As the weather starts to turn chillier, I look for hearty and easy meals to make. Recently I’ve been on a soup kick and the recipe below from one of my favorite bloggers (and new mom) Jean Wang of Extra Petite is one of my go-to’s. My 22 month old daughter has loved it since last winter when she was learning to use a spoon & I’ve loved it since then as it’s an easy way to sneak in a filling & nutritious mea. And hey she makes a mess when she eats it, so she’s happy:)
See below for the directions & some pictures from my kitchen. You can read the original post here.
Ingredients:
- 2 links of chicken sausage
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 can of crushed or diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups of dry lentils
- 2 to 3 carrots, peeled & chopped
- 4 cups low sodium broth
- 1 cup water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 pack baby spinach
- Juice of half of a lemon
Step 1: In a large pot, heat a little olive oil over medium heat. Lightly brown the chicken sausage (crumbled out of the casing, or chopped if you’re using pre-cooked chicken sausage). Add the onions and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, until fragrant.
Step 2: Add in all the remaining ingredients except spinach and lemon juice. Stir well, then simmer on low heat for about 40 minutes until carrots are tender.
Step 3: After simmering, add some salt & pepper to taste, if necessary. Stir in spinach and lemon juice at the end and immediately turn off the heat to avoid over-wilting the spinach. It might look like a lot at first, but a full package of spinach will mix in easily.
