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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:

  1. 2 tablespoons of olive oil

  2. 2 small links of Italian chicken or turkey sausage (removed from the outer casing)

  3. 1 yellow onion, diced

  4. 2 celery stalks, diced

  5. 2 whole carrots, peeled and diced

  6. 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

  7. 1 cup of dried red lentils

  8. 2 bay leaves

  9. 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes

  10. 6 cups of water

  11. ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper

  12. 1/8 teaspoon of salt

  13. 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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