With Fall comes soup. Yeah! Of course, I never let the weather outside stop me from making soup, even on really hot days, because I happen to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE SOUP! OK, I don’t make soup as often during the summer. But when Fall arrives, I build us a soup at least every 10 days or so. And even more often in Winter. Soup is just so darn easy to make, relatively inexpensive to prepare, and always eagerly gobbled up at table.

This soup came about because I had left-over brats in the fridge. And not wanting to eat them again with just a side of mustard, I decided to use them in a soup. So, I went online and found the bones of this recipe on the kalejunkie.com site. I made some minor changes, but mainly this wonderful soup is our gift from Nicole.

And although at first glance, it looks like there are a lot of ingredients, the soup comes together very quickly. And boy oh boy is this soup tasty.

You will notice from the title that I use green lentils in this recipe. Green lentils are like other lentils, but they have a thicker skin than most, and that helps keep their shape during cooking. They also have a more peppery taste. But any type of lentil would be great in this soup. And in case you didn’t know, lentils are very nutritious. Their health benefits include fiber, protein, and key vitamins.

So, without further ado, a recipe for a savory soup I believe your whole family will enjoy.

Peace and love to all.

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 c. finely chopped onion

1 c. diced carrot

1 c. diced celery

¾ c. chopped green cabbage, opt.

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 T. tomato paste

1 T. chopped fresh parsley or 1 tsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. dried basil

½ tsp. dried oregano

½ tsp. dry mustard

freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. hot sauce

6 c. chicken broth

2 c. beef broth

1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes

1⅓ c. dry French green or brown lentils, rinsed

2-3 c. diced cooked brats or any cooked sausage (your choice)

sour cream, opt.

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy covered pot. (I use my Le Creuset Dutch oven.) Add the diced onions, celery, carrots, and cabbage and sauté until the onion becomes soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  

Add the tomato paste; cook for 2 minutes. Then stir in the parsley, basil, oregano, dry mustard, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Stir in the chicken broth, beef broth, and rinsed lentils.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 1 hour or until the lentils are tender. Stir occasionally.

Just before serving, stir in the cooked sausage and bring soup to a boil.

Great served with a small dollop of sour cream. Toasted Light Rye Bread (recipe on site) and icy cold beer are great accompaniments.