Spicy Sausage Lentil Soup

This Spicy Sausage Lentil soup is loaded with hot Italian sausage, lentils, ham, veggies and is totally delicious! 

We love soup, especially if it involves lentil, like Tuscan lentil soup, Instant Pot smoked sausage and lentil soup or easy vegetable lentil soup! They’re so hearty and delicious, just like today’s recipe for sausage lentil soup.

Sausage Lentil Soup in bowl

Carrabba’s Sausage Lentil Soup

Today’s soup happens to be a family favorite. It’s a copycat version of the spicy sausage lentil soup that we get at Carrabba’s. It is loaded with flavor from the hot Italian sausage, lentils, ham, and veggies. And loaded with healthy benefits because lentils are low in calories, rich in iron and folate and an excellent source of protein.

I’ll be honest with you, the first time I made this for our family I was pretty darn nervous. Since then, I’ve changed a few things here and there and this is the “husband approved” version of the copycat recipe. He loves it, I love it and our 2-year-old gobbles it up like there’s no tomorrow. It’s definitely a family favorite!

Plus – it’s easier than you think!

lentils in bag

How to Make Sausage Lentil Soup

The best thing about this soup is how easy it is to prep/make and how quickly it comes together. Sure you need a handful of ingredients, but they’re relatively inexpensive and easy to find.

I like to pick up the lentils in the bulk section of our grocery store and I buy a thick slice of ham at the deli counter (that is if we don’t have leftover ham in the freezer from the holidays). The rest are items we have stocked in our pantry with the exception of the sausage.

Some recipe notes:

  • To make the soup you’ll need a large pot or Dutch oven.
  • When you’ve got your ingredients prepped, add the olive oil and get it nice and hot.
  • Sauté the veggies until tender and then brown the sausage and drain the grease.
  • Add the ham & tomato, then pour in the liquid ingredients. Bring to a boil, add the lentils & seasonings, simmer for 40-45 minutes.

That’s it!

And feel free to change the recipe up to your liking!  You can always use regular sausage and add a pinch of Italian seasoning or herbes de Provence to it. If you want to keep things extra lean add some turkey sausage instead of pork!

Sausage and lentil soup in ladle

Sausage Lentil Soup Storing Tips

When stored in a air-tight container in the refrigerator, this soup should be good for 3-4 days. If you want to save it longer then you will need to freeze it! Put it in a freezer-safe container. I prefer Ziploc bags that can lie flat because it saves space and defrosts easier. Keep in the freezer for up to 4-6 months.

To defrost your soup, just run the bottom of the freezer bag under hot water until it becomes loose. Then place the frozen chunks into a saucepan and continue to defrost over the lowest heat! 

Spicy Sausage and Lentil Soup

I guarantee everyone will love this soup! Serve it up with some crusty Italian bread and a side salad and dinner is served!

Find perfect side dishes here: 

  • Best Ever Cheesy Garlic Bread
  • Easy Focaccia
  • Cucumber Dill Salad
  • Orzo Arugula Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
  • Almond Bacon Brussels Sprout Salad

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    Spicy Sausage and Lentil Soup

    Carrabba's Sausage Lentil Soup Recipe

    This soup is a copycat version of Carrabba's Spicy Sausage Lentil soup!  It's loaded with hot Italian sausage, lentils, ham, veggies and is totally delicious!
    4.62 from 95 votes
    Pin Rate
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 334kcal
    Author: Andrea
    Print Recipe

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    Ingredients

    • 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
    • 1/2 yellow onion - diced
    • 1 large carrot - finely grated
    • 1 stalk celery - minced
    • 3 cloves garlic - minced
    • 1/2 lb hot Italian sausage - uncooked
    • 1/3 cup ham - cubed
    • 1 small tomato - diced
    • 2 cup water
    • 4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
    • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
    • 1 cup dry lentils
    • 1 tbsp fresh basil - minced
    • 1 tbsp fresh parsley - minced
    • 1 bay leaf

    Instructions

    • In a large stockpot or Dutch oven set over medium-low heat, saute the onion in the olive oil until tender. Add the carrot, celery and garlic, cook for 1-2 more minutes. Add the sausage and brown, braking it into bits as it cooks. Drain the grease.
    • Add the chopped ham, tomatoes, water, chicken broth, vinegar and bring the soup to a boil.
    • Pour in the lentils along with the remaining seasonings/spices and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the lentils are tender and the liquid reduces, about 40-45 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and serve immediately.

    NOTES

    -You can use thick cut slices of ham and cube them in about ¼" cubes, I prefer getting one thick slice from the deli counter or using up leftover ham from holidays.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 436mg | Potassium: 683mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1987IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 3mg

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About the Author

Andrea

Hi I'm Andrea!

Hotelier turned Food Blogger to help make your life simple, one recipe at a time.

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Comments:

  1. 1 star
    Not sure if I did something wrong but this was horrible. No flavor and sooo greasy /oily from the sausage. Was I supposed to drain it? Either way we ended up just ordering take out. Bummer

    1. Hi Tara, so sorry to hear this. I didn’t have to drain the grease after cooking my Italian sausage, but different sausage has different fat percentages, so mine might have been leaner. With this said, I did update the recipe to say to drain the grease so this doesn’t happen to anyone else.

  2. 5 stars
    There’s a pot on the stove, now.. the lentils are slow simmering and it’s already delicious!! Thank you so much for sharing ❤️

  3. 5 stars
    The broth was so flavorful. I have been looking for new soup to add to my list of soups that will please everyone in the house and this one was a 5 star. Thank you.