Tomato Lentil Soup with Sausage

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from the casings
• 1 cup leeks, whites only, cleaned of sand and diced
• 1/2 cup celery, diced small
• 1/2 cup carrots diced small
• 2 cups Tuscan kale, chopped (Discard ribs)
• 1 teaspoon dry oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dry marjoram
• 3 2-tablespoon pouches Hunt’s Recipe Ready Tomato Paste
• 1 pound dried lentils
• 1 14.5-ounce can Hunts Diced Tomatoes
• 2 quarts vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   In a 5-6 quart Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, heat two tablespoons of the oil over medium high heat.

2. 2

   Once hot, add sausage meat and break up with a wooden spoon while browning, about 3-4 minutes.

3. 3

   Move the sausage meat to the sides and add the remaining oil along with the leeks, celery and carrots. Stir and cook until the leeks begin to soften, about 2-3 more minutes.

4. 4

   Add in the chopped kale and stir the entire mixture and cook to wilt the kale, about another 2 minutes.

5. 5

   Add in the tomato paste and stir into the mixture. Reduce to medium and cook this for 2 more minutes.

6. 6

   Add the lentils, diced tomatoes and the stock and raise the heat to high.

7. 7

   Bring to a boil, cover and lower to the lowest heat.

8. 8

   Cook covered for 35-45 minutes or until the lentils are soft. Be careful not to overcook the lentils. They should still have a little chew.

9. 9

   Season with the salt and pepper and taste. Season more if needed.

10. 10

    Use a small ladle or soup spoon and remove any fat that floats to the top and discard. (We removed about a half cup of fat.)

11. 11

    This final step is optional but advised. Puree some of the soup but not all by either placing some in a blender or use an immersion blender and puree for a few seconds. This will give the soup a nice creamy texture but still have plenty of body.