Lentil and Sausage Soup

Made in CrockPot. Best soup I have ever made. I substituted Turkey Sausage and doubled it. Also I omited pasta and 2 cups of water. Browned Turkey, Onion, garlic, and celery then put everthing in crockpot except diced tomatoes. Cooked on high for 3 hours. Added tomatos and cooked on low for 4- 5 hours.

This was a very good recipe. The only changes I made were 1. salt to taste since others said it was too salty, 2. used 2 ribs of celery (instead of one), 3. used twice as much italian sausage (and used hot instead of sweet), 4. cut out the water and used chicken stock exclusively, 5. used crushed tomatoes with italian seasonings instead of diced, 6. cut up a 6 oz. bag of fresh spinach and let it cook along, and 7. added crushed red pepper since we like it spicy. It was very tasty and made a ton! We'll have leftovers for days...

I love the sausage and lentil soup at Carrabb's Grill and always wish I would be able to get the recipe. Well, I thought this came extremely close. I served it with French Bread, huge hit in our home. Next time I will serve it in bread bowls. Thank you.

This soup turned out fantastic! It's almost exactly like Carabba's lentil & sausage soup. To kick it up I added about 1/4 tsp. of red pepper flakes and it spiced it up like the restaurant version. Will definitely pass on this recipe.

This is one of our favorites. I chop the carrots instead of shred. I also use turkey sausage and nearly double the amt. I also add chopped kale or swiss chard to make it prettier and more nutritious. Excellent soup!

My husband really enjoyed this! I cooked it in my crockpot since I was out shopping all day. I used chorizo and andouille sausage which made it spicy. I used 6 c. of water. I used 2 ribs of celery. I used stewed tomatoes and pureed them in the blender. I could have used less salt. I did not add pasta as we are trying to eat lo-carb. Very tasty!

This is a hearty and satisfying “peasant-style” soup – delicious, aromatic and so easy to make with its few, simple ingredients. And for basically just pennies a serving! I prepared this for the Italian New Year tradition to eat lentils and pork sausage for prosperity and good luck for the coming year. I made half a recipe and it made a good-sized pot of soup. I used tomato sauce, put up from my garden, in place of the canned tomatoes. I had to add a fairly significant amount of both water and additional chicken broth while the soup cooked, as it continued to get thicker and thicker. While many additions or changes could be made if one felt compelled to, this can be prepared with confidence just as is.

Very good flavor, lots of veggies that go well with the lentils. I did not dice the carrots, but cut them in rounds. Like some of other reviewers, I only needed to cook this for about one-and-a-half hours (one hour before I added the pasta, then another 30 minutes after). Next time, I might add a little red pepper to spice it up a little, but it was a great flavor, very filling, very hearty.

This soup is wonderful! I double the amount of sausage and use the hot italian, but that's just a matter of personal preference. Thanks for sharing!

This soup was great. It was easy to make and my friends liked it. I used andouille sausage instead because it was what I had on hand. This was fantastic and I will make it again.

This was really good, especially with some fresh parmesan and romano cheese grated on top. Very easy, too.

Being a VEGAN, I used Field Roast Chipotle Mexican vegan sausage (SPICY and sooooooo good) and "no-chik'n" broth. Cooked it in the slow cooker (took quite a bit longer though). My husband LOVES it. This will definitely be a staple throughout winter!

This was really great. I did it as written, but did not include the pasta. Might make it in the crockpot next time. It was a great winter soup. My whole family loved it. Thanks! UPDATE: Cooked this in the crockpot. Browned the sausage, then put everything in the crockpot, but only 6 cups of water. I had cut up the veggies the night before to make it easier in the morning. Cooked on low for 8 hours. It was delicious!

This was amazing! loved it. I only had half a bag of lentils, but I think that was more than enough. I only added about half the chicken broth b/c of this. added more of the veggies, omitted the bay leaf and used dried parsley and a fresh tomato on top of the canned. Thanks!!!

Made this recipe according to the author except I used a full pound of hot Italian sausage and added a bunch of fresh spinach right before I served it. Additionally I added 1/2 teaspoon of smoked Chipotle powder. Hands down the best soup I have ever made. Delicious!

I made this tonight it was excellent! I did make a few changes, I cooked it only for 1 1/2 hours, added fresh spinach, a giant can of fat free chicken broth (48 oz), and 4 cups of water in place of the stated amounts. Also used crushed tomatoes instead of diced. Lastly, I added a little red pepper and very little salt, I didn't have oregon so I skipped that. Even my picky husband loved this! Thanks for sharing!

First let me say that I followed the recipe exactly. The flavor of the sausage was overwhelming, all I could taste was the basil and sweetness of the sausage. And I don't know if the lentils I used were the wrong kind, but they cooked into mush, and I only cooked it for an hour. I used red lentils, don't know if that made a difference, got them from a health food store that sells them in bulk. My soup turned out very thick and mushy, not what I was hoping for. I can't express enough how strong the sausage flavor was, it was not very appetizing at all. I think it would have been better if I had used ham instead. Won't make again, sorry.

This is such a great winter soup and it tastes sooo good. My husband said it was the best soup I've ever made! I used 1lb chicken sausage, 2 celery stalks, 8-10 cloves of garlic, 6 cups homemade chicken broth and 4 cups water. I sauteed the celery, carrots and onion with some garlic, and added the sausage after about 5 minutes. I only did a couple shakes of the salt shaker, so maybe about 1/8tsp of salt and I'm glad I didn't do more then that. The sausage already adds a lot of salt. It only took about 2 hours to cook and I served it with Finnish Pulla from this site. This is such a good soup! Thank you!

Made using pressure cooker (high pressure 8 min). Used total 6 cups liquid (broth/water). Added 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes. Before serving use stick blender to make soup "thicker". Excellent!

Yummy! I used Italian style tomatoes, subbed tomato sauce for part of the water, used double the sausage, and left out the pasta. My picky son ate two bowls! Gotta love that!

We really loved this beautiful soup! I made only these changes: I reduced the water (by 2 cups), used only one 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes, and did not add the optional pasta. It was plenty hardy still, and would not have fit in my slow cooker otherwise! :) If I was making this in a stock pot, I would definitely try the original recipe as written, as I'm sure it's delicious. As it was, we absolutely loved it and will definitely make it again. Thank you so much for the great recipe!

I would give this soup 10 stars. It was fantastic. Followed recipe, except I used turkey sausage and 1 tsp. of seasoned salt instead of 1 tbsp. of salt. Forgot to add the pasta, nobody missed it. Loved this soup.

This is the first time I liked something well enough to write a review. We did not realize we were lentil fans. We are now! This was very easy to prepare and had an amazing flavor. I only gave the recipe 4 stars because it only needed to cook half the time.

This was a keeper. I changed it up a little bit and I would make it again. I used a pound of Johnsonville All Natural Sweet Italian sausage and added a few chili flakes. I used all chicken broth (3 quarts) instead of the broth and water called for and I used 1/2 lb lentils and 1/2 lb lentil wild rice blend from the bulk section at WinCo. Cooked for about 30 - 45 minutes stove top until the lentils were tender and then added the tomatoes. (When cooking lentils and beans adding tomatoes before the lentils are soft keeps them from softening) Then into a large crockpot on low until it was time for dinner. This would be a great dinner to have waiting at home after practice.

This was the best soup! Not overly spicy, but great flavour. Neither my husband or I like food too hot, this was perfect. Will be making this again!

This was a hit with the entire family... a grand accomplishment in this household! I tried to make the recipe to the letter, but, alas, I can't make anything without tweaking it at least a little. Doubled the sausage and probably quintupled the garlic. Subbed dried rosemary for the thyme, even though I like thyme. Hey - was in the mood for rosemary. Sliced the carrots into coins, rather than shred my knuckles, LOL. Since I always use chicken soup base paste, rather than canned broth, I'm not sure if my broth measurements were precise. Just winged-it. Still turned out to be a lovely meal; I don't miss Carrabba's sausage and lentil soup at all, anymore! We grown-folks added some heat to our bowls, but the soup really didn't need it. One of the few dishes we actually preferred without the hot stuff.... and that's saying something.

This soup was awesome! I followed the recipe exactly (because I felt like) and it was delicious. Even my boys (5 and 2) loved it. Up until now I couldn't get my older son to eat onion or celery in a soup; I have to strain it first. I would make this soup again just for this reason alone. We all loved it, the flavor was great. I think I might experiment with different chicken or turkey sausage or leaving it out because there was so much flavor. This is going into my regular rotation. Thank you for the recipe.

This recipe is wonderful. We all enjoyed it. The only thing that I changed was, I cooked the ditalini separately,and put it in a gallon size ziploc bag and refrigerated it. I add the pasta to each individual bowl of soup, so that the pasta stays firm and doesn't go mushy on me. I always do this with any soups that have pasta in them. Makes a huge difference. Will make this recipe often, during the cold winter months.

Skipped tomatoes, skipped pasta. Used turkey broth. Also added 2 tsp of fennel seeds to sweet chicken italian sausage. Added 1/2 cup Quinoa since we were going for super healthy meal. Added a couple handfuls of spinach before serving. EXCELLENT!

I made this with turkey sausage and schredded a beat instead of carrots. Was delicious- the whole family loved it including my 6 and 4 year old.

make this soup all the time and I love it!! It is just as good as Carrabba's :) I use hot Italian turkey sausage (healthier!) and add a little crushed pepper to kick it up a notch. I also use all chicken broth instead of water. It's a very filling, very flavorful, and very healthy soup! Oh, and I've never cooked it for 2.5 or 3 hours....1 hour or so seems to be plenty!

I was looking for a recipe that would rival Carrabba's Spicy Lentil Soup. This one is so very close!! We loved it! I used hot Italian sausage and doubled the meat. I also added 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes. Loved it!!!!!

Very good flavor. I used polish rope sausage because it was what I had on hand. I think either would be good. Used a bit more chilli pepper flakes. Nice and spicy with deep flavor. Oops I forgot I also used beef broth instead of chicken. Made it richer I'm sure. Nice way to use up a bunch of lentils I had in the pantry.

Was good as a starting point, but a little bland for a start. Will probably try it again but try some of the suggested changes of other reviewers - like spicy sausage or something.

Very tasty! I used bison sausages and put it in the slow cooker after cooking the vegetable (I baked the sausages separately) -- however, next time, I'll make sure to add the stock & lentils & bring to a boil before putting in the slow cooker. I didn't do that, so I had to put it on for about 14 hours to get the lentils soft - still it was great!

This is good, but a little bland for my taste. My family enjoyed it. I will make it again and try to add a little more flavor. I wish that I had halved the recipe.

We loved this! I deviated from the recipe just a little by increasing the sausage by half, using 2 stalks of celery, and chopping the carrot rather than shredding it. I used all chicken broth, no water, and I skipped the pasta because we didn’t think it needed it. I thought that 1 T. of garlic powder might be overkill, but it wasn’t and I used it all. I started checking this after an hour of simmering, but in my opinion the lentils weren’t nearly soft enough. I checked it every half hour after that, but ended up simmering this for the full 3 hours. This makes a big batch of soup, but I froze the leftovers to be enjoyed again and again! UPDATE 3/7/13 - I made this again. This time using only 8 oz. of hot Italian sausage which wasn't nearly enough. Next time I will double it to a full pound. I also used two really large cloves of garlic, rather than the garlic powder, that I added to the onions when they were just about translucent.

As other reviewers suggested, I used hot Italian sausage and added in 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (and the rest of the spices the recipe called for). The result was a spicy, delicious soup! We like our soups a little thicker so I added 9 cups of water and three bouillon cubes and it was perfect. I cooked on low for about 1.5 hours and it was done. Great recipe.

just the best..i added a little more seasonings..red pepper flakes and spicy diced tomatoes..only cooked it for an hour and a half..didn't need the pasta..my guy just loved it..will make this again..and again...

Excellent recipe as written! What I have done differently making this soup many more times is this: Bump up sausage to one pound, as sausage is usually sold in one pound units and what else am I to do with the leftover half pound,other than toss it onto some pasta with tomato sauce -that was good too. Same with the pasta, bump that up to a full pound too. Next, I have doubled the quantity of dried herbs, using 2 teaspoons of an Italian blend. Skip the salt, plenty of that already in the sausage. And reduce water to 6 cups and replace with 2 more cups of broth. Make sure to use brown or green lentils. The red and yellow lentils will turn to mush. These changes intensify the flavor, and it becomes more like stew on the soup/stew scale. Slice some Italian bread, spread with soft butter, sprinkle some grated parmasan cheese and a pinch of Italian herbs, place buttered/cheese side down on the griddle and fry until crisp golden brown. Very filling.

This soup was excellent! I used a 14 bean mix. I did soak the beans prior and pressure cooked for 30 mins to speed up the process. The flavor was wonderful. Added a dash of hot sauce and kick it up a little too.

Amazing!!!!!!!

YUM. Best decision EVER making this recipe.

This actually surprised me how good this was and comparable to Carraba's....I used hot Italian chicken sausage from Trader Joe's...it gave it the same flavor...but I had more or less sausage "discs" vs..crumbled sausage. Will make with a different sausage next time...but either way unbelievabley tasty. My husband said "you can make this anytime"....and I will!

We enjoyed this tremendously! I used chicken sausage (dietary preference) but otherwise followed the recipe. We're soup people and this one is now in the "keeper" file. Thanks so much!

If this went to a million stars I would rate it the highest of the highest. I used mild italian sausage instead of sweet but otherwise did the recipe exactly. I can't stop eating it.....BY FAR one of the best soups I've ever made (if not theeeee best).

Excellent recipe just like Carrabbas.

This is an awesome soup, great on a cold day. My grandchildren don't like lentils so I didn't tell them they were in the soup and they went for seconds. Hats of to you angchic!

Great soup. I used chorizo sausage instead for color and a little kick. I sauteed the onion, celery and carrot first as well, for added flavor. I used all chicken stock and red lentils for color. This is great with toasted croutons on top.

Yummy and flexible. I doubled the amount of meat, used turkey sweet sausage. Omited the pasta. All else as written. Served with crusty bread. DELICIOUS. There's a lot of soup but that's a good thing. Thank you.

This was very yummy and very easy to make. I made it on the stove top, but I am going to make it in the crock-pot next time.

our family loved this recipe

Loved this recipe! Used lite turkey sausage instead..Did add a little chili seasoning.. Otherwise, perfect!

I couldn't rate it 5 stars as written, the seasoning lacked something. I upped the flavour by adding a splash of Worchestershire sauce and added some Old Bay Seasoning to round out the flavour. Be careful with the salt; with the Worchestershire and Old Bay Seasoning, I did not add the tablespoon of salt called for in the recipe since these seasonings already contain salt, as do the canned tomatoes, sausages, and chicken broth.

A delicious and hearty soup. I used chicken sausage and red lentils. Because the red lentil cook pretty fast and turn to mush if cooked for too long, I added them last and then let the pot simmer for about 15 minutes. Came out perfect!

I love this soup and will make it again - DH thought it was just ok but he hates lentils :) I meant to cook the lentils separately and blend them but I added them in the regular pan so after an hour I blended everything lol so that made it weird to him - I'll do the lentils separate next time, blend then add to the soup. I followed the recipe very close, used half sweet & half hot sausage (I usually do that) and just used 8c water w/3tbsp powdered chicken broth, there was plenty of liquid. That's the only change - except for using WW orzo for the pasta but that didn't change the flavor.

so yummy! does taste a lot like Carrabbas sausage and lentil soup!! and REALLY easy to make!!

This was my first experience with lentils somehow, and my husband's as well. It was incredible. I'll definitely be making it again! I used 1 lb of sausage and left the celery and carrots chunky. I think I'll double the amount of these next time because the more the better IMO. The only odd thing is that the soup was done after about an hour, not the 2 1/2 - 3 indicated in the recipe. Try this recipe though - you'll LOVE it.

I fed the church with this today and it was a hit! Since I am in Mexico and could not find ditalini pasta I substituded with small elbow macaroni pasta. I also could not find canned diced tomatoes so I added 5 fresh diced tomatoes.

This was really tasty

My family very much enjoyed this soup. I made revisions - only because I didn't have all the ingredients. I fried the onions in all the spices until they were translucent, added Kielbasa sausage, shredded carrots, sliced celery and some of the chicken stock, can of lentils and black beans. I let that simmer for about 15 minutes. I then heated the remainder of the chicken stock, added water, the sausage mixture, 1TBS of sugar and 1 TBS of red wine vinegar. I then salted to taste. It was really good. The vinegar really adds something.

Best lentil soup i have ever had, nevermind made. I followed the recipe exact and it was amazing.

absolutely loved this recipe! i am a newly wed and i used to love it when my mom made lentil soup, my husband and i love spicy food so i added spicy italian sausage, zesty diced tomatoes from del monte and a lil bit of red peppers....and only used 6 cups of water :)

This is a great cold weather soup. I will be making this again. Would be great in a crock pot for the super bowl or any potluck.

This soup rocks! Amazing flavors with the mix of herbs and sausage makes every spoonful memorable! Tastes even better the next day.

This is an awesome soup! I tried it out on my husband first and he gave it his stamp of approval so I made it for a luncheon at work. Big Hit! I used some chorizo sausage just to spice it up a bit.

This was fabulous. I used a pound of sweet Italian turkey sausage, skipped the pasta and added some fresh cut up kale. Great as leftovers and it freezes well.

Delicious!

It was hot in MN today but hubby had the AC cranked up inside and I was happy to have this soup for dinner. I followed the directions exactly and it came out great. Next time I might double the sausage but otherwise I wouldn't change anything. I used the pasta too and it really soaked up liquid after sitting in the fridge so I think I'll have to add a little water to thin out leftovers when reheating.

very tasty recipe ,my husband who does not normaly like peas had two helpings

Way too salty. When I read the recipe I thought it was too heavy on the salt so I only put half of the amout called for. Next time i'll omit the salt all together.

Too salty!!! 1 TBS must be a mistake. Try it starting with 1/4 tsp and go from there or you will end up with soup you can't eat! Otherwise it's delicious!

I used smoked sausage as I needed to use some up. Added some Cajun seasoning and shredded cabbage. Very comforting and tasty!

Very yummy. Used bag of 16 soup bean mix. First day had with French bread. Second day was even tastier with corn chips and a sprinkle of crushed red peppers.

This is a hearty, flavorful soup that smells wonderful while simmering. I substituted chicken broth for the water and added a tablespoon of tomato paste, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of Sriracha. I also upped the amount of Italian sweet sausage to 1 lb. Did not add pasta because I wanted more of a soup, rather than stew, consistency. Will be making this one again!

I loved this soup. Next time, I will cook the lentils separately and then add to the soup to make sure they are done enough. Mine were a bit undercooked.

Tasty. As written, I thought it was lacking something. It tasted just a little "flat." I added a few spoonfuls of tomato paste and red wine vinegar and really liked the result. Served it over quinoa instead of pasta.

This soup was amazing! The only changes I made were chopped carrots instead of shredded, 6 cups water, spicy sausage, and no pasta or thyme. I also only cooked it for an hour which is all it took to get the lentils soft. It was sooo tasty and spicy! My husband loved it and so did my two year old. I froze a container for my parents and my mom is asking for the recipe. This is the best soup I've probably ever had!

Excellent light dinner served with a salad! My preferences: No tomato. No pasta. Salt to taste at the end....1 TBSP listed is too much!! Used only fresh garlic and fresh herbs. I diced all the vegetables about the same size as the lentils(1/4 inch), and added 2 TBSP red bell pepper. I used Oscar Mayer Turkey Sausage-small dice, adding the sausage after the first 30 minutes. Started with 1 box broth and 10 cups water and simmered for 1 1/2 hours, I wanted the lentils to maintain their shape and not turn to mush. If you cook it longer or higher you may have to add more liquid. Romano cheese sprinkled at the end is really unnecessary, plenty of flavor going on already! Portioned into servings and froze the left over for easy quick individual meals. This recipe is a keeper!!

I made the recipe as instructed and thought that the sausage was overpowering as were the Italian spices. I couldn't taste the lentils or vegetables just the sausage and spice.

I added a can of corn and my hubby actually said it was just as good as the soup his mother used to make...it doesn't get any better than that!! Thanks for a great recipe!!

Very good. I added chopped kale during the last 30 minutes. I also left the pasta out to lower the carb content.

Excellent, I did'nt have sausages so use extra lean ground turkey and pumped up the spices also used a can of tomato sauce, big hit here with 2 adult health nut sons.One asked for a copy of it.

mmmm, good. I skipped the past and used about 3/4 lb sweet It sausage, and only 6 cups of water. The only thing I will change for future batches is to drain the sausage better first and add spinach at the end. I didn't add any salt-never do except for baking- and didn't use parsley since we didn't have any. I made this again for company with sweet italian turkey sausage (3 links), all broth, and threw in some spinach towards the end. Everyone loved it, and asked for the recipe. It does make a lot and I was glad to read that it froze well. For just the 2 of us, I make 1/2 recipe.

I enjoyed it and it made lots of leftovers. I doubled the sausage and vegetables and reduced the liquid as per the suggestions from the reviews. I will be adding this to my fall soup rotation.

Definitely will try this next time with the hot sausage. I used mild and added red pepper flakes, but it was too spicy. Will not do the red pepper next time. I think this was a tasty substitute for the Carabba's restaurant version which I love!

Loved this! I was looking for a recipe that would make lentils more tasty to eat, since they're so healthy. I don't usually like regular lentil soup. This was perfect. I left out the water and made it more like a chili or thicker soup. Delicious! I will definitely be adding this to my dinner repertoire, especially in the winter months.

Delicious Soup! My whole family gave it a thumbs up, served it with toasted garlic bread.

I add more sausage. It's great topped with lemon juice and grated Parmesan cheese, or topped with sour cream.

I made this soup last year for a party and my friends are still talking about it this year! I guess that means it's good!! No changes, but I didn't add the pasta.

Very good soup!!! However, it was a bit thick so I used half the lentils and doubled the meat. I also sliced the carrots instead of shredding them. I love this soup!!!

This lentil soup is amazing! my husband is very picky with food, he loved it! couldnt stop eating it. This is restaurant quality

I skipped the tomatoes and it turned out great!

This soup is awesome! We were 3 days into a snow storm and I was freezer/pantry diving and this fit the bill. I doubled the onions, celery and carrots. I had frozen cooked lentils, I used 6 cups. I used Better than Bouillon, vegetable bouillon not water and chicken stock. I didn't have diced tomatoes, I used 8 oz no salt added tomato sauce and 8 oz salsa. For the spices I used my homemade salt free Mexican seasoning, dried parley for the fresh, and I omitted the salt. I also had a bunch of kale to use up, I added that and cooked the soup for about 45 minutes.

This soup made my son, who was a reluctant soup eater, an enthusiastic soup eater!

OH MAN!!!! I JUST MADE AND SERVERD THIS SOUP TO MY FAMILY AND LET ME SAY THAT IT WAS A HIT!! I TOO OMITTED THE WATER AND USED LOW SODIUM CHICKEN BROTH ONLY. VERY SIMPLE AND QUICK TO PREPARE. I SERVED MINE WITH SALAD AND SOURDOUGH BREAD.

I used a whole pound of Italian sausage for this. Once I browned the sausage, I put it in the crockpot with the rest of the ingredients on high for 4 hours. I also reduced the amount of water to 6 cups and added the pasta during the last 25 minutes of cooking. This turned out more like stew, but it was positively delicious!

I made this tonight, and didn't have carrots, so substituted fennel for them. I diced it up so that it wasn't chunky. The recipe made about 17 cups of soup, and tasted very good. The only other change I made, because I didn't have chicken broth, was to use Better Than Bouillon. Better Than Bouillon is fairly salty, so I left out the salt and only used 2 teaspoons of the Better Than Bouillon for the entire pot of soup. I recommend this soup! It will feed the 3 of us 3 meals, which was an added bonus to me.

This was delicious with a few changes. I added chopped kale at the end of the cooking process. doubled carrots, garlic and celery. diced the carrot instead shredding. and used 8 cups of homemade chicken stock and 2 cups of water. Also added orzo pasta.