Lentil and Veggie Soup with Italian Sausage

This is definitely going to be one of my new favorite early spring soups. It's easy to double and freezes well. You could easily put in a whole pound of sausage, but I'm trying to lose some weight so I kept it minimal. The original recipe called for escarole, which I'm sure would be delicious, but I had a head of cabbage so I used that instead. The flavor was really good, the vinegar adds a nice tang. Overall just really tasty, very comfort food and chock full of veggies which is nice. You could even add some canned diced or crushed tomatoes if you want a little more zing. 

It is not the prettiest soup though, so no pictures this time!

Ingredients
1 2/3 cups lentils (11 ounces), rinsed well
5 cups water
3 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped, divided
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
.5 pound spicy Italian sausage links, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
2-3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 pound escarole or 1/2 Medium head of cabbage, chopped (4 cups packed)
1 to 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar


1. In a 5-6 quart pot brown sausages in olive oil, about 7 minutes. It does not need to be cooked through as long as casings are evenly brown. Transfer sausage with a slotted spoon to a bowl.
2. Reduce heat to medium and cook onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. 

3. Add lentils, broth and water. Simmer, uncovered, until lentils are tender.
4. Stir in escarole/cabbage and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. 

5. Add sausages and cook until cooked through.

6. Stir in vinegar to taste and season with salt and pepper. Discard bay leaf.