Beth's Spicy Sausage Lentil Soup

If you've been to Carrabba's then you've probably had their sausauge and lentil soup.  And if you've had their sausage and lentil soup then you probably love it.  And if you love it then you probably want some more of it!

I took a recipe that I found online at Food.com and made a few changes based on what I had in the pantry.  We love it!

Beth's Spicy Sausage Lentil Soup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup onion,chopped
• 3/4 cup carrot, grated
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 lb. Italian sausage, mild and in bulk
• 1/2 cup ham , diced
• 7 cups water
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 lb lentils, rinsed
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chilies, drained
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

Directions:

1.  Heat olive oil in large soup pot.  Add onion, carrot, garlic and sausage.  Saute for 8 minutes stirring frequently. Break up the sausage but not too small - be sure to leave some large chunks. 

2. Add ham and cook for another minute.

3. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil.  Then reduce heat and simmer for an hour.

4. Before serving use an emulsion blender to puree the soup. Do it long enough so that about half of the lentils are pureed and the other half are still whole. (I do this because we like a smoother soup. You can skip this step if you like your beans whole.)

I served this with bread that was fresh out of my bread maker. All you need to make it just like being at Carrabba's is the oil and vinegar and spices for dipping - and I've got a recipe for that too!  I'll try to post that later on in the week.

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