Slow Cooker Lentil Soup With Sausage And Greens Recipes

Steps:

• In a large, dry skillet over medium-high heat, cook the sausage, breaking it up with a spatula, until it is in small, coarse pieces, and starts to brown and sizzle in its own fat, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked sausage to a 5- to 8-quart slow cooker. There should be a thin layer of fat covering the bottom of the skillet. If there is much more than that, pour a bit of the fat off. If there is not enough fat to cover the bottom of the pan, add a drizzle of olive oil.
• Add the onion to the skillet, season generously with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, add garlic and cook until softened and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the onion and garlic powders, the herbs, red-pepper flakes and several generous grinds of black pepper. Stir to combine. Increase heat to medium-high, pour in the wine and stir well, scraping the bottom of the pot. Let the wine bubble until the pan is almost dry, about 3 minutes.
• Scrape the skillet mixture into the slow cooker with the sausage. Add the bay leaf and the lentils. Add the tomatoes with their juice. If using whole, crush the tomatoes into pieces using your hands as you add them with their juice. Pour in the chicken stock. Season generously with pepper and add 1/2 teaspoon salt if you are using low-sodium stock or 1 teaspoon salt if using homemade unsalted stock. Do not add salt now if you are using fully salted stock. Stir well to combine all ingredients. Cover and cook on low until the lentils are tender, about 6 to 8 hours. (Taste the lentils to make sure they are firm but creamy on the inside; black lentils can vary in their cooking time depending on their age and the heat of your slow cooker.) The soup holds well on warm for 2 additional hours.
• Switch the heat to high. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs. Stir in the greens and cook until wilted and tender, about 2 minutes for baby spinach, 10 minutes for kale. Stir in the vinegar. Serve in bowls, topped with chopped basil and grated Parmesan.

Steps:

• Combine sausages, carrots, celery, onion, tomatoes, lentils, water, wine, oil, garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper in the bottom of a slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on Low until lentils are tender and sausage is no longer pink, 6 to 8 hours.
• When ready to serve, stir in spinach and cook until it wilts, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

Steps:

• Combine both stocks and lentils in a large pot.
• Over high heat, bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
• In a skillet, over medium heat, add fennel seeds; saute until light golden brown, about 2 minutes.
• Remove seeds from skillet.
• Heat oil in same skillet over medium heat.
• Add celery, carrot, and onion; saute until onion is translucent and celery and carrot are tender, about 5-10 minutes.
• Add toasted fennel seeds, sauteen vegetables, sausage, thyme and Creole seasoning to soup.
• Cover and simmer until lentils are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.
• Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• Rinse lentils and drain.
• Place all ingredients in crock pot.
• Cook on low for 6 hours, stirring occasionally.

Steps:

• Combine water, ham, tomatoes, lentils, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, pepper, salt, thyme, and bay leaf in a slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on LOW until lentils and vegetables are as soft as you like, 6 to 8 hours. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add half the diced apples and cook, stirring until softened, adjusting the heat as necessary to avoid scorching, about 5 minutes. Add the celery, garlic, sage and thyme, and stir to combine. Pour in the cider and let it come to a bubble. Scrape the mixture into a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker.
• Add the sausage, lentils, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of black pepper to the slow cooker; pour in 3 cups water. Cover and cook on low until the lentils are tender and the flavors are mellowed and blended, about 8 hours. The soup holds well on the warm setting.
• Just before you are ready to eat, add the vinegar. Stir together the sour cream with the mustard, then stir the mixture into the soup. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve in bowls topped with the scallions and remaining chopped apple.