Healthy family recipe: Lentil, sausage, and greens soup
This meal provides a balance of vegetables, protein, and carbohydrates- all in one pot!
Think outside "the can" the next time that you want to try a wholesome soup for your family. This meal provides a balance of vegetables, protein, and carbohydrates—all in one pot. This soup is a great way to also introduce new foods—the lentils cook down so you can barely tell them apart from the tomato based broth, and they serve up a good source of fiber in each bowl!
Lentil, Sausage, and Greens Soup
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 small links of Italian chicken or turkey sausage (removed from the outer casing)
1 yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 whole carrots, peeled and diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of dried red lentils
2 bay leaves
28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
6 cups of water
¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon of salt
4 cups finely chopped greens (swiss chard, kale, or spinach)
Directions:
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat on the stove. Add the sausage to the pot and cook for 5 minutes, breaking it up into small pieces while it cooks.
2. Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic powder to the pot. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.
3. Add lentils, bay leaves, tomatoes, water, salt, and pepper. Stir the soup to combine all of the ingredients.
4. Bring the soup to a simmer (you will see small bubbles popping to the surface of the soup) and cook for 30-40 minutes, until lentils are soft and tender.
5. Add the chopped greens to the soup. Stir and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
6. Take out the bay leaves. If you want to add more spices at this time—feel free! You can add more ground black pepper or garlic powder to taste.
Serving size: 1 cup
Makes about 10-12 servings
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
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