Sausage & Lentil Soup

By Debber on September 20, 2006

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Ingredients

    1. 1 lb ground meat ( combine beef, sausage, venison, turkey)
    2. 1 large onion, chopped
    3. 2 medium carrots, peeled & chopped
    4. 1/4 cup diced green pepper
    5. 1 -3 garlic clove, minced
    6. 1 teaspoon basil
    7. 1 teaspoon oregano
    8. 6 chicken bouillon cubes ( *)
    9. 1 cup tomato sauce
    10. 1 -2 cup spinach, chopped or 1 -2 cup swiss chard
    11. 3/4 cup lentils, dry
    12. 2 tablespoons butter (optional)
    13. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

  1. Saute meats, rinse & drain for "lowfat" serving.
  2. Add veggies & cook until onion is transparent. Add 8 cups water *or use equivalent amount of chix broth* and everything else EXCEPT lentils, butter and cheese.
  3. Continue cooking covered, simmer for at least one hour on stove-top OR transfer to crockpot on LOW for several hours. Stir occasionally.
  4. Lentils go in 45 minutes to 1 hour before serving time. Add a bit of water if the soup becomes too thick.
  5. Add the butter if you're not doing the "lowfat" version and you like the richness of those yellow bubbles!
  6. Serve with grated sharp Cheddar cheese sprinkled over the top.
  7. NOTE: Leftovers are SUPERIOR to the first-run version.
  8. SUBSTITUTE: Try orzo pasta instead of the lentils.
  9. ***Chicken broth may be substituted here.
 
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