Lentil Soup with Spicy Italian Sausage

By JennaJon

Taken from Bon Appetit January 2010 issue.

An excellent hearty soup, serve with crusty bread!

Calories 488
Fat 19g
Fiber 17g

Ingredients

• 2 Tbls olive oil
• 1 lb fully cooked hot Italian sausage, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 large onion, chopped (about 3 cups)
• 2 large carrots, peeled, chopped (about 1 3/4 cups)
• 2 large parsnips, peeled, chopped (about 1 3/4 cups)
• 2 large celery stalks, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning blend
• 1 lb brown lentils (about 2 1/3 cups)
• 3 qts (or more) low-salt chicken broth
• 1 5-oz pkg baby spinach leaves

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to bowl. Add onion, carrots, parsnips, celery, and Italian seasoning blends to drippings in pot; cook until onion is translucent and vegetables begin to soften, stirring often, 7 to 8 minutes.
Add lentils; stir to coat. Add 3 quarts broth. Bring to boil; reduce to heat to medium and simmer until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally and adding more broth by 1/4 capfuls if soup is too thick, 20 minutes.
Add sausage to soup and simmer until vegetables are tender and flavors blend, 10 to 12 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes.