French Lentil Soup

This recipe is made with French du Pey lentils, which keep their shape after cooking. If the sausage or kielbasa is precooked, add with the lentils later in the recipe and ignore sausage/kielbasa cooking instructions at beginning of the recipe. Otherwise heat 2 tbsp olive oil and cook sausage or kielbasa first.

• Ready In: 1 hr 35 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons olive oil (precooked sausage or kielbasa) or 4  tablespoons olive oil, divided (uncooked sausage or kielbasa)
• 2  stalks celery, sliced
• 2  medium carrots, chopped
• 1  medium onion, chopped
• 3  garlic cloves, sliced
• 12  ounces garlic sausage (Johnsonville preferred) or 12  ounces kielbasa, sliced (Hillshire Farms preferred)
• 2  cups  french du pey lentils
• 8  cups vegetable broth
• 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
•  fresh parsley leaves (garnish)

Directions

1. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the sausage or kielbasa and cook until browned (5 minutes), turning links often. Reduce heat to medium-low.
2. Carefully add 1/2 cup water to skillet. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from pan and slice diagonally in 1/2 inch slices. Set aside.
3. Heat additional 2 tbsp oil in a large pot or Dutch oven (same one used to cook sausage/kielbasa). Add the celery, carrots, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (8-10 minutes).
4. Add the cooked sausage/kielbasa, lentils, vegetable broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender (35-45 minutes).
6. Serve warm sprinkled with the parsley.