Just like your favorite restaurant Carrabba's Lentil and sausage soup is one delicious spoonful after another. It's the best combination, one of those flavor profiles that tastes so good!
Next time try Instant Pot Lentil Soup Recipe!
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Why you'll love this recipe
✔️ You get to make the much-loved Carrabba's Sausage and Lentil Soup in the comfort of your kitchen, saving time and money!
✔️ While this soup tastes like it's come straight out of a quality restaurant, it's actually really easy to make.
✔️It's the perfect freezer meal that you can make in bulk to have readily available as a hearty and comforting meal throughout winter.
Ingredients
For the exact measurements, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- red lentils
- large carrots
- mild Italian sausage
- large onion
- garlic
- frozen peas
- chicken broth or vegetable stock
- red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. For the complete directions just scroll down to the bottom!
- Brown sausage in a large stock pot over medium heat. Get a good sear on both sides.
- While the sausage is cooking, prepare the vegetables.
- Remove the browned sausage from the stockpot to a plate and set aside. If you need additional oil in the stock pot, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and then the onion and carrots and sauté for about 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper.
- Add the garlic and sauté another minute before adding back in the sausage and all of the pan juices.
- Add the chicken stock and 1 cup of water. Loosen all the brown bits in the bottom of the pan by scraping them with your spoon. Give everything a good stir.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and bring it to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and continue to cook for about 20-25 minutes or until the lentils are cooked.
- Keep an eye on the soup and stir it a couple of times.
- Add the green peas just before serving and stir well. They will heat thru immediately and the soup will be ready to serve.
Slow cooker instructions
I've also made this in the slow cooker. Seven hours on low - frankly I prefer the texture and flavor when cooked on the stove.
The stove top blends the flavors perfectly and the veggies have more texture, however if you're a slow cooker person - brown the sausage and put the remainder of the ingredients in the crock (with just 1 cup of water). Add the peas directly before serving.
Equipment
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- Stockpot - beautiful soup pot and a great price, especially for Cuisinart!
- Soup Ladle - you'll laugh at this ladle, but I have one! It's super cute and if you want to get your kids to eat soup, start with this!
FAQ's
Absolutely! This soup freezes extremely well for up to 3 months which means that you can make batches of this soup to store in the freezer for an easy and quick winter meal.
Reheat slowly on the stovetop over medium-low heat. Otherwise, reheat in the microwave (using a microwave-safe dish) for 1 minute, followed by 30-second increments until the soup is heated through.
Definitely! In fact, I've included the recipe instructions in this post to guide you through making this soup in your slow cooker.
Tips
- Make sure the soup is completely cool before storing. If you're in a rush, transfer the soup from the hot pot into a metal bowl and place in a larger bowl of ice water.
- Always taste your soup before serving. If you need to adjust the seasoning, now's the time.
- When making this soup in batches for later use, consider storing precise desired serving quantities in separate Ziploc bags that you can mark with the date for freezing.
Variations
Substitute diced ham or pork roast for the Italian sausage if you'd prefer.
Storage
Refrigerate - Leftover soup can be stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
Freezer - Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheat - Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then warm on the stovetop or microwave.
Related recipes
Soup is undoubtedly one of my all-time favorite meals. If you love a hearty bowl of soup to keep you warm on those cold winter days, make sure to add a few more soup recipes to your repertoire. Here are some top soups to try:
- CopyCat Panera Chicken Noodle Soup - another restaurant-quality soup loaded with tender chicken and noodles.
- Mediterranean Lentil Soup - Easy to make, this soup is light and flavorful.
- Award-Winning Bacon Cheeseburger Soup - All the best flavors of your favorite hamburger in soup form!
- Supreme Pizza Soup - Just like traditional pizza night, this pizza soup is soon to be the next family favorite.
Serve with
Carrabba's Lentil and Sausage Soup is best enjoyed with freshly baked dinner rolls or breadsticks - great for soaking up every last drop in your bowl!
Feeling like something lighter? Then enjoy a fresh salad such as this Fall Harvest Salad with your Carraba's lentil and sausage soup.
You could also garnish the soup with lightly sauteed Swiss chard or spinach.
You could also garnish the soup with lightly sautéed Swiss chard or spinach.
Don't forget to check out my Amazon storefront for some of my favorite products! 🛍️
If you love this recipe please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating!
Carrabba's Lentil and Sausage Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup red lentils
- 2 large carrots peeled and diced
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage
- 1 yellow onion peeled and diced
- 1 clove garlic peeled and finely diced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1-2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Brown sausage in a large stock pot over medium heat. Get a good sear on both sides.
- While the sausage is cooking, prepare the vegetables.
- Remove the browned sausage from the stockpot to a plate and set aside. If you need additional oil in the stock pot, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and then the onion and carrots and sauté for about 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper.
- Add the garlic and sauté another minute before adding back in the sausage and all of the pan juices.
- Add the chicken stock and 1 cup of water. Loosen all the brown bits in the bottom of the pan by scraping them with your spoon. Give everything a good stir.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and bring it to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and continue to cook for about 20-25 minutes or until the lentils are cooked.
- Keep an eye on the soup and stir it a couple of times.
- Add the green peas just before serving and stir well. They will heat thru immediately and the soup will be ready to serve.
Maureen says
Made this today and it was a hit. My husband couldn't stop telling me how good it was and so easy to make. Will have to make it again.
Bowl Me Over says
Wonderful, that's awesome Maureen. We love a good soup!
Lois says
I made this a few days ago and we both loved it. So tasty and good. Very easy to make. Thank you
Bowl Me Over says
That's great, thank you so much for letting me know how much you enjoyed it!
LydiaF says
Lentil soup is one of our favorites, too. Normally we make it ourselves but when we're home there's a fantastic Persian restaurant that serves an amazing soup with their own flatbread. It's one of the places we have to visit when we're in town.
Bowl Me Over says
Ooooh! That's sounds terrific Lydia - I have my favorite haunts also and it's so great when you get to check in at a favorite restaurant!
Lynn Charneski says
I made this last night and it was very good. I bought hot sausage instead of mild but it worked fine. The weather here has been rainy and the soup was a welcome meal. Thanks for all of your hard work.
Lynn Charneski
Bowl Me Over says
You bet Lynn, I'm glad you liked the recipe, I'm sure that the hot sausage added a delicious layer of background spice, yum! Thanks for the feedback, always appreciated.
Dan from Platter Talk says
We love lentil soup; yours looks like perfection to us!
Bowl Me Over says
Thanks guys! I sure appreciate you stopping by!!!
Elena says
This looks perfect — easy, healthy, and great for leftovers 🙂
Bowl Me Over says
Thanks Elena! I agree, any time you can re-make your leftovers, that's a yummy meal!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
I love adding lentils to soup. It makes them so much more hearty and filling.
Bowl Me Over says
Me too, I really enjoy the earthiness of lentils, yum!
Katerina says
Although summer is well upon us here, today is an unusually cold day. When I saw your soup I thought it would be the perfect choice for today!
Bowl Me Over says
Wonderful, it's such a delicious soup. Here's to hoping it warms up soon!!
Joanne T Ferguson says
How warm and welcoming is your soup! It is now on my list to do!
Joanne T Ferguson says
Thanks for sharing it at the Say G'day Party! Pinned and hope to see you next week!
Bowl Me Over says
Thanks for the opportunity! See you then!!
Bowl Me Over says
Awesome, I hope you really enjoy it!
KC the Kitchen Chopper says
Thanks for the reminder and the recipe to use more lentils. They are so tasty and healthful. Love this combo.
Bowl Me Over says
Thanks KC - I hope you give it a try!
Mary says
I love lentils and I made lentils often. I love the addition of the sausage, I have never tried that. Im looking forward to trying your recipe.
Bowl Me Over says
Awesome Mary, I think you'll really enjoy the combination! Pop back over and let me know what you think!
Janette@culinaryginger says
Now this is my kind of soup, hearty and healthy. I want to cosy up with a big bowl right now.
Bowl Me Over says
Thanks Janette!
Lia says
My family are big big fans of your sausage and lentil soup! We've always made it with celery instead of yams but I love the idea of yams instead, they are so so good for you. Big fans of this soup!
Bowl Me Over says
Yes the yams is my new twist to this soup and the fresh peas add a bright bite! Love you guys - thanks for the comment sis!!!
Lois says
This just looks so good. Hope to make in this coming week.
Bowl Me Over says
I hope you do, let me know what you think!
Abigail says
Lentil and sausage soup is one of my favorite soups! Love that you added some yams for extra flavor and texture - delish!
Bowl Me Over says
Me too, thanks Abigail - I sure appreciate you stopping by!
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist says
Despite the fact it's almost June, I'm still running my heater at night and this soup looks warming and delicious.
Bowl Me Over says
Ugh, we could use some of that weather! It's supposed to be 100 here this weekend. I hope you enjoy the soup!