Sausage and Lentil Soup

The last week of February, and there are rumors. Not the kind of rumors that matter in a personal sense — not family rumors, not hospital gossip — but rumors about something happening in the world, something with a name that sounds like a beer brand: coronavirus. COVID-19. The news says it is in China, it is in Italy, it might be here, it might not be, the numbers are confusing and the information is contradictory and Eduardo, who watches the news with the systematic attention of an insurance professional assessing risk, says we should pay attention. I say, Eduardo, I have been feeding a hospital for twenty years. I know about hygiene. He says, This might be different. I say, Different how. He doesn't answer. The not-answering is what worries me.

At the hospital, there are meetings. The infection control team is briefing department heads. I sit in a conference room and listen to a doctor explain transmission rates and incubation periods and the word 'pandemic' is used and the word hangs in the room like smoke. My department — food service — is essential. If the hospital fills with patients, my team feeds them. If the staff doubles, my team feeds them. If the world changes, the cafeteria does not close, because people who are sick still need to eat and people who care for the sick still need to eat and the eating is the one thing that does not stop, cannot stop, the fundamental fact that holds when everything else falls away.

I came home from that meeting and made a double batch of sofrito. Not because I was panicking — I do not panic, I prepare, which looks the same from the outside but is entirely different on the inside — but because if the world is about to get complicated, I want the freezer full. Sixteen ice cube trays of sofrito. Ten pounds of dried beans. Twenty pounds of rice. Six pork shoulders in the chest freezer. Eduardo looked at the kitchen full of provisions and said, Are we preparing for a hurricane? I said, Something like that. He said, We are in Connecticut. I said, Hurricanes come in many forms, Eduardo.

That night, with the sofrito still cooling in trays on the counter, I pulled sausage from the refrigerator and lentils from the shelf — lentils that had been sitting there for months, waiting for exactly this kind of evening — and I made a pot of soup, because soup is what you make when you need to feel like you are doing something useful. The sofrito went in as the base, the way it always does, the smell of it blooming in the oil the most reliable comfort I know. If Eduardo was going to sit at the kitchen table watching the news, at least he was going to do it with a bowl of something real in front of him.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 lb smoked sausage (such as kielbasa or andouille), sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup sofrito (store-bought or homemade)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 cups green or brown lentils, rinsed and sorted
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving

Instructions

Brown the sausage. Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage slices and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on both sides, about 4–5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the drippings in the pot.
Build the sofrito base. Reduce heat to medium. Add the sofrito to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook until softened, about 6–8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Add the spices. Stir in the smoked paprika, oregano, cumin, and red pepper flakes (if using). Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly, to bloom the spices.
Add liquids and lentils. Pour in the diced tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, and water. Stir in the lentils and return the browned sausage to the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Simmer until lentils are tender. Reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 30–35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are fully tender and soup has thickened. Add additional water or broth if the soup becomes too thick.
Season and serve. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh parsley. The soup keeps refrigerated for up to 5 days and freezes well for up to 3 months.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sausage and Lentil Soup — What I Make When the World Gets Complicated