Sausage Lentil Soup with Cajun Andouille

A bowl of sausage and lentil soup garnished with a sprig of rosemary with antique looking spoon scooping a mouthful of the soup.

Sausage Lentil Soup with Cajun Andouille

How to make lentil stew with smoked sausage from Cajun country. Tips on infusing the stew with fresh flavors at the very end of the cooking process. Serve with crusty artisan bread or baguette.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 50

Total Time: 1

Servings: servings

Calories: 463kcal

Author: Milena Perrine

Ingredients

14 oz Andouille sausage*
4 tablespoon olive oil divided**
1 onion
2 celery stalks
2 carrots
2-3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup dry Belgian ale amber or saison***
2 cups lentils green or brown
1 quart broth pork, chicken or vegetable
½ tablespoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh
4 rosemary sprigs divided****
bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoon sherry vinegar optional

Instructions

Cut the andouille sausage in just over half inch thick circles. Rinse the lentils, remove any impurities. Dice the onion, carrots, celery and garlic.
In a Dutch oven heat the olive oil over medium heat and brown the andouille. Remove it to a plate and set aside. Sauté the vegetables and garlic until soft, stir in the tomato paste and sauté for another minute or so.
Deglaze with the beer (or wine), scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pot and let the liquid reduce. Add the drained lentils to the pot, stir then add the salt and pepper, bay leaf, half the rosemary and thyme. Pour the broth and stir.
Bring to boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cover, leaving just a sliver of an opening. Simmer until the lentils are tender. Periodically check on the liquid of the stew and add a bit of water if needed.
Once the lentils are cooked, remove the bay leaf and rosemary sprigs and discard. Add back the andouille to the pot and let simmer for a couple of more minutes. In the meantime, very finely chop the remaining rosemary.
Add the chopped rosemary, remaining olive oil and Dijon mustard to the lentil stew and stir. Remove from the heat. Just before serving add the sherry vinegar and stir again.

Notes

*you can substitute with other smoked sausage such as kielbasa and add a bit of cayenne to the stew for a touch of heat.

**use extra virgin olive oil if possible for its stronger flavor.

***alternatively use ½ cup dry wine, red or white. If using a Belgian beer, it is absolutely fine to add all of the 12 oz - it is not bitter and brings a lot of flavor to the stew. Just be sure to let it reduce a bit.

****using fresh rosemary really makes a difference here, especially because some of it is added at the end, freshly chopped very finely.

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