Lentil sausage soup is the perfect warm bowl of goodness on a cold day!
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Confession: my husband’s been talking about this soup for years before I ever made it. Carrabba’s offers something very similar that he LOVES, and has talked about recreating it for years. I’ve never tried it, but after he gave me the basic ingredients I decided to give it a shot!
I hesitate to call this a Carrabba’s copycat because I’ve never had it. Yes, I see the irony of living in Italy and making a soup based on an American chain. But we can also just call it a riff on a minestrone that’s eaten all over Italy and call it legit, right?
Lentil sausage soup is super flavorful and pretty easy to make. The most time-consuming part is the chopping. If you want pretty perfect cubes, it’ll take longer, but for a quick solution just use a chopper and you’ll be prepped in 5 minutes.
This recipe makes 4 large servings, enough for a family to have plenty. Double it for leftovers or a big crowd. I haven’t tried freezing this, only because lentils can fall apart with too much heating. But most of the time it takes is unattended simmering, so it still qualifies as a good weeknight option.
For this, you want to use thick-cut ham, maybe a 1/2 centimeter thick. Go to the butcher counter and ask for a good deli ham without any added flavoring (meaning, don’t do honey mustard or spice-crusted hams) and get it sliced thick! You really only need about one slice per pot of soup. I usually buy two or three and freeze the extra for future soups.
I use basic Italian sausage for this recipe, but you can use spicy if you want. If so, pull back a touch on the red pepper flakes the first time you make it.
Tools you’ll need: stock pot, chopper or knife and cutting board.
Lentil Sausage Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ onion yellow
- 2 carrot medium
- 2 stalks celery
- 4 cloves garlic
- ½ lb sausage
- ⅓ cup ham
- 1 tomato small
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 cups broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup lentils
- 1 tsp basil dried
- 1 tsp parsley dried
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Small dice the onion, carrots, and celery. Large dice the ham and tomato. Mince the garlic, and remove the sausage from casings if necessary.
- Heat a large pot over medium-low heat, then add olive oil. When it's hot, saute the onion until softened.
- Add the carrots, celery, and garlic, and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Add the sausage brown, crumbling it as it cooks.
- Add the ham, tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, then add spices and lentils and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook about 30 minutes or until lentils are soft. Don't forget to remove the bay leaf before serving!
Want more soups inspiration for cooler weather? Try curried sweet potato soup, chicken tortellini soup, or Tuscan sausage soup!
