A hearty yet wholesome soup packed with lentils, smoked sausage and diced vegetables. Easily made on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot!
I know, I really need to make something other than soup with lentils. What can I say, we are kind of obsessed!
We always buy lentils in bulk because if we’re not cooking them as a side dish, they’re getting tossed into a clean-out-the-fridge soup. Lentils are full of nutrients, but specifically protein, fiber and iron. All good things, especially when you’re on a restricted diet like myself.
It doesn’t hurt that our kids love them too. We made this cozy smoked sausage and lentil soup the other day and they demolished it! I was pretty darn proud of them.
I think you’ll love this soup because:
- It’s super easy to make
- It’s made with minimal ingredients
- It’s flavorful and filling
- It’s healthy and wholesome
- It’s dairy-free
Ok, that last one was for just for me. ?
It can be made on the stovetop OR the Instant Pot, the choice is yours. I personally went with the Instant Pot because I had to “set it and forget it” while I ran a few errands. #momlife
Speaking of errands, next time you’re browsing the aisle of the grocery store, make sure to grab some of this Cajun seasoning. This isn’t a sponsored post, I just really love McCormick’s gourmet spice blends. I’ve been grabbing them and using them a lot lately. So easy and they add SO much flavor to a dish.
If you can’t find it you can grab any generic cajun or creole seasoning.
Cook the soup on the stovetop or grab your Instant Pot and let it do all of the work. I highly recommend the latter!
The stock will thicken nicely, the vegetables will be nice and tender and the flavors will be popping without being overwhelming. Of course if you want more wow, you can add a ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper for some heat.
I hope you will love this soup as much as we do. Enjoy!
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO SERVE WITH THIS SMOKED SAUSAGE AND LENTIL SOUP? TRY THESE RECIPES:
- 4 Ingredient No-Knead Artisan Bread
- Heavenly Dinner Rolls
- Garlic Cheddar Bay Biscuits
- 1 Hour Dinner Rolls
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Instant Pot Smoked Sausage and Lentil Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 lb. smoked sausage
- 1 medium onion - diced
- 2 ribs celery - cut in half lengthwise and cut into thin slices
- 5 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 1/2 tsp. coarse kosher sea salt
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. cajun seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. ground paprika
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1/4 tsp. coriander
- 2 c. green lentils
- 8 c. low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 c. petite diced tomatoes
- 2 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley
Instructions
For the stovetop:
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven set over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once hot, add the sausage and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and celery, saute for 3 minutes, then add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle in salt, pepper, cajun seasoning, garlic powder, paprikas, and coriander. Add lentils and cook for 5 minutes.
- Pour in chicken stock and add tomatoes. Bring mixture to a boil. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until the lentils are fully cooked.
- Stir in parsley and serve.
For the Instant Pot:
- Turn the Instant Pot on SAUTE mode. Add olive oil, once hot add the sausage and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and celery, saute for 3 minutes, then add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle in salt, pepper, cajun seasoning, garlic powder, paprikas, and coriander. Add lentils and cook for 5 minutes.
- Pour in chicken stock and add tomatoes. Place lid on. Turn Instant Pot on MANUAL mode (high pressure selected) for 15 minutes. Once done, allow the pressure to come down naturally.
- Open lid and stir in parsley. Serve immediately or KEEP WARM until ready to serve.
can you tell me how to make this recipe with out an instant pot?
It would be the same method, just on the stovetop in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. I generally simmer it all for 25 minutes. Hope that helps!
I am so excited about this recipe !!!!’ I love in Montana and it is certainly brisk now so perfect soup for today . It’s a plus that you have the Dutch oven recipe as it’s my favorite thing in the world to cook with!!! I stumble across your site on Pinterest looking for a cleaning checklist which I still haven’t found because I got side tracked with all the yummy recipes.
I have never tried lentils. Your recipe looks yummy. Is this spicy with the cajun seasoning, black pepper and 2 kinds of paprika? I don’t handle spicy very well. Would you suggest that I make an adjustment to the seasonings?
The perfect cold-weather meal. Another great soup recipe, thanks!!
I find the lentils take almost a hour to cook through, after 25 minutes they are still hard as rock??? Am I doing something wrong? Still delicious in the end, just take alot longer!!
I’m sorry, I wish I knew. They shouldn’t have taken that long. I’m am trying to think of why they would have taken that long.
This soup was fantastic, and I don’t even love lentils! The lentils do take a lot longer than 25 minutes to cook, but the longer you simmer this soup, the better it tastes. Today was the first time I found your blog, and this was my first recipe. I’ll definitely be back for more! Thanks for a great recipe!
So glad you found my site & tried this!! Hope you find more to try! Thank you so much!
Why is paprika listed twice?
You need paprika & ground paprika 😉
I’m sorry, but I’ve never heard of paprika that isn’t ground. From the definitions I’ve looked at online, it appears to be defined as a powdered spice. Could you please explain what you mean by, presumably, “non-ground” paprika? Thanks
I will fix the recipe, but you need smoked paprika & regular paprika 🙂
I made this for my family today and turned out really good!
Makes me so happy to hear! Thank you for letting me know!
How would this translate to a slow cooker/crockpot?
I would cook on high 3-4 hours. I would probably brown the sausage first in step 1 then add everything to the slow cooker.
This is an amazing and easy soup!! Followed it to the “T”! Thank you
You are welcome!! Glad you liked it!
This is my favorite soup of all time. It’s so flavorful and easy.
Mine too!! Thank you!
Wow – fantastic soup that my whole family including my sometimes finicky teenager!! Extremely flavorful and quite satisfying. We suggest serving with cornbread. Oh so yummy!!
I am so happy your family liked it, even your teenager!! Thank you for letting me know!
This is the greatest thing I’ve ever made.
So great that you found something you love!
I made a half recipe of this in my instant pot, using turkey kielbasa, smoked paprika, and added chopped carrots for extra color, flavor and texture. My husband said, “You can make that again!”
Turkey sausage is a great substitution!