Sausage Lentil Soup

Spice up your winter nights with a steaming bowl of Sausage Lentil Soup! Bursting with hearty, savory flavors and comforting ingredients, this soup is the perfect way to cozy up for dinner. Just add thick slices of crusty bread on the side.

Course Soup

Cuisine German

Keyword best lentil soup, lentil soup recipe, sausage lentil soup, tradtional lentil soup recipe

Prep Time 3 10

Cook Time 45

Total Time 45

Servings

Calories 443kcal

Author Maike Corbett

Ingredients

1 bag lentils (dry) Goya lentils you'll find in every supermarket, linked for reference
12 ounces bacon (thick-cut) thick-cut bacon is preferable, but regular bacon works, too - see blog post for more details
1½ cups onion diced, 1-2 small onions, or 1 medium onion
1½-2 cups carrots diced, 1-2 carrots
2 whole bay leaves recommended, but optional
64 ounces beef stock beef broth works, too
¼-½ cup white wine vinegar please refer to the notes section as to why I am giving a range
⅛-⅓ cup sugar please refer to notes why I am giving a range
salt and pepper to taste
4 links beef franks sliced, about 11-12 oz depending on the brand

Instructions

In a large soup pot, cook the bacon over medium heat.
Once the bacon starts to cook a bit, add a splash of beef broth and the diced onions. Sauté the onions for about 10 minutes.
Add the dry lentils to the pot. Stir them well so they mix with the bacon and onions.
Pour the rest of the beef stock into the pot. If you're using bay leaves, add them now. Cover the pot with a lid and bring everything to a boil.
Once the soup is boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer. Let it cook for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, add the diced carrots to the pot. Keep the soup simmering for another 15-20 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
Now it’s time to make it just how you like it! Add white wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper to taste.
If you're using diced beef franks, add them now. Let them simmer until they're warm, which should take about 1 minute.
Serve your soup hot. If you like, you can add some fresh parsley on top for garnish.

Notes

VINEGAR & SUGAR

White wine vinegar is perfect for this recipe. Red wine works, too. The reason why I like to add vinegar is twofold. First, it's quite delicious, especially when well-balanced against sugar. Secondly, the vinegar's fermented acids help make lentils easier to digest.

I am giving a range of how much vinegar and sugar to add. Quite frankly, it really depends on your preferences. However, I recommend adding at least ¼ cup of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of sugar to start. This amount will give the soup a lift but not overpower the soup.

Stir, season with salt and pepper, and see if you like to add more.

In Germany, it's not uncommon that a family will serve lentil soup and vinegar and sugar as condiments so family members can season it to their own liking.

Nutrition