Sausage & Lentil Soup

Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

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

Recipe

• 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.