Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Italian Lentil and Sausage Soup
意式扁豆香腸湯
Recipe overview
Italian Lentil and Sausage Soup is a practical home-cooked dish for a Hong Kong family kitchen. Twelve clear stages control preparation, heat and doneness to deliver rustic lentil soup with sausage pieces and vegetables.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 250 g dry green lentils
- 300 g Smoked sausage
- 2 piece carrot
- 2 piece stalks celery
- 1 piece onion
- 400 g canned chopped tomatoes
- 1200 ml chicken stock
02
Tools
- colander
- knife
- cutting board
- stockpot
- tongs
- skimmer
- wooden spoon
- measuring cup
- ladle
- serving bowl
- timer
03
Steps
Step 1
Rinse and inspect the lentils
Rinse all 250 g green lentils in a fine sieve under cold water until it runs clear, removing any stones or damaged lentils.
Step 2
Slice the sausage into rounds
Slice all 300 g smoked sausage crosswise into even 1 cm rounds; keep every piece as a visible sausage disc, not a ball.
Step 3
Dice the carrot, celery and onion
Peel 2 carrots and dice them with 2 celery stalks and 1 onion into even pieces about 1 cm wide.
Step 4
Measure the tomatoes and stock
Measure all 400 g chopped tomatoes and 1.2 litres chicken stock separately so the cold stock does not splash when added.
Step 5
Brown the sausage discs
Place the 300 g sausage rounds in a heavy soup pot over medium heat and cook for 5 minutes, turning once, until both cut faces are browned and fat is released.
Step 6
Remove the browned sausage
Transfer every browned sausage disc to a clean bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving about 1 tablespoon rendered fat in the pot.
Step 7
Soften the diced vegetables
Add the diced 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks and 1 onion to the pot; cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is translucent.
Step 8
Add lentils, tomatoes and stock
Stir in the rinsed 250 g lentils and 400 g tomatoes, then pour in all 1.2 litres chicken stock and scrape the pot bottom clean.
Step 9
Bring the soup to a boil and skim
Raise to high heat until the soup boils, then skim off any grey foam from the surface and immediately reduce to a gentle simmer.
Step 10
Simmer until the lentils are tender
Cover the pot slightly ajar and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the lentils are soft but still hold their shape.
Step 11
Return the sausage and heat through
Return all sausage discs and their juices to the soup and simmer for 5 minutes until piping hot while the lentils remain intact.
Step 12
Check the texture and serve
Taste the soup, add seasoning only if needed, and divide the thick soup with visible sausage discs among 4 bowls while hot.
Common mistakes
- Shaping the sausage into balls loses the intended sliced-disc texture and appearance.
- Adding unrinsed lentils leaves excess dust and foam in the soup.
- Boiling hard throughout bursts the lentils, breaks the vegetables and clouds the broth.
Tips
Slice the sausage into 1 cm discs and brown both cut faces to build flavour in the pot.
Keep the lentils at a gentle simmer until tender but intact, then return the sausage so it stays juicy.
