Carrabba's Spicy Sausage Lentil Soup -Clone

Grannydragon's Note:

I think you will find this very like the soup served at Carrabba's Restaurant. It is exceptional, indeed.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup carrot, grated
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 lb Italian sausage, spicy hot and in bulk
• 1/2 cup ham, diced
• 7 cups water
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 lb lentils, rinsed and picked over
• 1 tomato, diced
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in large soup pot. Add onion, carrot, garlic, and sausage to the pot, Saute for 8 minutes, stirring often. Break up the sausage into small bits as it cooks.
2. Add ham and cook for an additional minute.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 hour.

Reviews

[Amy7n]

Excellent recipe! I love this soup. I always get it when I go to Carrabba's. I made it just like the recipe and it come out great. It tasted just like Carrabba's. My Boyfriend loved it.

[Cooks4_6]

Excellent...even if I cheated a bit. I used canned; already cooked lentils (3 cans) and used 8 cups chicken broth and just 4 cups water. My version didn't turn out as thick, but it still tasted fantastic! It was delicious...a new favorite fall soup!

[Mandy Loves to Eat]

So good! My boyfriend's reaction was "Why do we ever go out to eat?" I served it with crostini grilled cheese sandwiches which I'm submitting recipe for.