Italian Soup with Italian Sausage, Green Lentils and Spinach

Italian Soup with Sausage, Lentil & Spinach

Eating soup and nibbling sweets are a perfect way to endure the hectic,cold days of December…right?

To me, soup season means accepting that winter is firmly in place, and it’s time to settle in and wait it out. Slurping soup when it’s cold, snowy, or rainy is comforting and helps endure the unavoidable short days and long, dark nights.

Soup warms our souls, and keeps us hydrated and healthy. Many soups are filled with veggies, and often made with beans or meat, making them hearty enough to serve as one-pot meals.

What will your go-to soup be this winter? 

If you need a new idea, then try this Italian Soup with Italian Sausage, Green Lentils and Spinach, delicious served with homemade cheese biscuits.

Red Lentil Soup

Red Lentil Soup

Red Lentil Soup

Here’s a nice red lentil soup for the chilly fall/winter days ahead. It’s an understated but tasty soup to serve with a nice loaf of sourdough bread.

Black Bean Smash Burgers With Adobo Mayo

Black Bean Burgers

While stuck in my kitchen this summer nursing two different muscle injuries I started to cook more meals at home. I concentrated on cooking vegetarian meals, filled with fresh whole foods. 

I found this recipe in the Bon Appetit August 2024 edition on their list of top 56 recipes to try this year. They chose 56 because their first issue was published in 1956. 

It's one of my favourites and one I'd recommend you all try it.

This burger recipe is fast, easy, tasty and I especially like the adobo mayo sauce. 

I’ve included the original recipe here, but I did modify mine a bit by substituting  cilantro instead of coriander. I also used plain Monterey Jack cheese because I couldn’t find Pepper Jack cheese. 

Lentil Salad With Spices, Capers and Raisins

The Best Lentil Salad Ever

This salad recipe lives up to its name. The reason is because of the interesting combination of spices. There are lots, so if you don’t already have the spices in your pantry, this may not be a recipe for you. 

Another fun aspect of the recipe is the capers and dried raisins. It makes a lot, so be prepared to give some away to your friends or neighbours. 

Lentil Cauliflower Curry Soup

Lentil Curry Cauliflower and Veggie Soup

This is a satisfying soup to try because it has both vegetables and beans in it. If you’re in the cilantro camp, then pass around chopped cilantro to sprinkle on top and don’t forget to add a dollop of sour cream.

Moroccan Veggie Garbanzo Bean Stew

Moroccan, Veggie, Garbanzo Bean Stew

This is a delightful stew to make for a meat-free dinner. It makes a lot, so you’ll probably have leftovers the next day, which is always a good thing. This recipe is loaded with veggies, garbanzo beans and delicious Moroccan spices. Serve with the lemon couscous or crusty fresh bread and you’ve got a great meal.

Veggie Tex Mex Casserole

Veggie Tex Mex Casserole

This recipe is adapted from the Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon. Although this is an older cookbook, it has some great recipes. To make this recipe a true vegan recipe, simply swap the cheese with vegan shredded cheese. If you don’t like your dishes too spicy, you can use less cayenne pepper. 

Squash Lentil Stew

Squash Lentil Stew with Rice and Vegetables

There are many different types of squash available this fall.  Take advantage of them by cooking up delicious soups and stews such as this tasty dish. 

This is a delicious meal to make on a cool night. Feel free to add more veggies or swap some out for others that you have in your fridge.

I usually hate cutting squash because they are so tough, but I heard that if you put them in the microwave for a few seconds, (I did, 15 seconds) they are easier to cut. Well, I finally tried this little hack, and it worked!

Lentil Bean Kale Curry Soup

A tasty hearty soup filled with veggies, beans and kale, and bursting with flavour. Serve plain or with a dollop of sour cream and chopped cilantro on top.   

Italian Bean Casserole

Italian Bean Casserole

A Mexican dish disguised as an Italian.  This dish is super easy to make and a fantastic weekday meal to make for the family. Serve with a big  green salad.

Vegetarian Lentil Shepherd's Pie

This lentil shepherd's pie uses green lentils, instead of the red lentils which makes it special. 

It's flavoured with fresh thyme, bay leaf, balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. 

It's a pleasant dish which will definitely comfort you any day. 

Tuscan Beef and Lentil Soup

This soup has veggies, beef and lentils which makes it a perfect soup at any time of the year.  It's seasoned with dried basil and oregano and served with grated Parmesan cheese on top. 

Greek Couscous Salad

A couscous salad 

Vegetarian Tamale Pie

Vegetarian Tamale Pie with Cheddar Cheese Cornmeal Topping

Three Bean Salad

Three Bean Salad

Couscous Salad with Garbanzo Beans

Couscous salad with garbanzo beans and a hint of cumin

This healthy and delicious side dish has a hint of cumin that your family will love.

Homemade Minestrone Soup

Minestrone with veggies, beans and macaroni

Vegetable Barley and Chicken Chowder with Lentils and Split Peas

Veggie Barley Chicken Chowder with Lentils and Split Peas

This hearty chowder has lentils, split peas, barley and is flavoured with thyme and a bay leaf. Serve this soup to the whole family, and they will all be asking for seconds.  

Before you begin, be sure to rinse the lentils, split peas and barley thoroughly, to remove any dirt or residue.   

This recipe calls for cooked chicken, so be sure to cook the chicken the night before. You can also use a store-bought rotisserie chicken, or if cooking chicken one night, cook extra and freeze the extra for the soup.  

Veggie, Chicken Chowder with Lentils, Split Peas and Barley

Black Bean and Squash Soup

Black Bean and Squash Soup

This healthy, robust soup is sure to warm you up on those cold winter days. In this recipe, I use a carnival squash, but any squash will work. A carnival squash is a cross between a sweet dumpling squash and an acorn squash. They can be used in any recipe that calls for either an acorn or a butternut squash.

Comforting Lentil Soup

Lentil soup

This is a perfect soup for the whole family. Its mild flavour is comforting and soothing. A recipe that will ease you into the fall season.