Lentil Soup with Italian Sausage

My mom's recipe and one of my favorites ever.

PREP: 20 min | COOK: 45 minutes | Serves 10

INGREDIENTS: 

• 3 tbs olive oil or grape seed oil

• 3 celery stalks (diced)

• 1 yellow onion (diced)

• 2-3 carrots (diced)

• About 2 cups of butternut squash (diced)

• 1 head of garlic, or 4 large cloves (chopped)

• 2 tsp salt (plus more to taste)

• 1 tsp Pepper

• 3 bay leaves

• 2 lbs of Italian sausage (removed from casing)

• 3 cups of dried organic French green lentils

• 1 can of whole peeled tomatoes (with juice)

• 2 - 32 oz containers of chicken broth or water (more water may be needed as the soup thickens)

• About 2 cups of kale (torn into small pieces)

INSTRUCTIONS: 

• In a large stockpot on medium heat, add the oil and saute onions, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper until translucent. Then, add the bay leaves.

• Add sausage to the pot, pressing with the back of a spoon to crumble. Continue stirring to cook the sausage until it's no longer fully pink (no need to cook for too long, it'll continue cooking in the soup).

• With the flame on medium, add another drizzle of oil and three cups of lentils. Stir well to combine the vegetables, sausage, and lentils.

• Next, add one can of tomatoes with the juice (break the tomatoes with a spoon or your hands) and an additional 1/2 cup of water. Add the diced carrots, butternut squash, and chicken stock. After several minutes, check for taste and add extra salt and pepper as needed.

• Once the soup is at a simmer, add the kale.

• The lentils will take about 45 minutes to an hour to soften and cook.

• Remove bay leaves before serving, and serve over basmati rice (optional) or on its own!