Italian Red Lentil Soup with Sausage
Hearty red lentil soup with sun dried tomatoes and Italian seasoning, kielbasa sausage and Parmesan cheese, and finished with a little cream.
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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.
Notes
This makes a large batch of soup, about 3 1/2 quarts. 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.
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.
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