Lentil Soup with Sausage & Kale

Hi Everyone!  As promised, here is the recipe for that delicious low smart points soup I teased you all on Instragram and Facebook with last week.  This Lentil Soup is packed with the goodness of a little spice from Italian Sausage, a little smoke from the fire roasted tomatoes, a little herbiness with creaminess from the lentils and a bunch of vegetables that add a crunchy bite.  This soup is tasty own it’s on but even better served up with crusty french bread.  I always have my bread on the side but The Husband insists you have to dip it in your soup!  This soup may be low in points but it’s definitely packed with flavor and is the perfect fall dinner to warm you up from the inside out.

LENTIL SOUP WITH SAUSAGE & KALE (print it!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb Spicy Italian Turkey Sausage, casings removed (Jennie-O or make your own)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 3 celery stalks, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups dried lentils, rinsed
• Two 15 oz cans fire roasted, diced tomatoes
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 cups loosely packed kale leaves
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cook the sausage in a large soup pan over medium-high, stirring often, until the meat crumbles and begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and cook until slightly softened and the sausage is browned all over, about 4 more minutes.
2. Add the chicken stock, water, lentils, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf and bring to ? a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the lentils have softened, 35 to 40 minutes.
3. Stir in the kale and cook until softened, about 5-7 minute. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.

Makes 10 heaping 1 cup servings, 3 smartpoints each.  If using homemade sausage, this is 100% Simply Filling.

Nutritional information per serving including the vegetables calculated at caloriecount.com

Happy Fall! What soup are you making this season?