Lentil Sausage Soup

This lentil sausage soup is a hearty dinner that’s easy and budget friendly. In this recipe, lentils are cooked with kielbasa sausage, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and spinach in a flavorful broth.

I’m a big fan of lentils. They’re nutritious, economical, and versatile. Plus, they cook-up quickly (by bean standards) and don’t require soaking overnight. Lentil recipes make wonderful weeknight dinners. Try this chicken lentil soup. And for a wholesome meal try this Cuban style lentil soup.

Ingredients

• Lentils – It is best to use brown or green lentils because other varieties (red, yellow, black) will cook too quickly. To learn more, check out this post on how to cook lentils.
• Oil – Olive oil works great but any oil that is suitable for sautéing will also work.
• Sausage – Use a fully cooked variety of polka kielbasa, or smoked sausage. If you want to use fresh sausage, make this Italian sausage lentils.
• Vegetables – Onion, carrots, celery, and garlic make a flavor base. Then, a generous amount of spinach is added at the end enhancing the color and upping the wholesome factor of this tasty soup.
• Liquid – We use water and chicken broth, if you want to use only broth try to use reduced sodium so the final soup is not too salty. If you have to use only water add flavor by adding chicken base or bouillon cube.
• Spices – The sausage adds a ton of flavor already so all you need is a little black pepper, and salt if needed at the end.
• See the recipe card for quantities and preparation.

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions are translucent. Stir often.

Add the garlic and black pepper, cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.

Add the kielbasa sausage to the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the lentils, chicken broth, and water to the pot. Raise the heat to high, bring the liquid to a boil.

• Then lower the heat to medium or medium-low, cover and cook approximately 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
• Taste a couple of beans to see if they have reached the desired tenderness. If they are still hard, continue cooking for 10 minutes and taste again.
• Stir occasionally and keep the liquid simmering. Raise or lower the heat as needed.
• When the lentils are soft lower the heat to low. Add the spinach and stir until it wilts.
• Taste the soup and add salt if needed. As a reference we added ½ teaspoon to ours. Serve and enjoy.

Serve the lentil sausage soup with bread or crackers, if desired.

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Check out the Web Story for this sausage and lentil soup for a quick visual on making this easy recipe.

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Lentil Sausage Soup

This lentil sausage soup is a hearty dinner that’s easy and budget friendly. In this recipe, lentils are cooked with kielbasa sausage, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and spinach in a flavorful broth.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: lentils, sausage

Servings: 6

Calories: 448kcal

Author: Elizabeth

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 Medium Onion finely diced
• 1 Large Carrot peeled and diced
• 1 Celery Rib finely diced
• 2-3 Garlic Cloves minced
• ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
• 14 ounces Kielbasa Sausage sliced into ¼ inch rounds (use a fully cooked variety, smoked sausage also works)
• 12 ounce Package of Lentils sorted, rinsed, and drained (green or brown lentils work best in this recipe)
• 4 cups Chicken Broth use reduced sodium if you are sensitive to salt
• 4 cups Water
• 4 ounces Fresh Spinach
• Salt to taste if needed at the end

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the pot. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions are translucent. Stir frequently.
• Add the garlic and black pepper, cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
• Add the kielbasa sausage to the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add the lentils, chicken broth, and water to the pot. Raise the heat to high, bring the liquid to a boil. Then lower the heat to medium or medium-low, cover and cook approximately 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
• Stir occasionally and keep the liquid simmering. Raise or lower the heat as needed.
• Taste a couple to see if they have reached the desired tenderness. If they are still hard, continue cooking for 10 minutes and taste again.
• When the lentils are soft lower the heat to low. Add the spinach and stir until it wilts.
• Taste the soup and add salt if needed. As a reference we added ½ teaspoon to ours.
• Serve the lentil sausage soup with bread or crackers, if desired.

Notes

• Pick through the lentils and remove any foreign objects (such as tiny rocks, twigs). Don’t skip this step. Put them in a large colander or a clean, flat surface and carefully sort through them.
• Hold off on adding extra salt to the soup until the end because the sausage and the chicken broth both contain salt. Use reduced sodium broth if you are sensitive to salt.

Nutrition

Calories: 448kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 1182mg | Potassium: 882mg | Fiber: 18g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3527IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 6mg

The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate.This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.