Many years ago I worked at an Italian restaurant that had lentil and Italian sausage soup on the menu. It was not something I would normally be drawn to on a menu and if it wasn’t for the fact that we had to sample the entire menu, I may have never tried it. One taste and I began my love affair with this amazingly comforting winter soup. I set out to recreate that very soup and the memories tied to it. I am proud to announce that it was a huge success. If you are skeptical, give it one taste and you will become a believer.
Every time I make this, the whole family fights over who gets the last bowl. It is our daughters favorite. She requests it often. For me, it is a toss up between this and my Chicken Bacon Chowder Recipe. If you are a big soup fan like me, check out my entire section of low carb, keto soups and stews. I even have an ebook make up entirely of SOUP!! Slow Cooker Soups and Stews – 30 Recipes to Keep you Warm During Winter!
Did you know that I have an entire ebook dedicated to low carb soups and stews? I love warm and comforting soup recipes, especially in the cooler fall and winter months.
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Lentil and Italian Sausage Soup
- Yield: 16 Servings 1x
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb Italian sausage
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups lentils
- 1 cup spinach, packed
- 1/2 cup carrots, diced
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small leek, cleaned and trimmed
- 1 rib celery, diced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat slow cooker on low setting.Thoroughly rinse lentils, and add to slow cooker with chicken stock.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown sausage in olive oil and butter.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove sausage from pan, reserving drippings. Add the cooked sausage to the slow cooker.
- Add spinach, carrots, onions, garlic, leek, celery and a little salt and black pepper to the pan. Sauté vegetables over medium heat until tender. About 10 minutes.
- Add sauteed vegetables to the slow cooker and mix in.
- Stir in heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, Dijon mustard, and red wine vinegar. Cover and allow to cook on low 6-8 hours.
Notes
Per Serving – Calories:195 | Fat: 14g | Protein: 11g | Net Carbs: 4.9g
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cup
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Rettakat says
November 7, 2012 at 10:43 pmOooh! Before I went low carb, I used to make a yummy lentil soup that used hamburger. But I quit making it, thinking lentils were not low carb. But yours is very reasonable! And I love your ingredients. Definitely gonna try this one. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Jennifer says
November 7, 2012 at 11:23 pmThis soup sounds really wonderful, Kyndra.
Saundra says
November 12, 2012 at 1:52 amThanks for the fabulous recipe! I made it today, and it was perfect for such a cold, rainy day. I can see this becoming a comfort food in my home. Delicious!
Anonymous says
December 16, 2012 at 8:12 pmSounds delicious! I’m putting italian sausage on the shopping list so I can try it.
Anonymous says
January 13, 2013 at 2:54 amMaking it tonight – just had a taste after 4 hrs in the crockpot … DELISH. I used red split lentils cause the store was out of the other. Still just as good. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
Vasthy Mompoint says
February 6, 2013 at 1:21 amIts cooking now!! Ill post a review when it’s done!
Haley says
March 28, 2013 at 8:17 pmThis was delicious. I made this on the stove, doubled the veggies, and had a wonderful meal :). Thanks for posting.
Nickie says
November 4, 2014 at 2:05 pmI made this over Halloween weekend so my kiddos would have something to eat that was warm and easy. They LOVED this soup/stew as did my hubby and I. I did not use quite the amount of chicken broth it called for (bc I didn’t have enough) and added about 1/2 cup of red wine as well, so it was more like a stew. A very delicious stew! Thanks for sharing!
Felicia Apuzzo says
October 2, 2015 at 11:42 amHi
Is that 4.9 carbs a cup or 49 carbs?
I thought lentils were high in carb i stopped making them when I started low carb
thanks
Peace Love and Low Carb says
October 2, 2015 at 3:59 pmIt is 4.9 net carbs per cup.
Keri says
February 23, 2017 at 9:04 amAs with everything on a low carb diet, you need to check your labels. I.E. rainbow lentils are more than double the carbs of regular lentils. Some heavy cream contains 0 carbs while others contain 1 gram per tablespoon.
I used lentils I had in my pantry making my soup 12 grams per serving. I’ll have to watch my carbs closely for the day, but it’s totally doable to have an amazing dinner.
Sarah Eicher says
September 30, 2016 at 7:54 pmI made this today and oh my! It is so delicious. The Italian sausage brought just the right amount of spice. I have heard my husband comment on how good the sausage “chili” was at least a half dozen times tonight. Great recipe!!!
Jen says
October 14, 2016 at 5:57 pmThis soup looks great! Have you ever tried freezing it? I live alone and can’t eat a whole batch at once…thanks!
Stephanie says
October 16, 2016 at 3:52 pmHi! I have been making this soup for years and LOVE IT! I usually double it and freeze the second batch for another time — btw, freezes fantastic. I just don’t add the milk/cheese before freezing.
Cole Gifford says
February 26, 2017 at 10:48 amMaybe a stupid question but I will ask anyways. Is there a difference in “heavy Cream” and “Heavy Whipping Cream” for this recipe? I want to try this, but I am new to the heavy cream recipes.
Peace Love and Low Carb says
February 26, 2017 at 5:45 pmThere is not. They are the same.
Stephanie says
September 24, 2017 at 5:06 pmHi! First, I love this recipe and have been making it for years. Like others I usually double it and freeze some of it. Today I made it in the instant pot and it was ready to eat in about 45 minutes (prep and cook time). So amazing and thick that we skipped out on the heavy cream and just sprinkled w/ cheese before eating. I never paid attention to the serving size before, but with doubling this recipe I struggled to get 32 servings; rather I managed to get just about 16 1-cup servings. So what is your serving size based on? 1/2 cups servings? Thanks so much! 🙂