Hearty red lentil soup with sun dried tomatoes and Italian seasoning, kielbasa sausage and Parmesan cheese, and finished with a little cream. This Italian red lentil soup is easy to make, and delicious served with crusty bread to soak up the broth.
You might also love these recipes for smoky lentil and split pea soup, beef and barley soup, and Colorado style pork green chili.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Packed with Protein. With protein rich ingredients like lentils, sausage and chicken stock, this soup is a wonderful high protein meal. It’s great without the sausage, too.
Great Leftover. I love to make a big batch of this soup and then warm up the leftovers throughout the week for lunch.
Perfect with a Side of Bread. I have so many wonderful high altitude tested recipes for homemade bread – get the recipes here.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Dried Lentils. Although lentils come in a variety of colors, my grocery tends to carry only red and green lentils. For today’s Italian red lentil soup, get the red lentils, to complement the color of the sun dried tomatoes.
- Sun Dried Tomatoes. The sun dried tomatoes will add vibrant color and a touch of acidity to the soup. They usually come packed in oil, which you can use to saute the onions if you like.
- Spices. A blend of dried Italian seasoning, basil, paprika, coriander and crushed red pepper flakes add lots of flavor.
- Parmesan Cheese. To add a hint of Parmesan flavor to the soup, you won’t be adding grated cheese directly into the soup. Instead, just cut off the end (the rind) of a wedge of Parmesan cheese, drop it into the hot soup, and let it slowly soften and dissolve as the broth simmers.
- Sausage. I used my favorite beef kielbasa sausage, which is already cooked, and only needs to warm up briefly in the broth.
- Milk and Cream. For a touch of richness, add a little whole milk and cream when the soup is ready to serve.
Instructions
- In a large bowl or pot, cover the lentils with plenty of water, then let them soak at room temperature for at least 4 hours. You can also leave them to soak overnight. Drain the water, then rinse the lentils with clean water.
- Drain the sun dried tomatoes, reserving the oil. Using a small food processor, ninja, or just a knife, finely chop the sun dried tomatoes, then set them aside.
- In a large stock pot set over medium heat, heat the reserved oil from the sun dried tomatoes for several minutes. (If you prefer not to use the oil from the jar, which usually contains vegetable oils, you can discard the oil from the jar and simply use 2 tbsp olive oil instead.)
- Add the chopped onions to the hot oil, and cook for several minutes, stirring frequently, until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for one more minute.
- Add the chopped sun dried tomatoes and all the spices, stirring constantly while cooking for one minute.
- Add the chicken broth, 2 cups water, the drained/rinsed lentils, and the Parmesan cheese rind.
- Cover the pot, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 30-45 minutes, until the lentils have softened and are beginning to break down, and most of the liquid is absorbed. Add more water as desired, for a more brothy consistency.
- Add the sliced sausage, and simmer for 10 more minutes until the sausage is heated through.
- Remove the pot from the heat, stir in the milk and cream, and serve.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Once the soup has cooled, you can store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days, or in the freezer for up to 3-6 months.
Since kielbasa sausage is smoked (and already cooked), it just needs to warm up a little when it’s added to the hot soup. Ground sausage will need to be cooked, though. To use uncooked ground Italian sausage instead of pre-cooked kielbasa sausage, add the ground sausage to the pot with the diced onions. Break down the meat with a wooden spoon, cooking until it’s cooked through, before continuing with the recipe.
This recipe is also wonderful without the sausage. For a vegetarian option, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, and omit the meat.
Evaporated milk can be used instead of the whole milk and cream. Always remove the soup from the heat before adding the milk/cream, to avoid curdling the dairy.
I always recommend soaking lentils first, but it’s not to shorten the cooking time. By soaking the lentils, and then discarding the soaking water, you’ll break down some of the starches that cause digestive discomfort.
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Italian Red Lentil Soup with Sausage
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Large Stock Pot
- Food Processor or Ninja (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried red lentils
- 1 jar (9 oz) sun dried tomatoes in oil
- 1 large sweet yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika (or regular paprika)
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp coriander
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 4 cups low sodium chicken stock or broth
- 2-3 cups water
- 1 Parmesan cheese rind (a 1-inch piece cut off the end of a wedge of Parmesan cheese)
- 1 lb pork or beef kielbasa sausage, sliced
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup cream
Instructions
- In a large bowl or pot, cover the lentils with plenty of water, then let them soak at room temperature for at least 4 hours. You can also leave them to soak overnight. Drain the water, then rinse the lentils with clean water.
- Drain the sun dried tomatoes, reserving the oil. Using a small food processor, ninja, or just a knife, finely chop the sun dried tomatoes, then set them aside.
- In a large stock pot set over medium heat, heat the reserved oil from the sun dried tomatoes for several minutes. (If you prefer not to use the oil from the jar, which usually contains vegetable oils, you can discard the oil from the jar and simply use 2 tbsp olive oil instead.)
- Add the chopped onions to the hot oil, and cook for several minutes, stirring frequently, until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for one more minute.
- Add the chopped sun dried tomatoes and all the spices, stirring constantly while cooking for one minute.
- Add the chicken broth, 2 cups water, the drained/rinsed lentils, and the Parmesan cheese rind.
- Cover the pot, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 30-45 minutes, until the lentils have softened and are beginning to break down, and most of the liquid is absorbed. Add more water as desired, for a more brothy consistency.
- Add the sliced sausage, and simmer for 10 more minutes until the sausage is heated through.
- Remove the pot from the heat, stir in the milk and cream, and serve.
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