Smoked Sausage and Lentil Soup with Chard

This is one of the simplest, no-fuss soups you’ll ever make. And maybe one of the tastiest. I used very few ingredients in the recipe because I wanted the three main ones to be the flavor-base of the dish—juicy smoked sausage and savory, earthy lentils and chard. Not much else needed.

As with any dish, when you’re depending on a few simple ingredients, make sure those ingredients are the best they can be. If you have access to a butcher shop that sells responsibly produced, local meats, buy your smoked sausage there. It really does make a difference.

Smoked Sausage

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb smoked sausage, thinly sliced
• 1 cup thinly sliced, small, peeled carrots
• 1 large leek, thinly sliced 
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup brown lentils
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper      
• 3 cups chopped chard

Sausage Ready to Cook

Soup Ingredients

Preparation

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat and add the oil. Add the sausage, carrots, and leek and cook 10 minutes.
2. Add the broth and lentils and season with salt and pepper. Bring the broth to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook 30 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender.

Sausage and Vegetables Beginning to Cook

Broth and Lentils Added

1. Add the chard to the pot and stir to incorporate. Re-cover the pot and cook 10 minutes.

Chard Added to Soup

Cooked Soup

To serve, divide the soup among 4 to 5 bowls and serve hot.