Hearty Lentil Soup

Steps

▶ Tap a timecode to jump to roughly that moment in the video.

1. 1
   In a separate pan, brown the sausage over medium heat. Break it apart with a wooden spoon into small crumbles, creating a Maillard reaction for deeper flavor rather than cutting with a knife. Cook until well-browned with caramelized edges.
   ▶ ≈2:23
2. 2
   In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, add the onion and cook until it begins to soften. Add the chopped garlic and immediately pour in 8 oz of broth to prevent burning. This captures the garlic aroma while preventing it from scorching.
   ▶ ≈2:38
3. 3
   Add the evenly diced celery and carrots to the pot. Stir in fresh thyme, chopped sage, and chopped fresh basil. Adjust amounts based on what you have available—dried herbs can substitute if fresh is unavailable.
   ▶ ≈2:57
4. 4
   Add the 14 oz can of crushed tomatoes to the pot. Transfer the browned sausage with all its fat into the soup. Add 8 oz red lentils and 8 oz brown lentils, checking both for any stones before adding.
   ▶ ≈6:14
5. 5
   Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 30 minutes until the lentils begin to soften.
   ▶ ≈11:52
6. 6
   When the soup is nearly done, remove the stems from the kale leaves. Rinse the leaves thoroughly in a salad spinner to remove any grit, then chop finely into small pieces. Spinach can be substituted if kale is not preferred.
   ▶ ≈11:59
7. 7
   Once the lentils have softened, add cubed sweet potato and the chopped kale to the pot. Continue simmering until the sweet potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes) while keeping the kale slightly crispy-textured.
   ▶ ≈13:28
8. 8
   Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper. Add additional broth to reach desired consistency (approximately 8-10 cups total can be used, depending on preference). Be cautious with salt if using store-bought broth, which is often already quite salty.
   ▶ ≈14:20
9. 9
   Ladle the soup into bowls and top each serving with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, which will melt instantly from the heat. Serve alongside crusty country bread.
   ▶ ≈16:38