Lentil Soup with Spinach, Sausage, and Tubettini

[mos]

this recipe assumes that you purchase meat on sale or from the markdown bin, keep your freezer stocked with spinach, keep lentils (and other dried peas and beans) in your cabinet, and have a cupboard full of pasta;-) I love it when I can get a package of Italian sausage for .99!
Lentil Soup with Spinach, Sausage, and Tubettini
1/2 lb brown lentils, rinsed
10 cups light meat broth or water
1 celery rib with leaves
1 bay leaf
1 tbs salt
2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
10 oz sweet Italian sausages with fennel seeds, casings removed, crumbled
2 tbs tomato paste
2 tsp fresh marjoram or 1 tsp dried
1 1/4 cups chopped fresh or canned drained plum tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup tubettini or any small tube pasta
1/2 lb spinach fresh or 10-oz pkg frozen spinach, thawed
Place the lentils in a large pan with the broth or water, celery, bay leaf, and salt.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the lentils are nearly tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a skillet, combine the olive oil, garlic, and onion. Saute over medium-ow heat until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the sausage meat and saute for 10 minutes, until golden. Add the tomato paste dissolved in a little of the lentil broth and stir well. Stir in the marjoram and tomatoes.

Stir the sausage and onion mixture, the tubettini, and spinach into the lentils. Simmer until the spinach is tender (or heated thoroughly if using the frozen) and the pasta is al dente, about 7 minutes. Discard the celery and bay leaf, and serve.

[blndemom23]

this sounds perfect for the cooler weather headed into my area! I bet this is yummy!

[mos]

oh it is! it dropped to 49 degrees last night and that motivated me to break out the ‘hearty’ soups;-)

[beansthemama]

I really eat a lot of lentil soup when I was preggo with my oldest. I read that buy eating lentils that it helps support brain devolopment. Well I must have over done it, he is too smart for his own good. LOL Thanks for the great post!

[mos]

hmmm…maybe i should start feeding lentil soup to my students! lol!

[kchara]

This sounds awesome! I’ll have to put it on the menu for this week!

[Author]

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