Favorite Recipes February 10, 2019

Italian Lentil Soup

Italian Lentil Soup

What you need:

  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 1 large white onion, diced
  • 4 celery stalks, diced
  • 3 carrots, diced
  • 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
  • 4 small zucchini, diced
  • 6 large tomatoes, diced
  • 2 tsp dry oregano
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 6 cups beef broth
  • 12 oz lentil beans
  • 2 cups fresh kale, coarsely ripped
  • salt/pepper (to taste)
  • 1 package sweet Italian sausage
  • Parmesan cheese, grated
  • fresh basil

What to do:

  • Sauté onion, celery and carrots over medium heat about 5 minutes.
  • Add garlic, zucchini, tomatoes, wine and oregano, reduced heat to low and simmer 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
  • Add beef broth, lentils, salt/pepper, bring to low boil for 30 min.
  • While soup is cooking, BBQ sausage thoroughly and cut into slices.  If unable to BBQ, steam sausage about 4 min on each side in a covered skillet in about 3/4  inch of water.  Remove sausages, slice lengthwise down the middle, place on a foil-lined broiling pan, place on second to highest rack position, and broil until fully cooked and browned… flip them and brown on other side, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
  • Add sausage to soup for about 30 min and cook until beans are not crunchy; And kale during the last 10 min.
  • Add water if soup becomes too thick and season with salt if necessary.
  • Serve with a dollop of sour cream and slices of fresh basil to taste.

Enjoy!