Lentil Soup With Vegetables and Andouille Sausage

E. J. Hilden's Note:

Another hearty, nutritious soup recipe, loaded with protein, fiber, and flavor. It doesn't take as long as some of my other soup recipes, but is every bit as good. I created this on a cold and rainy Portland, Oregon day, and served it with warm sliced baguette. Excellent!

• Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

• 2 (15 ounce) cans lentils
• 5 medium onions
• 9 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 lb dry lentils
• 2 tablespoons ham soup base
• 1 ½ lbs andouille sausages
• 3 carrots
• 4 stalks celery
• 1 ½ cups frozen green beans
• 1 cup frozen broccoli
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the vegetable oil in the bottom of your soup pot over medium heat. While the oil is heating, peel and chop the onions and garlic. When the onions and garlic are chopped, turn the oil up to medium-high heat and toss the onions and garlic in, stirring once in a while.
2. Next, slice the andouille sausage into penny slices and add to the onions and garlic. Add ground cumin. Give it a stir.
3. Next, chop the carrots and celery at an angle (longer cuts) and add them to the onions and sausage. Stir the mixture, turn the heat down to medium, and cover for about fifteen minutes.
4. Put the canned lentils into a blender and add the ham base and half a can of water. Cover and liquify the canned lentils, blending for about five minutes or until completely smooth. You should end up with a thick puree. Add the puree to the soup pot and stir inches Fill your blender beaker two-thirds of the way with water, cover and blend for a few seconds until the leftover puree is in the water, and add that water to the soup pot as well. Bring the soup to a boil and turn down to medium- low heat. Cover the soup pot and ignore it for fifteen minutes.
5. Put the pound of dry lentils in a strainer and rinse with col water until clean. Add to the soup pot, stirring until everything is mixed, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cover. Cook for half an hour, stirring once in a while.
6. After half an hour, add the frozen green beans and broccoli to the soup. Stir them in, cover, and simmer for another forty-five minutes to an hour, stirring once in a while. Salt and pepper to taste only after the lentils are tender and the vegetables are soft.
7. The soup is done when the dry lentils are tender and the vegetables are soft. The broth should have a slightly spicy and smoky character from the sausage. Serve hot with warm baguette or your favorite quick bread.

Reviews

[Cookin' 4 the boyz]

A delicious hearty soup! I did not use ham soup base since it was costly at the store. I used Salt Pork to flavor the soup. I also did not perfer the frozen green beans. Thanks for sharing, we will be making this again.