Sausage Lentil Soup: Hearty One-Pot Recipe

Split red lentils break down in about 25 minutes, so this soup goes from raw ingredients to a thick bowl in under an hour. You brown the sausage first, then build the vegetables in the fat it leaves behind. That step is where most of the flavor comes from.

The pot holds 8 cups of chicken broth, 1 pound of Italian sausage and half a cup of lentils, which works out to 8 servings. Leeks, carrots, celery, mushrooms and red pepper do the heavy lifting on texture. A whole lemon goes in at the very end.

Nothing here is fussy. One pot, one wooden spoon, and a lid you barely need. The soup thickens as it sits, so plan on loosening leftovers with a splash of broth.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Brown the sausage

Set a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and leave it alone for 2 to 3 minutes so the underside browns. Then break it up with a wooden spoon and cook about 5 minutes more, until no pink is left. Scoop it out with a slotted spoon and set it aside on a plate.

2. Soften the vegetables

Turn the heat down to medium and leave the browned bits in the pot. Add the olive oil, leeks, carrots, celery and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Stir now and then for about 8 minutes, until everything gives when you press it with the spoon.

3. Brown the mushrooms

Add the bell pepper and mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You're looking for the mushrooms to lose their raw look and pick up some color.

4. Simmer with lentils

Pour in the broth and turn the heat to high. Add the bay leaves and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, then bring it to a boil. Drop the heat to medium so it stays at a gentle simmer. Stir the sausage and lentils back in and cook about 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the lentils are soft and the broth has thickened.

5. Finish with lemon

Squeeze in the juice of the whole lemon and stir once. Fish out and discard the bay leaves. Taste, adjust salt, and serve.

How to Store Sausage Lentil Soup

Variations

• Use hot Italian sausage in place of mild for a spicier pot.
• Swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth to make it meat-free, though the sausage still contains pork.
• Stir in a couple of handfuls of chopped kale in the last 5 minutes if you want more greens.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sausage Lentil Soup: Hearty One-Pot Recipe

Brown Italian sausage, soften leeks, carrots and celery, then simmer with red lentils and broth for a hearty soup that gets better the next day.

15 minPrep time30 minCook time45 minTotal8Servings

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Ingredients

• 1 lb mild italian sausage (casings removed)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 leeks (sliced into rounds)
• 3 carrots (chopped)
• 2 celery stalks (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (divided)
• 1 red bell pepper (chopped)
• 5 oz (about 1 cup) fresh baby bella mushrooms (stemmed and chopped)
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 2 dried bay leaves
• ½ cup dried split red lentils
• 1 whole lemon

Instructions

1. 1Brown the sausage — Set a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and leave it alone for 2 to 3 minutes so the underside browns. Then break it up with a wooden spoon and cook about 5 minutes more, until no pink is left. Scoop it out with a slotted spoon and set it aside on a plate.
2. 2Soften the vegetables — Turn the heat down to medium and leave the browned bits in the pot. Add the olive oil, leeks, carrots, celery and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Stir now and then for about 8 minutes, until everything gives when you press it with the spoon.
3. 3Brown the mushrooms — Add the bell pepper and mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You're looking for the mushrooms to lose their raw look and pick up some color.
4. 4Simmer with lentils — Pour in the broth and turn the heat to high. Add the bay leaves and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, then bring it to a boil. Drop the heat to medium so it stays at a gentle simmer. Stir the sausage and lentils back in and cook about 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the lentils are soft and the broth has thickened.
5. 5Finish with lemon — Squeeze in the juice of the whole lemon and stir once. Fish out and discard the bay leaves. Taste, adjust salt, and serve.

Cook's note: Cook the sausage through before it goes back in the pot, and reheat leftovers to a simmer. The soup gets thicker every day it sits, so keep extra broth on hand.

Servings: 8

Cuisine: American

Course: Soup

RecipesCooker15 minutes30 minutes45 minutes