Lentil Sausage Soup with Swiss Chard

Lentil Sausage Soup with Swiss Chard is an old-fashioned lentil soup recipe, with pork sausage and Swiss chard. As a kid, we topped soups like this, made with any kind of legumes, with vinegar. As an adult, we like to sprinkle on some Louisiana-style vinegar based hot pepper sauce. It really brings out the flavors.

Recipe for Lentil Sausage Soup with Swiss Chard

* 1 cup lentils
* 1 1/2 qt. water
* 1 small can tomato sauce
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped
* 1 lb. Swiss chard, washed and trimmed, and coarsely chopped
* 2 tsp. salt
* 1/4 cup small pasta
* 1/2 lb. bulk pork sausage
* 1 large carrot, sliced
* 2 celery stalks, sliced
* 1/4 tsp. pepper
* hot pepper sauce (like Tabasco) or vinegar, optional

Directions:

Rinse lentils and remove any dirt or debris. Put lentils in a soup pot with the water. Bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer.

Brown the sausage in a frying pan, breaking it up into crumbles. Add the carrots, onion, and celery, and saute it until the vegetables are barely tender. Simmer until the lentils are tender.

Add the Swiss chard, meat and vegetable mix, the tomato sauce, and the salt and pepper to the lentils. Bring it to a boil, then add the pasta. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until the pasta is done.

Use the hot pepper sauce or vinegar as condiments at the table. Sprinkle drops of them on individual bowls of the lentil soup, as desired.

Substitutions: You can use spinach, kale, or other greens in place of the Swiss chard. If you don't have fresh, frozen works fine in this soup.

Go to the page that lists soups made with dried beans and peas.

Go from Lentil Sausage Soup with Swiss Chard to the page listings soups made with pork.

Go from Lentil Sausage Soup with Swiss Chard to the Soup, Stew, and Chowder Recipes home page.