Lentil Soup With Smoked Sausage and Apples
Flavored with apple, sausage and mustard, this slightly creamy lentil soup strikes a nice balance between delicate and hearty. Small green lentils, or French lentils or lentils du Puy, are khaki-colored legumes that have a peppery flavor and keep their shape when cooked instead, which gives this soup an appealing texture. You can also use black lentils or easier-to-find brown lentils, but keep in mind that brown lentils will fall apart as they cook, creating a thicker stew. This soup takes only a few minutes to throw together, and most of the time is spent in hands-off simmering time, putting it within reach for a weeknight. It’s never necessary to soak lentils, as they cook relatively quickly. (You can find a slow cooker version of this recipe here.)
- Total:
- Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1large yellow or red onion, finely chopped
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2tart-firm apples, such as Honeycrisp, peeled and diced
- 3celery stalks, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 6garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1fresh sage sprig, leaves chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- 1fresh thyme sprig, leaves chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 ½cups/12 ounces dry hard cider
- ¾pound smoked sausage, such as kielbasa or Andouille, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick coins
- 1 ½cups/10 ounces dried small green lentils (also called French lentils or lentils du Puy)
- ¼teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2teaspoons cider vinegar
- ¼cup sour cream
- 2teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 4to 6 scallions, thinly sliced for garnish
Instructions
Step 1
Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the half the chopped apples, and cook, stirring until softened, adjusting the heat as necessary to avoid scorching, about 5 minutes.Step 2
Add the celery, garlic, sage and thyme, and stir to combine. Pour in the cider and let it come to a bubble. Add the sausage, lentils, nutmeg and 4 cups water to the pot. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of pepper. Let the soup come to a boil, then decrease the heat to maintain a low simmer. Cover the pot and cook until the lentils are tender, 35 to 40 minutes.Step 3
Just before you are ready to eat, add the vinegar. Stir together the sour cream and 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 apples.