Sausage, Lentil, and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Ingredients

• 1 package turkey or pork Italian Sausage
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, diced into small pieces
• 1 cup brown lentils
• 6 cups homemade chicken stock
• 2 tsp. ground fennel
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. rubbed sage, dried
• 1 jar roasted red pepper

Directions

1. Warm the olive oil in a heavy frying pan, then add the Italian sausage. Cook it until nicely browned, crumbling the meat as it cooks; an old-fashioned potato masher works well for breaking it up. Transfer the sausage to a soup pot.
2. Using the same pan, add a bit more oil if the pan looks dry, then cook the onions until they have softened and are just beginning to take on color. Scrape the onions into the soup pot.
3. Pour 1 cup homemade chicken stock into the frying pan and swirl it around to pick up the browned bits, then add that liquid to the soup pot. Stir in the remaining stock, lentils, ground fennel, thyme, and sage.
4. Set the soup over the gentlest simmer you can manage and cook for about 45 minutes, until the lentils are tender but have not lost their shape.
5. While the soup is simmering, drain the roasted red peppers and cut them into roughly 1/2 inch pieces.
6. Add the chopped red pepper to the soup and continue cooking for about 45 minutes more, adding a little extra stock or water if the soup needs it. It is ready when some of the lentils are beginning to break down and the flavors have come together.
7. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper, and serve hot.