Recipe: Lentil and Kielbasa Soup

Lentil and Kielbasa Soup
rec.food.cooking/Patricia J. Holland/1999

Here's a recipe I've been making for a long time. You can use fat-free or low-fat meats (I use turkey sausage). It's the perfect thing for cold weather!

(these are rough measures - I don't measure very carefully for this)

1 large onion, chopped
1 or 2 ribs celery, chopped
two 1-lb. cans whole or diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 lb. lentils
2 cups chicken stock or broth (I use two cans)
1/2 lb. low-fat turkey kielbasa or smoked sausage, cut into whatever size you want. I just cut across the ring and make coin-size slices. (I use a combination of kielbasa and Italian sausage)

Saute the onion and celery just for a couple of minutes in a little olive oil. Add the kielbasa or sausage and cook till most of the pink is gone. Stir quite often. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, and lentils.

Cook for an hour or two over simmering heat, or until the lentils are tender.

Taste and add pepper if you want it. It gets better the next day reheated. And I usually make a big pot of it (doubling this recipe), then freeze it in meal-sized containers.