Italian Sausage Lentil Soup with Garlic Herbs
Hearty one-pot lentil soup made with crumbled Italian sausage, aromatic vegetables, and pre-seasoned Hurst's lentils. Browned sausage adds savory depth while garlic, carrots, celery and onion build a classic mirepoix base. Simmered until lentils are tender, then rested to meld flavors. Warm, satisfying comfort food ready in under an hour.
Ingredients
- 1 15-oz bag Hurst's Garlic & Herb Lentilsbrown or green lentils + 1 tsp dried herbs1:1legume
may need salt adjustment
- 1 ¼ lbs Italian sausage, hot, casings removed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups onion, diced
- 1 ½ cups carrots, diced
- 1 ½ cups celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- 1
Remove casings from sausage if needed.
- 2
Brown and crumble sausage over medium to medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or large pot until cooked through. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside.
- 3
Add olive oil, carrots, onion and celery to pot. Saute for 5 minutes.
- 4
Add garlic and cook 2 minutes longer.
- 5
Add chicken broth, water, lentils with seasoning packet, and cooked sausage to pot. Bring to a boil.
- 6
Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook 30-40 minutes or until lentils are tender.
- 7
Turn off heat and let soup rest 20 minutes before serving.
Tips
Use hot Italian sausage for more depth; switch to mild if preferring less spice.
Resting the soup after cooking allows flavors to meld and lentils to fully absorb liquid.
Good to Know
Refrigerate in airtight container up to 5 days. Freeze up to 3 months.
Prepare through browning sausage and dicing vegetables the day before. Complete recipe same day.
Ladle into bowls. Drizzle with olive oil and grated Parmesan if desired. Serve with crusty bread.
Common Mistakes
Do not skip the 20-minute rest to avoid underseasoned or thin-textured soup.
Do not skip removing sausage casings to avoid unpleasant texture in finished dish.
Substitutions
may need salt adjustment