Even if September still feels like summer, October is a great time to officially start soup season. I make soup at least once a week, usually cooking enough for leftovers. I often serve it with biscuits, cornbread, honey-butter beer bread, or a crusty loaf of sourdough. The kids discovered dipping bread into soup and now they love it even more. This lentil sausage soup is hearty and healthy — ideal for cool autumn evenings.
At 37 weeks pregnant, I’m getting ready to meet our new baby and nesting by prepping meals for the freezer. Some people deep clean when they nest; I spend extra time in the kitchen to make postpartum life easier. Soups and stews are excellent freezer meals: they freeze and reheat well and are perfect for fall and winter babies. This lentil sausage soup is full of flavor and nutritious ingredients — protein-rich lentils, sweet potato, canned tomatoes, and leafy greens. It’s thick, filling, and exactly what you want on a chilly night.
On a practical note, I plan to continue posting new recipes on the blog until my due date. After the baby arrives I’ll slow down a bit: I will post about the birth and then a few more times before the end of the year. Expect lots of new recipes and content next year. Follow along on Instagram for baby photos and updates.
- 1 lb. Italian sausage
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 8 cups beef broth
- 1 1/2 cups dried lentils
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
- 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
- 1 tsp. ground dried thyme
- 2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
- 4-5 cups chopped leafy greens (spinach, mustard greens, or similar)
- Brown the Italian sausage in a large pot, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks.
- Add olive oil if needed, then sauté the celery, onion, garlic, and carrots until they begin to soften.
- Stir in the beef broth, lentils, sweet potato, diced tomatoes, salt, thyme, Italian seasoning, pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Simmer 20–30 minutes, until the lentils and sweet potato are tender.
- Add the chopped greens by the handful and stir until they wilt into the soup.
- Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve hot.
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