I just wanted to add a note to be more specific about the ingredients. I'm one of those cooks that seldom follows a recipe exactly and I like to leave room for experimentation. However, for those of you saying that it's not flavorful enough, I might add a few suggestions: I use hillshire farms brand polska kielbasa made with pork, turkey, and beef. (I don't think the "all beef" is as flavorful.) Also, be sure to use the leaves of the celery...they add a powerful punch of flavor. Also, don't skimp on the bay leaves or the simmering time. The lentils don't take that long to cook, but you want to extract the flavor out of the bay leaves, and that's what takes the time. Also, this is ALWAYS better the next day. I leave the bay leaves in (probably the reason) and nobody has any trouble eating the leftovers. (Or, you can just make it a day ahead and then reheat it if you like.) Anyway, enjoy and use the ingredients that you like. -Kris
Three out of four in my family thought that this recipe was outstanding. The one who wasn't a big fan is only four, so we're still waiting for her taste to mature. Did I make it exactly according to the directions? Well no, of course not. Here's how it went. I used 6 c water (my hubby likes soup to be thick). Then, added two Knorr chicken boullion cubes. I used 1 1/2 c Le Puy lentils. It didn't need salt or pepper. Also, I added a dash or two of ground thyme. That's it - yum. Thanks for the recipe.
This recipe was full of flavor hearty and just right for a cold wintry night! Thanks for sharing Kris. For those who think there's not enough flavor try using a smokier polska kielbasa -- I happened to have gotten ahold of some wedding kielbasy from www.andysdeli.com and it released a LOT of flavor into the soup. I rarely give 5 stars to any recipe but this one is outstanding!
Made this last week and thought it was great. I used Hillshire Farms Smoked Sausage and browned it sliced with the vegetables thereby omitting the oil. Also used homemade vegetable stock in place of chicken broth. Next time I'll add a box of chopped spinach! Served this over brown rice. Really delicious. Thank you Kris: )
This recipe is good but it really needs something to give it some flavor. I got the smoky flavor of the kielbasa with the dry smell of the lentils but not much else. Putting a lot of paprika in helped a bit but next time more radical herbs are needed.
Excellent! I appreciate the tip on leaving the celery leaves on--I did that and I think it does help add more flavor. I simmered mine for about 3 hours and it didn't get mushy or anything. I am a huge salt fan and I really didn't need to add much to my bowl because I really found it quite flavorful. I made no changes to the original recipe except for adding extra carrots and celery. I would even add more next time but I love veggies. I studied abroad in Spain while in college and my host mother made a dish very similar to this. She used Spanish chorizo instead of Kielbasa but the dish was very similar. I've enjoyed cooking with lentils ever since.
Very tasty the first day even better the next (after the bay leaves have infused the soup). Sauteed carrots celery onion and garlic first added 1 t. thyme then sauteed sausage for 3 minutes. Added remaining ingredients (to include a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes) and simmered for 2 hours. It was so tasty that it did not even need seasoning with salt and pepper! I think next time I will add some chopped cabbage or chopped greens (spinach or kale) toward the end. Can add 1 T vinegar (per earlier suggestion) but it tastes GREAT as is. Will definitely make again!
We loved this soup! I didn't know I even liked lentil beans until now. Thank you for a great recipe.
We all really enjoyed this! I soaked beans in water all day and then boiled per directions. Cooked in approx 45 mins that way.
