This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. That means if you click on my link and buy something, I will earn a small commission from the advertiser at no additional cost to you. For more information, see our disclosure policy.

Lentil Soup with Sausage is one of those feel-good soup recipes that almost everyone enjoys. It’s a hearty soup that is perfect for cooler weather, but that also makes sense to eat year-round. My version is very vegetable-forward and chunky, with loads of protein and nutrition from all of the beans and veggies, including mushrooms, spinach, carrots, celery, onions and tomato. And, the addition of Italian sausage adds a beautiful richness!

Italian Sausage Soup with Sausage Plated

I grew up eating this Lentil Soup with Sausage. It was a little different every time we had it, depending on what we had on hand in terms of types of vegetables, lentils or sausage. But, each time it was so delicious. Lentils are one of those perfect foods, in my humble opinion. Filled with protein and nutrition, they are so satisfying, versatile and easy to cook. They don’t require soaking overnight or long cooking times like many other beans, so they are a great option for a relatively last minute dish. It’s always a good idea to keep lentils in your pantry for this reason.

While this soup recipe has a healthy list of ingredients, almost all of the prep can be done a day in advance. Once the vegetables are ready and chopped, the soup is extremely straightforward to make and just requires a bit of sauté and simmer time. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do and make it over and over again! Enjoy!

Great for New Year’s!

If you’d like to usher in the New Year like they do in Italy, but cannot get your hands on the traditional cotechino sausage served on the last day of every year, this Lentil Soup with Sausage is a great, one-pot alternative. Lentils are believed to bring good luck and prosperity throughout the new year because they resemble coins. The lentils are traditionally served with slices of rich and thick cotechino sausage, that are also said to resemble coins. While I completely recognize that this is not the traditional lentils with cotechino, I admit to having made and served this many, many times for both New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. It’s just something to consider . . .

For a different take on lentil soup, check out my Red Lentil Sweet Potato and Kale Soup recipe.

Ingredients

To make Lentil Soup with Sausage, we will be using the following ingredients:

Lentils: I love to use either Umbrian lentils (a.k.a., lenticchie di Castelluccio) or French lentils for this soup, as they are firm, hold their shape really well and have a wonderful texture once cooked. But, you can also use brown lentils in this recipe. Brown lentils will likely take a bit less time to cook and require less liquid, so reduce the amount of broth in the recipe by about 1 cup or so.
Italian Sausage: Sausage adds a beautiful richness, heartiness and incredible flavor to the soup. I generally use sweet Italian sausage in this recipe, but feel free to use hot if you’d prefer.
Mushrooms and Spinach: This is a very hearty, veggie-forward lentil soup with loads of nutrition from all the vegetables. Mushroom and spinach are natural accompaniments to lentils and work so well here, adding loads of flavor and texture. I use fresh spinach in this recipe, but have used frozen spinach successfully dozens of times.
Red Wine: The red wine adds an element of acid and also an earthy note, both complementing the other flavors in the soup. Be sure to use a dry (i.e., not sweet) red wine, such as chianti or merlot.
Canned Diced Tomatoes: Adds umami (savoriness) and a depth of flavor to the soup. For convenience, I suggest a diced tomato for this recipe. But, you can definitely start with canned whole tomatoes and hand-crush them. I do not suggest tomato puree for this recipe as it doesn’t have the desired texture.
Garlic, Yellow Onions, Carrots and Celery: These ingredients are important components in building a strong base of flavor in many soups, and also add texture and nutrition!
Broth (chicken or vegetable or both): Homemade is always preferred. If purchased, I suggest a low- or no-sodium version. (Regular varieties are laden with sodium and it is always better for you to control the amount of salt in the final product!)
Herbs: Dried oregano, dried basil and bay leaves all contribute a unique character to the soup.
Olive Oil: Used to sauté the vegetables and caramelize the tomato paste. In addition, I suggest drizzling each bowl of soup with some very high-quality finishing olive oil.
Pecorino Romano Cheese: Adds sharpness and saltiness to the finished soup – in a good way!

A complete and detailed list of ingredients with amounts and instructions is included in the recipe below.⁠

Step-By-Step, Pro-Tips included!

Here are the main steps for how to make Lentil Soup with Sausage:

Prep and measure all ingredients. Be sure to rinse or peel all vegetables before using.
- PRO-TIP: Feel free to coarsely chop the onions, carrots, celery and garlic in a food processor to save time. In addition, to save time when cooking, prep the vegetables in advance and store them in a zip-lock bag in the refrigerator for up to one day.
- PRO-TIP: Whenever cooking with lentils or any bean, inspect them in a bowl or on a cutting board for any hard rocks or debris.

Italian Sausage Soup with Sausage In Process

Brown sausage in pot, then remove. Then, cook onions, celery, carrots, garlic and crushed red pepper and cook until vegetables have softened a bit.
Move vegetables to one side of pot, then add tomato paste and caramelize it for about 30 seconds. Add wine and deglaze, loosening and scraping up any browned bits on bottom of pot. Add broth, tomatoes, mushrooms, lentils, salt, black pepper, dried herbs, bay leaves and reserved sausage and stir until all ingredients are well-combined.
- PRO-TIP: If you can’t find French or Umbrian lentils (a.k.a., Castelluccio lentils), brown lentils can be used. If using brown lentils, you can reduce the amount of broth by 1 cup. Also, note that different lentils take different lengths of time to cook, so adjust the simmering time accordingly and check the lentils every 5 to 10 minutes if you are not sure.

Simmer the mixture, partially covered, until the lentils and all vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add additional liquid if you want a brothier soup. Once the lentils are tender, stir in spinach and cook for another 2 minutes, then turn off heat.

Ladle soup into bowls and top with grated Pecorino Romano cheese and a light drizzle of high-quality olive oil.
- PRO-TIP: The soup gets better as it sits, so it is a great option to make ahead of time. It does, however, tend to get thicker as it sits, so, you may want to add some water when reheating. That’s it!

If you like this recipe, check out Authentic Tuscan Ribollita Soup, Italian Wedding Soup, Tortellini Soup, Pasta with Chickpeas, Creamy Crab Mushroom Soup and Escarole with Beans.

Recipe Variations for Lentil Soup with Sausage

This Lentil Soup with Sausage is pretty perfect as is, but here are a few ideas for simple twists:

Lighten it and Make it Plant-Based! If you’d like to reduce the overall fat (and animal) content of this recipe, just leave out the sausage and cheese–an easy modification yielding a delicious, 100% plant-based soup!
Make it Brothier: This is a hearty and thick soup that could be made brothier just by adding additional both, to your liking.

What to Serve With Lentil Soup with Sausage

Lentil Soup with Sausage is a hearty, filling soup that doesn’t need much to accompany it. Serve it with some crusty pane di casa or garlic bread and you have a perfect meal!

In a smaller portion, this Lentil Soup would pair nicely with a mixed green salad or sandwich for lunch or a light dinner.

Kitchen Tools & Cookware for Lentil Soup with Sausage

recipe link

5 from 22 votes (4 ratings without comment)

30 Comments