Sausage and Lental Soup

One thing I love about the fall and winter is that I can make soups/stews and freeze a lot for nights when I get home late from class.  Lentil soup is BY FAR one of my favorite things to make.  Here is a basic recipe that I follow (I am not always one to follow a recipe to a "t" so things can change slightly from batch to batch). 

Ingredients: 

1 cup dried lentils 

2 cups chicken broth

12 ounces sausage, browned

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery 

1 medium onion chopped

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

4-5 cloves of garlic, smashed

Several sprigs of thyme

Directions

• Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Rinse your lentils under cold water, and place them into an empty slow cooker. 
• Brown sausage the onions and add to slow cooker.  Add beef broth, the entire can of tomatoes, garlic, thyme, carrots and celery.  
• Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.  Pour in a bowl and serve with some homemade bread.