This Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Smoked Sausage is packed with flavor and made in only 25 minutes. This soup can also be made with leftover ham. The combination of carrots, thyme and broth make it an incredibly comforting healthy meal the whole family will love.
Leftover Ham Recipes
This lentil and smoked sausage soup works beautifully with leftover ham in place of the smoked sausage. You still get that delicious smoked flavor we all love so much and it’s the perfect way to use up what you have on hand and make a new comforting meal out of it.
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Lentil Soup with Sausage
Soup is one of my all time favorite foods! I think I could actually eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Anyone else with me? This Lentil Soup with Sausage is no exception and thanks to the brilliance of a pressure cooker, the Instant Pot cooks up with lentil soup perfectly in a flash with so much flavor.
How To Make Lentil Soup With Sausage
*Full recipe listed below in the recipe card.
You start by browning the sausage in the instant pot using the sauté function and a little oil. This adds SO much flavor and is a step I HIGHLY recommend not skipping. Browning or searing the sausage results in the Maillard reaction, which is essentially caramelizing the exterior of the meat and building tons of additional flavor!
The next step is to remove the sausage and set aside and sauté the onions and garlic, after which you’ll stir in the dried lentils, carrots, bone broth, fresh thyme sprigs, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Once the soup has finished cooking you’ll remove the bay leaf and stir back in the sausage until heated through and serve! So easy, so simple and yet this lentil soup has bold and developed flavors as if it’s simmered on the stove all day. So many wins here!
More Instant Pot Soups
- Instant Pot Split Pea Soup with Ham
- Healthy Chicken Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Creamy Potato Ham & Kale Soup
- Instant Pot Tortilla-less Chicken Soup
- Whole30 Zuppa Toscana Soup
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Lentil Soup with Smoked Sausage
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Lunch & Dinner
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Smoked Sausage is packed with flavor and made in only 25 minutes. This soup can also be made with leftover ham. The combination of carrots, thyme and broth make it an incredibly comforting healthy meal the whole family will love.
Ingredients
- 2 cups brown or green dried lentils
- 1 pound pre-cooked link smoked sausage or ham (I used kielbasa), sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
- 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 cup of carrots, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 quart chicken bone broth
- 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 dried bay leaf
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot to sauté mode and add 1 Tablespoon avocado oil. Allow the oil to heat and add the smoked sausage or ham. Brown each side of meat before removing it and setting aside until the soup has finished cooking.
- In the remaining oil (add more if needed), sauté the onions until soft and then add the minced garlic for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Deglaze the pot by pouring the bone broth over the onions and garlic and adding the dried lentils, carrots, fresh thyme sprigs, salt, pepper and dried bay leaf.
- Secure and lock the lid on the Instant Pot, set the steam valve to sealing and select high pressure / manual for 15 minutes.
- Once the cooking time is complete, allow the Instant Pot to naturally depressurize for about 10 minutes before manually releasing any remaining pressure.
- Once the pressure has completely released, remove the lid. Carefully taste the lentils (they will be hot!) adjust seasonings as needed.
- Then add the smoked sausage/ham back to the pot to heat through.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
*It’s important to brown the meat IN the Instant Pot as opposed to a separate pot. This is important to build flavor, which happens when the pot gets deglazed. This also eliminates extra dishes.
Keywords: lentil soup with sausage, instant pot recipes, leftover ham recipes,
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nicole (thespicetrain.com) says
What a mouthwatering soup! Love the photographs, the surface texture is fantastic.
Nicole says
Thank you Nicole!! This is such a hardy and satisfying soup, one of my favorites for sure!