat level low. When we ate it and it felt bland and unexciting. I added more red pepper to the leftovers and it was like a different soup. So much better. So my advice is to use more red pepper than you think you need.
This soup is super delicious. I’ve made it 4-5 times with a few tweaks. I use a half pound of ground sweet Italian sausage. I don’t do the garlic oil, just add all 4 cloves with the veg. I add a parmesan rind while it simmers and a Tbs of red wine vinegar at the end as I think soups, especially ones with greens, do well with a hit of acid to brighten all the flavors. It freezes very well (even with the chard, it keeps its integrity). I just made it again last night and used green lentils as it’s what I had on hand and they did very well.
I have made this so many times and love it. I use the precooked lentils from Trader Joe’s, which makes this super quick and easy to throw together. Thank you, Deb! This is one of our new staples.
Soooo good!! I made this on a whim so I didn’t have carrots or celery on hand but added zucchini and used chicken broth instead of water and it was delicious!! So easy too!
Made this soup today for the second time. Both times followed the recipe to the letter – it’s delicious as is! First time I made this was at high altitude (about 9,000 ft), and found it needed a little longer than 40 mins to cook the lentils. Second time I made it was comfort cooking for the COVID-19 “shelter-in-place” (at sea level this time). I’m planning to freeze most of it to enjoy over the next few weeks. I got 7 servings out of this recipe, it’s so easy, and deceptively delicious!
Yet another keeper. I’ve made this with kale when I did not have chard on hand.
Could the chard/Jake be replaced with spinach?
Yes
Wow! I can’t believe how flavorful this recipe was, especially considering how simple and healthy it is. Really delicious. I substituted pre-soaked chana dal for the lentils because that’s what I had and used chicken stock in place of water.
I have made this soup multiple times. It is wonderful and so easy. Thanks Deb!
Do you mince the garlic cloves for the oil or leave them while and remove them before drizzling?
I know this recipe has been out for awhile, but it is my favorite! I make it with chicken sausage and sub chicken broth for the water. Delicious!
I’m using a cool, rainy day as an excuse to make this beloved soup in August. We’ve taken to swapping sausage for cooked chicken, water for chicken stock, and chard for kale. It’s always delicious no matter what changes I make.
I know this is an old recipe but I am chiming in to say this is my favorite lentil soup. For any fellow vegetarians, I dice two vegetarian Italian-style sausages (I use the Tofurkey brand) and it turns out very well. Also, I love this recipe even more on the stovetop as opposed to the Instantpot. The soup gets much more thicker on the stovetop, which I prefer, and I also get to avoid lugging the Instantpot out of the closet (another plus!). To save time, I often use a bag of frozen chopped kale instead of fresh.
Can you use escarole instead of chard?
Yes, you could.
Can you make this without the carrots ? I just realized I accidentally made all mine for my toddler without saving two for this soup
This soup is my favorite for fall and winter. So hearty and warming. Not to mention easy!
Probably an obvious question but do you remove the sausage casings before cooking? Not having cooked with sausages before I wasn’t sure. The recipe didn’t say anything so I threw in the whole sausages but they weren’t falling apart, so I took them out and removed the stuck-on partially browned casings and cut up the bits of casing that were still stuck to the meat.
I’ve made this so many times–it’s a favorite at our house. The only change I make is that I use vegetarian Italian sausage. Thanks for a great recipe.
I absolutely love, love your recipes! Question: I see more recipes than not that call for “stalks” of celery as you have, but shouldn’t it say “ribs” of celery? Isn’t the “stalk” the whole kit ‘n’ kaboodle made up of numerous ribs?
It should! I mean ribs. Will fix.
We could be friends😁
Would this work with chorizo and if so would you recommend any adjustments to the recipe?
Dried chorizo or fresh sausage chorizo? Both would work but I’d probably not cook a dried chorizo as long.
I have fresh chorizo. Thank you!
I don’t even know how many times I’ve made this, it’s a cold weather staple at this point. This time I made it with zucchini instead of the greens, minimal salt, and my 7mo baby loved it :-) When I have leftover marinara sauce, I sub some of the tomato puree with it- adds a nice extra dose of flavor.
Umm….I just discovered this soup and I am obsessed! So hearty, so flavorful, and so easy! A really delicious fall/winter dish. Keeps well throughout the week, and filling.
This is now my favorite lentil soup. So glad you highlighted it on Instagram.
I made this tonight and I accidentally bought canned tomato sauce instead of crushed tomato, but it was still delicious! I didn’t have add more water and I used 5 cups instead of 6. It’s a keeper!
I love this soup! Perfect for a blustery day. The first time I made it I used canned lentils, which were perfectly fine, but the real magic happens when you use dried ones. So delicious, this soup will remain a winter staple at our house.
The whole family loved it! We are similarly averse to soggy greens so we just throw torn greens (usually baby spinach or kale since we don’t care for chard) into the bottom of our bowls and ladle hot soup on top. The garlic oil was a nice touch and hardly any effort to make. The leftover garlic oil will make a nice, simple salad dressing with a splash of vinegar or, even better, brushed on top of some toasted, crusty bread.
I made this for my first EVER time cooking lentils at home, and probably <=5th time ever eating lentils. I'm trying to teach myself to like them. Still have to get used to the gritty aftertaste, but this soup is so good that I'll eat it regardless XD
We made no modifications this time around except for swapping one link of sausage for spicy. Next time we would bump the sausage quantity back up to 3-4 links, all spicy rather than mild, and maybe add a little chili powder in addition to the red pepper flakes (it didn't taste spicy at all to me with just red pepper). We're spicy food fans though.
I made this recipe once or twice in the Before Times and remembered it tonight in the run-up to Thanksgiving, So, I used about a quarter pound of sausage only, pretty much the rest of the recipe’s items plus a lot of Aleppo pepper, and chucked it all into the Instant Pot to cook while I was busy with work. When it finished its natural pressure release, I added a lot of chopped cooked kale and some soy sauce and fish sauce for extra umami. Ladled the soup into deep bowls, served with a quickly made flatbread, a drizzle of oil, and a generous glass of Cotes du Rhone wine. Life’s good, even in lockdown…
I made this soup tonight. It was fantastic.
I botched my grocery list for this soup and didn’t get an onion (even though I’ve made this before and should have known I needed an onion, ugh). Could I use a medium shallot I have on hand instead?
Phenomenal recipe! I subbed the swiss chard with Organic Tuscan Kale and had 28 oz. Italian plum tomatoes. After an immersion blend of the tomatoes, I followed the recipe as written. So good and comforting!!
I love almost all SK recipes that I’ve tried but this one lacked depth (or maybe I did something wrong). The tomatoes amount is also a bit too much for me.
This soup will actually have you wishing for cold, rainy days–just to have the excuse to make it! I held off on making it-it seemed too simple…..after all, no herbs or spices? No chicken/beef broth? But yesterday I found myself with all the ingredients, including a bunch of swiss chard, so off on a soup making adventure I was. I was honestly amazed at how easy this recipe was in relationship to the flavor. It was, simply, amazing. My husband came home and thought I had made lasagna, the house smelled so good! I had to substitute red lentils because I didn’t have green on hand, and I added a bit more crushed fennel because I love it, and it fit so well with the Italian sausage. This is going in the winter soup rotation for sure-delicious, easy, and healthy to boot! Deb, your recipes are wonderful-you have become a common household word in our house. My hubby probably thinks we are friends, as I am always talking about “Deb’s recipes”–ha!
Making this now. Smells delicious. My daughter made it and said it was great. I didn’t scroll down enough to see about the garlic oil. Next time. Added a rind of Locatelli cheese I had saved while simmering. Serving with sourdough with locatelli mayo baked until Brown. All of your recipes are super.
I have a jar of red lentils in my cupboard. Can I use those instead of the brown ones? I know they have a different texture.
They do; they fall apart. Soup could still taste good but the texture will be very different.
This is a good soup! It goes well with the no-knead bread — try Nick Fox’s!
Deb, I don’t think it’s weird at all to add only the greens that you’ll eat at one sitting. Of course, that’s because I do the same thing. I hate water-logged greens, especially chard and spinach. (I’m okay with hardier greens like kale and escarole if I know we’ll finish the soup the second time we serve it.) I’m the same way about eggs cooked in sauce, cooking fresh eggs for every reheating.
Delicious! I made this for my housemates tonight. As I’m plant based, I used Field Roast veggie sausage and, per another commenter’s suggestion, added oregano, thyme, paprika, and some wine. Topped with the suggested fried garlic and cheese and added white wine vinegar and parsley.
Also added fennel seeds and veggie broth that I had in the fridge.
This is literally my forever favorite soup! Being making it prekids and now a quick fix for dinner on a cold night!
Even without the garlic oil, the flavour is very good. I made it tonight for eating tomorrow night, so will wait til tomorrow to applied the garlic oil. As well, I used turkey sausage (1lb) instead of pork sausage.Thanks, Deb. So yummy and easy.
For the vegetarians among us: I used Beyond Sausage hot Italian sausages for this and it was awesome!
I made this tonight, and it was delicious. I had some ham drippings from a spiral sliced ham I cooked the other day, and used them instead of the water. Due to the ham drippings, I went easy on the salt. I didn’t have any sausage, so used 8 oz of bacon instead. I also didn’t have any Swiss chard or kale, so just left it out. And also skipped the cheese due to a dairy allergy in the family.
Notwithstanding those changes, this soup was delicious! It was so flavorful and made for a perfect Sunday dinner in January. I would definitely make this again, although hopefully be closer to the original recipe next time!
I made SIGNIFICANT changes based on what I had around, but I’m still happy with and thought I’d report back.
I used the pressure cooker method.
Based on what I had around – I left out the sausage and the chard.
I used diced tomatoes instead of crushed.
I added a teaspoon of fennel seeds to replace some of the flavor of the sausage.
I substituted two cups of beef broth for two cups of water because I had some open beef broth.
It came out tasting like a lentil minestrone. Pretty watery texture, but nice beefy, tomatoey flavor. I was too hungry when the time was up to even drizzle the olive oil, but I will do that later. It is warming my soul on this cold day.
Could I make this with Beluga lentils and still have a lovely result? Your thoughts. Not particularly fond of brown and red lentils, spoiled by Rancho Gordo.
I made this today and oh my gosh, it’s divine! I used 2 large turkey sausages and it was the perfect amount. I didn’t have Swiss chard on hand, so I threw in some baby spinach in our bowls before spooning in the soup.
The garlic/olive oil drizzle and the grated parmesan at the end is so worth it!
Can’t wait to have the leftovers tomorrow!
This is delicious even on a not so cold day
This is delicious. Great depth of flavor and interest with several different components and textures: vegetables, “sausage”, legumes, and wilted greens. Changes that I made:
-Subbed Beyond meat hot italian sausage to make this vegetarian.
-Subbed whole urad dal for lentils because I had it on hand. I pre-boiled these for 30min while I prepped the rest of the soup since they take longer to cook.
Can’t wait to eat this all week!!
Def making this with white beans – heresy?! Perfect wintry day meal…
Delicious! One of the most comforting and delicious soups I’ve had in some time. I stuck to the 1lb of sausage as my boys really like meat. They didn’t even complain about the chard! Don’t skip the garlic oil. The flavors all come together nicely.
I’m about to head into the kitchen to make a vat of this right now. As others have offered, it’s quite forgiving of what you have on hand, which in today’s case means baby spinach that wants using, turkey/chicken stock ditto, and small-diced tomatoes that I canned this summer. I keep a small jar of the garlic/basil/red pepper oil for the Naked Tomato Sauce in the fridge and use that on top, and often forget about the cheese. It’s still magically delicious. Happy New Year, Deb.
Has anyone tried freezing this?
We make it often but have never frozen it. I’m considering dropping some off for my neighbor – when she brings her new baby home. However, I like to give foods that freeze well, in case they want to save it for another day.
I’d expect it to freeze well.
I froze the soup base for this (no lentils) and it turned out great when I reheated it. You should be fine.
I was looking for a recipe for chard and lentils and this was perfect, because I also had Field Roast sausage–it was delicious!
Love your suggestion of only adding enough swiss chard to the servings you are having right then. I am with you on the overcooked greens. I’ve left them out before because I didn’t want to have to face the leftovers.
Best Greenity opens the freedom of life In nature and in a King99 Life will be the best.
If you’re wondering if this soup is still the jam even if you realize too late that you don’t have any greens, good news, it is :)
Hooray. :)
You are 1000% right about the smell in your home. It is beyond! I think this is our #1 favorite soup. It’s so versatile as we have also added leftover spinach that we had in the fridge and also zucchini. And always bone broth in place of water. Outstanding on this cold and wet CA day!
Just made this today, and it is an absolute winner ! I used vegetarian sausage and red lentils, and substituted pak choi for chard because that is what I had at home and I really wanted to add some greens, and the soup turned out hearty and warm and just perfect for the cold days and colder nights we are having in the UK. Thank you so much for this recipe Deb, I can see myself making this many, many more times, perhaps with traditional sausages next time to see if this gets even better ! Oh, I added just a pinch of ground cumin and ginger towards the end to amp up the warmth in the soup, but it was great without it as well. I am SO happy I have leftovers :)))
This is my second time making this soup- and it was a hit, again!
Even my 9 yr old who loathes every single soup I make (or anything that’s not buttered noodles or pancakes or pizza 🤪), actually told me by her own free will that she likes the soup! This is an all around win win for me 😊
I followed the recipe exactly except I used a can of lentils and 2c chicken stock plus one cup water.
Delicious and plenty for leftovers! Thanks for yet another great recipe.
Question really….
My hubby does not want to see spinach or chard I am guessing…in soup)
What might replace that as a veg? A bit of chopped cabbage is what I am coming up with … any other suggestions?
When do you add the last two garlic cloves?
They’re in the finishing oil
Thanks Deb! This soup recipe is fabulous.
This was so easy and delicious. I used kale because it’s what I had on hand, and 12oz of sausage because I didn’t feel like trying to divvy up a flat pack.
This is delicious and very forgiving. Turned out that *someone* had decided our carrots and celery looked a bit too sad without adding them back onto the grocery list, so I threw caution to the winds and subbed in a bell pepper and some mushrooms that were on the road to obsolescence, and picked a few handfuls of spinach out of a spring mix package to stir in for serving. Only other change was to dust on some smoked paprika to amp up the smoky-cozy vibe, and used red lentils instead of brown. Exceptionally good, and I can’t wait to make it with the intended ingredients, and also to tinker with lots of other variations in the future!
Love this soup, but make a couple of changes, combo of diced tomatoes and passata, plus beef bouillon paste, more carrots too.
After reading the helpful comments, I made this delicious soup last night with a few changes. I could only find red lentils at the store, so I used them and cooked continued cooking the soup for about 10 mins. checking the texture of the lentils periodically (it was the perfect time for my tastes). I added escarole instead of chard and that substitute also was fine. We thoroughly enjoyed this hearty soup. Thanks.
This was easy and delicious, it will be a repeat. I had about a half a bunch of chard from the farmer’s market. I ribboned those and put a handful on the bottom of the soup bowl. I didn’t want the greens languishing in what I knew would be leftovers. I chopped up the stems and threw those in with the rest of the veggies – no waste. I didn’t do the garlic oil to finish but in a stroke of old-school inspiration made dumplings! Woo hoo! It made for one happy hubby.
Delicious soup! Can’t say that I could taste the garlic infused olive oil but delicious nonetheless!
I’ve made this three times in a row. I used 1 pound of sausage from a local pig farm, two enormous carrots, kale, I subbed a mix 1/2 c Dal lentils plus 1/2c barley instead of the brown lentils, it’s what I had. It was awesome even better the next day.
This was delicious. I added 1/2 cup of barley because I love barley in soups, otherwise I followed the directions exactly. I served it with crusty Italian bread and my husband and I really enjoyed it and will be making it again.
Made this tonight. Delicious!
I don’t like lentils. I realized that this could really be a variation of your sausage risotto. So I used the soup “base” from this recipe to make that dish. As always it was delicious.
Oh my lort. Beed eyeing this recipe for a while, finally made it and it was phenomenal! It was even better the second day as leftovers!
Delicious. Used the red pepper flakes and added a splash of red wine along with a Parmesan rind.
Subbed arugula for chard and it was good.
Thank you!
doing the rind next time for sure!
I made a modified vegan version of this and it way exceeded my expectations, it was absolutely delicious! Following another commenters’ lead, I added extra spices and herbs for an extra flavor kick to replace the sausage-y-ness from the original recipe: I added a generous amount of fennel seeds and a pinch of caraway seeds to the olive oil at the start, and later added thyme sprigs and a pinch of paprika and sage. Instead of the sausage itself, I used Vivera plant-based ‘bacon’. I threw in some extra carrots and the store was out of celery so I used leeks instead. To make it healthier for a diet-friendly weeknight I didn’t bother with the cheese or garlic oil on top (I just put all the garlic in the soup) – I’m sure they’re fabulous and I might add them if I was cooking for guests but the soup was super flavourful without them. Big win for me, this will go into rotation!
I’ve been making this recipe for my family for years now and it’s a regular part of the rotation. It’s so simple to make and so flavorful! The only change I’ve made is to add a parmesan rind to the pot while it simmers. It adds such a wonderful depth of flavor to the soup. I always buy parmesan with the rind on and I save the rinds in the freezer until I make a batch of soup. You can also purchase parmesan rinds inexpensively from the cheese counter at most grocery stores.
It was delicious, filling, and easy to make.
I make this multiple times a year. Everyone loves it and it freezes great. I’ve frozen it with the greens and it’s fine. I’ve also subbed kale for chard and skipped it all together.
It’s fool proof.
I haven’t made this in a while and I always forget how darn good it is! I usually don’t care for lentils or chard, but this is one recipe I like both!
this is very good! hits the spot. I didn’t actually think the garlic oil added much? But it certainly didn’t hurt. I threw a sage leaf in there as well. I will admit that I added a splash of red wine along the way when it was tasting quite bland to me halfway through cooking and finished it with some balsamic also (with the garlic drizzle). Grated Trader Joes ‘black pepper toscano’ cheese at the end because it’s what I had, ditto whole peeled canned tomatoes and mashed with a spoon but yeah crushed probably better. Did two and a half sausages and possibly? next time I might? do less and more kale? Really satisfying.
The first time we made this soup, I went into labor. My husband was in the kitchen working over the Dutch oven, and we agreed that he should keep making it because we’d heard that you should delay going to the hospital for as long as possible. My water broke shortly after, we turned the stove off, and left everything to head to the hospital. Days later, I requested that we try again and ended up making the soup several times post-partum (we prefer kale, and double the sausage). It has become a comforting staple in our house and our now 13 month old devours bowl after bowl of it. I named it after her as a result, and now call it Edie’s Soup.
This is a wonderful story! I’m so glad it is part of happy memories.
I made this tonight and it was amazing. Thank you for all you do – I’m a big fan.
And after the sauté of vegetables, sausage and garlic, tomatoes etc. can the soup be made in the slow cooker?
Yes, it should be just fine.
What I love about recipes this simple is that they really lend themselves to creativity and substitution—just use whatever you’ve got! Dinner tonight is (approximately) this soup made with fully cooked sliced andouille, some white beans and frozen spinach leftover from making your barley risotto with beans and greens, as well as a few leaves of kale. Didn’t have any carrots, and I was worried the volume of beans I used was a little small, so I added some toasted moghrabieh and let that simmer and plump up for a little more bulk. Truly a hodgepodge, but warm, filling, and delicious. Sticks to your bones, as my grandma would say.
I rarely comment on your posts but have been using your recipes as a go-to resource since at least 2011, maybe earlier. Whenever I don’t know what to cook for dinner or want a cake recipe that I know isn’t going to fail, I always look here or on your Instagram before looking anywhere else. Thanks for being you, Deb!
I’ve now made this soup tens of times with various kinds of sausage: regular Italian, hot Italian, 1/2 lb vs. 1 lb (we personally prefer the original higher meat quantity), Impossible sausage, Field Roast sausage. I always leave the cheese out since we rarely stock it and I’m lactose-intolerant so I can’t substitute an easier to find cheese. The vegetarian versions are still good, but for meat eaters who have tried the meat version, it’s definitely “missing something” in the flavor profile, probably because browning veggie sausage doesn’t release the same kind of umami juices as meat. I’d give this a 9/10 as an omnivore recipe but only a 6/10 as a vegetarian-meal-to-serve-everyone recipe; it doesn’t quite have the universal appeal of something like chana masala that was vegetarian from the start and doesn’t improve when you add meat.
This was delicious. We finished it with a splash of sushi rice vinegar, just to add. some brightness and complexity. Reheats perfectly.
As always, another delicious recipe. I just ate three bowls and can’t wait to have it for lunch tomorrow. Def do the garlic oil and cheese at the end!
I just finally made this for the first time, and I think it’s going to be a new cold-weather staple for me. I love it when one dish includes a bunch of different food groups, especially when the different ingredients each excel at something different: vitamins, protein, fat, cronch, UMAMI, etc. I used Tuscan kale because I prefer it to chard, and I skipped the chili flakes because the store was out of sweet Italian sausage and I went ahead with hot (came out just spicy enough and not too much, hooray!). I also added a couple of anchovy fillets at the sausage-browning stage as my automatic impulse whenever I cook with garlic, but whether the flavor was substantially enhanced, I couldn’t tell you. Maybe I should have put them in the hot garlic oil at the end instead, but I was afraid my audience would notice a fishy taste and complain.
This is a great recipe and in our monthly rotation! We use vegetarian Field Roast Chipotle spicy sausages, vegetable broth instead of water and kale. It’s so easy (but doesn’t taste like it would be) and the whole family loves it. Thank you!