SW: Sausage Tomato Lentil Soup

Er...stew, more like.

Today marks the halfway point, and I'm crossing my fingers that you are waking up every morning, looking forward to the moment you can direct your browser to this web address and peruse the latest soup offerings.

Another of my midwest discovery was lentils. I'm sure they exist in the southwest, but I never knew anyone who cooked with them. I mean, lentil enchiladas? Weird! However, I know plenty of people who cook with them here, and after having a fantastic sausage and lentil soup that I dreamed about for over a year, I finally decided to sit down and make my own. I did. It was tasty and more than a good idea. My husband, who does not like beans or lentils of any sort, eats this soup. Also, it's different than a “traditional” sausage and lentil soup as it uses ground sausage instead of whole and uses a lot a lot a lot of tomatoes. Nathan said “it's very flavorful.” He cites that as the reason he's willing to overlook the fact that it's loaded with lentils.

I think the crockpot was one of the greatest inventions to ever grace the planet, especially for busy moms/working folk. This recipe honors that invention! I should also mention that this soup is really really good the day after you cook it. In the past, I have added in celery the original recipe calls for, and that's super good too. If you want to add celery, shred/chop 1-2 stalks and add it in with everything else.

Sausage and Lentil Soup-Wednesday

Modified Recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground Italian sausage

• 1/2 large onion, with outside skin removed

• 2 cloves garlic sliced, or 1 tbsp. minced garlic

• 1/2 cup shredded carrot

• 1 (16 ounce) package dry lentils, rinsed

• 8 cups water

• 1 tbsp. chicken base

• 1 (28 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 teaspoon dried parsley

• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot, add sausage over medium high heat and cook until browned.
   
2. In your crockpot, add the lentils, water, chicken base, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and carrots. Also add the bay leaves, parsley, oregano, thyme, and basil. I know I've said before that we aren't big onion fans, but keeping the onion uncut and in tact makes is oh-so-easy to pull out at the end.
   
3. Add the sausage to your crockpot, and cook until the lentils are tender, approximately 4 hours on high heat, 8 hours on low. Or, you could do it the Audrey way and put everything in a pot first thing in the morning, and let cook all day on low until you're ready to dine.
   
4. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with parmesan cheese.
   
5. Yum!