Soup With Dad: Carrabba’s Spicy Sausage Lentil Soup

As I mentioned, my Dad and I are making and eating soup this fall and I am sharing the recipes.  Next up is another one of our FAVORITES – Carabba’s Spicy Lentil Soup. If you haven’t had it there, I highly recommend it. Good stuff.

Okay, so here are me and my Dad back in the day.

And here we are now.

Not that we need a reason, but this has been a great way to spend time with my dad. Okay, enough of that, here’s the recipe:

Carrabba’s Spicy Sausage Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup minced onion
• 3/4 cup grated and minced carrot
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 pound uncooked hot Italian sausage
• 2 ounces diced ham (about 1/2 cup, cut from a ham steak)
• 7 cups water
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 pound dry lentils
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

How to make Carrabba’s Spicy Sausage Lentil Soup

1. First, heat olive oil in a large sauce pot (or Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the minced onions, carrots, and garlic. Next, remove the sausage from its casing, and put it into the pan. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring often and breaking up the sausage into bite-size bits as it cooks. Then add the ham, and cook all that for another minute.

2. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

Makes approximately 12 cups of soup.