This hearty lentil soup is made with smoked sausage, vegetables, tomatoes and lentils, all simmered in an herb broth. An easy one pot dinner option that the whole family will love!
In my opinion, you can never go wrong with soup. Whether it’s a slow cooker chicken tortellini soup or a savory stuffed pepper soup, it’s always a hit in my house. This lentil soup is full of flavor, color and texture and is a total crowd pleaser.
I try to incorporate lentils into my family’s diet when possible. Lentils are full of nutrition, inexpensive and packed with protein. A veggie packed lentil soup is our favorite way to enjoy lentils, the smoked sausage really makes this one special!
How do you make lentil soup?
This soup starts with carrots, onions and celery cooked in a little olive oil. The veggies are combined with smoked sausage, brown lentils, chicken broth, tomatoes and herb. The soup simmers until the lentils are tender, then it’s time to eat!
Do you have to soak lentils before cooking them?
Unlike other dried legumes, lentils are quick cooking. They are typically ready to eat after a 20-30 minute simmer. Therefore, you do not have to worry about soaking your lentils before you cook them. That being said, good to give them a quick rinse before they go into the pot!
Are lentils healthy?
Lentils are chock full of folic acid, iron, potassium, manganese and Vitamin B6. They’re also relatively low calorie, high fiber, and loaded with protein. Lentils are a great choice for a healthy diet, especially combined with the veggies in this soup.
Tips for lentil soup
- I use the rope style pre-cooked smoked sausage for this soup. I typically use turkey sausage because it has less fat and calories, but still has plenty of flavor.
- This recipe calls for brown lentils, which are the most common lentils that can be found in all grocery stores. If you prefer, you can use green lentils. I wouldn’t use red lentils for this recipe, as they tend to get mushy and not hold their shape.
- Lentil soup is the perfect candidate for the freezer. Place your soup in a resealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Lentil soup can also be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 2 days before you plan to enjoy it.
- I like to serve lentil soup with a side of bread, such as garlic knots or honey cornbread.
Vegetarian Lentil Soup
Looking to make a meatless lentil soup? You can easily adapt this recipe by omitting the sausage, adding an extra 1/2 cup of lentils, and using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. I’d recommend adding a teaspoon of smoked paprika to the soup so that you still get that great smoky flavor without the meat.
Slow cooker Lentil Soup
Lentil soup can easily be made in the slow cooker. Simply saute your vegetables and sausage, then place everything except for the parsley in a slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 3-4 hours or until lentils are tender.
I make this soup constantly during the colder weather months – it’s quick to put together, relatively healthy and totally delicious!
More fabulous soup recipes
Lentil Soup with Smoked Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 3 carrots peeled, halved and sliced
- 3 stalks celery sliced
- 14 ounces smoked sausage halved and sliced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes do not drain
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups dry brown lentils rinsed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook for 4-5 minutes or until softened.
- Add the sausage and cook for 2-3 more minutes or until just browned.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, lentils and salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a simmer.
- Cook for 20-25 minutes or until lentils are tender. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Pam says
My finicky children gobbled this up!!! I am so thankful you posted this recipe. It will be well loved soup recipe to put in the family cookbook.
Mark says
I made it with a spicy sausage and it came out amazing!
Lucy says
So tasty, and it warms you right up! After a bowl of fresh, hot soup for dinner, I was toasty warm despite a cold, rainy day.
Tinkering: Used homemade beef bone broth from my freezer, and simmered in 1/4 c red wine at the end with a handful of chopped fresh spinach until it turned bright green. The bone broth was rather dilute, so I added 1/2 tsp smoked paprika and a dash of nutmeg, 1/4 tsp Trader Joe’s “Umami and Company” seasoning powder, and maybe 1/4c soy sauce to increase the broth’s flavor. Served with grated Parmesan on top. Yummmmmm.
Shortcut: After rinsing the lentils, I poured a few cups of boiling water over them in a metal bowl and let them sit until the carrots, etc. were done, then drained them and added to the pot. I think that shortened the simmering time by a few minutes.
Thank you for a great soup experience, Sara!
Joanne says
This is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever had. I add fresh thyme instead of parsley, otherwise I follow your recipe exactly. It’s definitely my favorite soup recipe of all time. I can’t stop making it ;P Many thanks for sharing it!
Jeff Caligari says
You can reduce cooking time by around 20 minutes if you first soak the lentils overnight in a bowl of water left in the fridge.
You can add flavor to the lentils by adding slice of citrus (Lemon/Orange) or soy sauce to the water.
They will soften and you wont need to cook so long, just warm them up really.
Susan says
Quick, easy, healthy and so delicious. It’s a keeper! Thank you for posting !
Debby says
I was a little nervous… Wanted to follow Goya recipe on back of Lentil Package, seemed a little bland… Found your page, followed directions exactly… It was so GOOD! My family loved it!! Thank you
Sara says
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!