Lentil soup with sausage is an easy, filling, and delicious meal. Cooked in the slow cooker and packed with health ingredients, this lentil soup is a family favorite.
I fell in love with lentils and lentil soup when I worked for a travel company in my 20’s. I spent a lot of time traveling in the near east where lentil soup is as common as chicken noodle soup is in the U.S.
I was very happy to discover that lentil soup is very easy to make and I began re-creating my favorite lentil soup at home. I have a few different versions of lentil soup, but this slow cooker sausage and lentil soup is by far my favorite. The sausage adds a new depth of flavor and interest to the lentils.
Slow Cooker Sausage and Lentil Soup
You can use any sausage you like in this soup. In the past I’ve used a spicy Italian sausage, but I love the taste of smoked sausage in it, too.
I loved the smoky flavor the Angus sausage gave the lentils as they simmered all day long in the slow cooker. I only used one package of the sausage in the lentil soup, but you could definitely use two. The soup felt a little lean on sausage, which isn’t what I was going for at all.
Aside from the lentils, this soup calls for basic ingredients you probably already have on hand. I usually use homemade chicken broth when making soup, but a boxed or canned broth works, too.
If you’ve never cooked with lentils, you just want the basic brown lentils. Lentils are very inexpensive and full of great nutrition. The lentils will expand similar to beans or rice when cooked and should be nice and soft when eating.
The best part of this soup is that you can let it simmer along in the slow cooker all day long. I love to serve homemade soup with a nice loaf of fresh bread for lots of dipping.
Slow Cooker Sausage and Lentil Soup
Lentil soup with sausage is an easy, filling, and delicious meal. Cooked in the slow cooker and packed with health ingredients, this lentil soup is a family favorite.
Ingredients
- 2 medium carrots, cut in to 1/4 inch pieces
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, cut in to 1/4 inch pieces
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 package Hillshire Farms Angus Smoked Sausage
- 1 1/2 cup lentils
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups loosely packed baby spinach
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a pot or large frying pan, heat a Tablespoon of oil.
- Add sausage and onions and saute for a few minutes.
- Add garlic, carrots and celery and continue to cook until onions are clear.
- Put contents of pot/pan in to the bowl/crock of slow cooker.
- Add lentils and chicken broth.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hour or on high for 2 hours.
- Stir in baby spinach, salt and pepper just before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 125Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 1058mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 5gSugar: 4gProtein: 8g