French lentil & garlic sausage soup
Earthy and satisfying, De Puy lentils are the perfect counterpoint to French garlic sausage in this comforting soup. This recipe has been a cornerstone to my casual holiday gatherings for years. People follow me around asking for the recipe. The recipe credit goes to Tom Valenti and was originally published in his 2003 cookbook “Stews and One-Pot Meals.”
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hours 60 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 1 large onion, peeled and cut into quarters
- 2 stalks celery, trimmed and cut into thirds
- 1 carrot, peeled and cut into thirds
- 1 T plus 1/4 cup good extra virgin olive oil plus more for garnishing
- 3 pounds garlic sausage, cut at an angle into 1/2″ slices
- 17 ounces De Puy Lentils
- 2 T fresh thyme, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 T kosher or coarse sea salt
- Ground pepper
- 10 – 12 cups of chicken stock or more, depending on how thick you like your soup
- Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano (optional)
Instructions
- Place garlic cloves in food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add onion, celery and carrot and pulse until coarsely chopped. Set aside.
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large heavy gauge pot. A Le Creuset Dutch oven is the perfect pot for this recipe. Brown the sausage on all sides, working in batches. Remove the browned sausage from the pan and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Leave the rendered sausage fat in the pot.
- Add the chopped vegetables to the fat in the pot and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Take care not to burn.
- Add 1/4 cup olive oil, lentils, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and let cook about a minute. Add enough chicken stock to cover vegetable and lentil mixture. Bring to a boil and then lower temperature and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add 2 cups of chicken stock, more if you prefer a more soup-like consistency. Return sausage to the pot and simmer about an hour uncovered.
- Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, a crusty piece of bread and a simple salad. Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano is a nice optional garnish