Sausage Lentil soup

This is my very favorite lentil soup. It's so favorful!! 

I used to make a version of this "Pre-Swank", but with regular sausage. I was newly married and it was cheap, easy to make and delicious. I'm telling you,  this is even better!!! 

I used to use canned tomatoes or tomato sauce. I happened to have some leftover marinara in the fridge so I just threw it in.  It actually gave it something a little extra. 

Ingredients 

1 TBLSP Olive Oil

1 small Onion, diced

1 Carrot, diced

1 Stalk Celery, diced 

1 small Red Pepper, diced

1 clove Garlic, minced

1/2 lb Chicken Sausage (made from chicken breast), squeezed from the casings

1/2 tsp Fennel

2 tsp Better Than Boullion, Roasted Chicken base dissolved in 2 cups water

1/2 cup Marinara

3/4 cup Lentils, picked over and rinsed

Instructions 

Preheat a small soup pot over medium-low heat.

Add the olive oil.

Stir in the onion, carrot, celery, red pepper and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Stir in the sausage and cook for a 5-10 more minutes.

Sprinkle in the fennel, pour in the bullion in water water and lentils. Stir to combine.

Raise heat to high until it comes a to a boil and then lower it back down to a low simmer.

Unsaturated fat for entire recipe: 12 grams

Saturated fat for entire recipe: 2 grams