• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Healthier Dishes

simple home cooking recipes

  • Healthy Living
    • Race Recaps
    • Product Reviews
    • Workout Gear
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Appetizers/Snacks
    • Breakfast
    • Main Courses
    • Pasta
    • Salads
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
  • Food
    • How-To’s
    • Organic Food
    • Product Reviews
    • Restaurants
  • Travel
    • California
    • Florida
    • Texas
    • Oklahoma

Sausage, Spinach and Lentil Soup

Published June 11, 2014 Last updated on January 11th, 2018

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Sausage Lentil Soup with Spinach
Happy Wednesday, y’all! I know that soup isn’t exactly the first meal you think of during the warmer months but this one is pretty light. This makes a great lunch that fills you up, without weighing you down like some heartier soups.

I used hot italian sausage, but sweet italian would work just fine, too. I just really like the spicy heat of the hot italian. We haven’t really eaten many legumes since we changed our diet a couple of years ago. I had stopped using grains or beans in my dishes, but I recently decided to add them back in.

Paleo diet followers advocate avoiding legumes because they were A) not a part of our ancestors diet, and B) contain toxic anti-nutrients like phytic acid and lectin. While we never really followed the Paleo diet, our diet was similar to it,  in regards to avoiding gluten, grains and legumes.

Paleo expert, Chris Kresser, recently said that he thought  a few servings of legumes a week  were fine as long as they were well tolerated. After doing some additional reading, I made the decision to add them back into our diet.  I used sprouted lentils for this recipe because they are supposed to be better for you. Here’s a great post on the benefits of eating sprouted legumes. An added bonus of using sprouted lentils is that they cook super fast!

Now, I purchased a bag of already sprouted lentils, but you could certainly sprout your own. I didn’t really want to mess with that, so I bought a package of the Tru Roots sprouted green lentils.

*If using regular lentils, soak them for 24 hours before cooking. Cook time may vary slightly from mine.

Sausage Lentil Soup with Spinach
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Sausage, Spinach and Lentil Soup

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4
Author Tempie

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp . coconut oil or olive oil
  • 1.25 lbs . bulk hot italian chicken sausage (if using links, remove from casing)
  • 1 large white onion , diced
  • 1/2 cup diced celery
  • 2 large garlic cloves , minced
  • 3/4 cup sprouted lentils
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 3 cups chopped baby spinach
  • Salt to taste
  • Optional Topping:
  • diced fresh avocado

Instructions

  • Heat one tablespoon of coconut oil (or olive oil) in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the chicken sausage and begin breaking it up as it browns. Add the onions and celery and cook to soften, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the lentils and chicken stock and stir. Bring to a boil, then turn down to low and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the baby spinach, stir and simmer for 2-3 minutes more. Check seasonings and and adjust if needed. Place into bowls, top with diced avocado and serve.

Notes

Because sausage can already be salty, you may not need to add extra salt. Wait until the soup is finished, then check and adjust if necessary.

 

By Tempie at January 11, 2018.

Tweet
Pin4
Share3

Filed Under: Recipes, Soups Tagged With: chicken sausage, garlic, hot italian, soup, spinach, sprouted lentils

Previous Post: « Remembering the Fallen Heroes
Next Post: Celebrating Our Founding Fathers »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tina@GottaRunNow

    June 13, 2014 at 12:28 pm

    The green spinach is a colorful addition! Something I like about lentil soup is that I can add leftovers to it like chicken or cooked vegetables.

    Reply
    • Tempie

      June 15, 2014 at 7:25 pm

      Yes, lentil soup is so versatile!

      Reply
  2. Mary@FitandFed

    July 10, 2014 at 12:00 am

    I’m glad you are eating legumes now: nutritious, inexpensive, easy on the climate. The soup looks good!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I’m Tempie!

I love creating easy real food recipes. Here you'll find healthy comfort food, easy weeknight meals and snacks! Learn More →

Subscribe Now!




Popular Posts

Cheesy Hash Brown EggsCheesy Hash Brown Eggs16K Total Shares
Summer Pasta SaladSummer Pasta Salad4K Total Shares
Quinoa Black Bean SaladQuinoa Black Bean Salad1K Total Shares
Cottage Cheese Banana and Coconut ParfaitsCottage Cheese Banana and Coconut Parfaits723 Total Shares




Copyright © 2022 · HealthierDishes.com | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Disclosure