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Curried Lentil and Sausage Soup with Toasted Almonds

Yield: 5 Servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • ½ cup finely chopped onion
  • 1-2 large carrots, peeled and small diced
  • 1-2 stalks celery, small diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder (see note)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup dry lentils, rinsed and picked over
  • 1 can white beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • ½ pound precooked chicken sausage, diced (see note)
  • ⅓ - ½ cup heavy cream, optional
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Slivered almonds, toasted, for garnish
  • Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Instructions 

  • In a 4- or 5-quart pot, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, curry powder, salt and pepper. Saute for 4-5 minutes until the vegetables start to soften, stirring often.
  • Add the broth and lentils. Bring to a low simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender (but not mushy).
  • Stir in the sausage and beans and heat through. Stir in the heavy cream, if using. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed. The soup will thicken slightly upon standing.
  • Serve warm with slivered almonds and cilantro.

Notes

Curry Powder: I feel like I'm a bit redundant about curry powder but I'll just say it again: my favorite curry powder is the Sweet Curry Powder from Penzey's spices. You can use any type of curry powder here (yellow, red, hot) just make sure you like the flavor as it will come through in the soup.
Sausage: also, you can play around with the type of sausage used. If using an uncooked, crumbled variety, brown it first (before the vegetables) and remove to a plate before proceeding with the recipe (and then stir it in at the end with the beans).
Soup Color: the color of the finished soup will largely depend on what kind/color of curry powder and lentils you use.
Lentils: I used a blend I found with red, black, yellow and green lentils.
Broth: also, scale back on the broth if you want an ultra-thick soup; conversely, add a few more cups if you want it to go a bit further and don't mind a thinner consistency. Keep in mind it will thicken a bit off the heat (after 10 or so minutes).