Ingredients
• ½ teaspoon dried parsley
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon mustard powder
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 lb. ground pork sausage (Jimmie Dean is my favorite)
• 1 small yellow onion
• 1 cup carrots diced
• ½ cup celery diced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 cup dry brown lentils rinsed.
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
Directions
Cook the Sausage: Remove the casings from the sausage if you purchased links. Preheat a large pot over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook and crumble to break it apart. Once cooked halfway through, cover partially and continue to heat, stirring occasionally, until cooked through. It’ll take around 10-12 minutes total. Set the sausage aside on a paper towel lined plate. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings. (Butter can be used if you don’t have drippings.)
Add the drippings to the pot along with 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the diced onions, celery, and carrots and cook for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the flour and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken and beef broth in splashes, and use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pot to add more flavor the soup.
Add the Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, lentils, bay leaf, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover partially and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the sausage back to the soup along with the diced tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes. A little water or broth can be added to thin the soup out slightly if desired.
Serve
This recipe originally called for a german pork sausage but I found Jimmie Dean or other breakfast-type sausages (your choice of brand and flavor) is just my taste. Plus, they are often on sale! Italian sausage was also suggested by a friend but I have not yet tried that.