Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhmahgah.
You know how all fall you’ve been saying, “I need that ooone soup to taste that ooone way and do that ooone thing to my mouth and that ooone thing to my brain and stomach and make me a better person in this life.”
You know how you’ve been saying that? Right.
Well I’m about to throw you a curve ball and you’re not even going to see it coming. Except for the fact that I just told you it’s coming. Never mind.
This soup!
o.
m.
g.
First of all, you know my insane love for Italian sausage. It’s maj out of control. But I feel like it’s the only suitable protein for this dish because of the rosemary and lemon and red lentils (oh my).
And the carrots! Carrots play a leading role in this soup. Not like Kevin Costner in Dances with Wolves. More like, Winona Ryder in Reality Bites. She’s the lead character, but the whole cast sort of has equal contribution. The sausage is definitely Ethan Hawke. The lentils – wait!
The lentils are Winona Ryder. The CARROTS ARE JANEANE GAROFALO.
The rosemary and lemon are Steve Zahn, and the garlicky, onion-y stock is Ben Stiller.
I’m so glad we figured this out together.
The only prep work is the browning of the sausage, and a bit of veggie chopping. You can dig that, right?
(say hi, Troy Dyer! just kidding.)
Then it goes into a slow cooker just for a lil’ bit!
Actually, a word about this part. Red lentils cook FAST. And they tend to break down and become one with their surrounding liquids. (also known as: mush.) But don’t think of it as mush. Think of it more like, a thickening comfort substance that carries your soul from one level of glee to another. (don’t look at me like that.)
Honestly, three to four hours in the cooker’ll dew. I mean due. I mean doo. I mean do.
This ^^ is absolute ridiculous bliss.
That lemon and rosemary will transfooooorm the soup.
It simply has all the elements of a straight up OMG meal.
Healing, comforting, herby, slurpalicious, sausage-a-licious, and a delightful ting of orange that makes the whole thing sing to ya.
Actually, it sings that U2 song at the end of Reality Bites when Troy comes back to Lelaina all in love, “You say, you waaaant diamonds and a ring of goooold….your story to remaaaain untold….
……ALL I WANT IS, YOUUUUUUUUHUUUUU! ALL I WANT IS, YOUUUUUUUHUUUU! ALL I WANT IS YO!-”
I can chill.
But I mean, yeah.
Don’t forget the crusty bread.
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 cups red lentils (you can swap in green if you prefer)
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish
- 2 Tbs. lemon juice, plus more wedges for serving
- coarse salt
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown the sausage all over until no longer pink, about five minutes.
- To a slow cooker, add the sausage, carrots, garlic, onion, lentils, stock, water, and rosemary. Season with a pinch of salt. Cook on low for 4 hours.
- Add the lemon juice, and taste. Holy faces, right? If it needs a tiny bit more salt, go ahead and throw a pinch in.
- Serve soup with crusty bread, a sprig of rosemary, and more lemon wedges. And parmesan if you want! Ooooo.
- Makes about six dinner servings.
Hahaha, Reality Bites. BITES. Get it? You bite it! Never mind.
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