Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Sausage & Kale comes together quickly with the help of your electric pressure cooker. It’s a hearty soup that’s perfect for chilly days.
Remember when I mentioned in this post about wanting to host a Soup Swap Party? I think I’ve found the perfect soup to make for the event – Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Sausage & Kale. It’s thick and hearty and so full of flavor! It may even replace this recipe as my favorite soup of all time. Bonus points for easy cooking and cleanup in the Instant Pot!
It may come as no surprise that I have a bit of an obsession with lentils… Take these recent recipes for instance:
So, this soup was bound to jump to the top of my favorites list. Not to mention that Italian sausage and hearty kale… This Instant Pot Lentil Soup is basically a meal in a bowl. Plus, it’s packed with protein, fiber and vitamins.
Did you know that lentils are part of the superfoods category called “pulses”? Pluses are the dry, edible seeds of plants in the legume family, which also includes chickpeas, dry peas and beans. They’re naturally high in protein and fiber, but low in fat. If you’re looking for ways to eat healthier, sneaking pulses into your daily routine is definitely a great way to do it.
How to Make Instant Pot Lentil Soup
This lentil kale soup starts by sauteing the sausage right in the Instant Pot. That’s one of my favorite features. I love that you can saute and cook all in the same pot. I used mild Italian sausage in this recipe, just to make it suitable those who don’t care for too much heat. But then, I doctored it up with some red pepper flakes… You can totally customize this recipe to your preference by adding more or less red pepper flakes, or you can use hot Italian sausage and have that spice right from the start.
Once the sausage gets all crumbly and golden, add in some onion, garlic, celery. Let it saute for about 5 minutes longer, to soften the veggies and then add in some canned tomatoes, lentils and stock. I used some of my homemade slow cooker bone broth as the stock (I had it on hand in the freezer), but you can swap it out for some boxed chicken broth too. Give everything a good stir and then place your lid on the Instant Pot, make sure it’s set to seal, and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. After the time is up, give it a quick release, and remove the lid.
Then it’s time to doctor things up a bit more… Adding in the kale and some additional seasonings to make everything pop.
There’s a whopping 5 cups of baby kale in this sausage lentil soup, which sounds like a massive amount, but really, as it cooks in the warm soup, it shrinks down to almost nothing. Don’t be alarmed when you first try to fit it all into your Instant Pot at the end. Just add a bit at a time and keep stirring.
I added in a splash of red wine vinegar and some fresh parsley to really give this soup some bright flavor, and, don’t forget to season with salt and pepper – You’ll need a good sprinkling of both, but it will depend on the salt content of your chicken stock… So, season and taste, and season and taste.
As I’m typing this post, I’m really wondering why I didn’t grate a bunch of parmesan cheese over the top of these warm bowls of soup – Definitely doing that next time. But even without it, this Instant Pot Lentil Soup was a standout!
Wine Pairings for Sausage Lentil Soup:
- Medium-bodied, rustic wines like Chianti, Cotes du Rhone, and Sangiovese have earthy, spicy flavors that echo those in the Italian sausage and lentils.
Do you have a favorite soup recipe? A favorite Instant Pot recipe? Tell me about them in the comments below.
If you loved this Instant Pot Lentil Soup recipe I would appreciate it so much if you would give it star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.
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Instant Pot Recipes:
- Instant Pot Dal
- Instant Pot Steamed Artichokes
- Instant Pot Persian Beef Stew
- Instant Pot Authentic Italian Sunday Gravy
Instant Pot Soup Recipes:
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Instant Pot Weight Loss Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Pho
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Instant Pot Bean Soup with Pesto
Instant Pot Lentil Soup Recipe
Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Sausage & Kale
Ingredients
- 1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 celery stalks thinly sliced, with leafy tops
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups bone broth or chicken stock
- 2 cups dried lentils
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 5 cups baby kale leaves loosely packed
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Hit "saute" button on Instant Pot. Add sausage and cook until meat crumbles and begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add onion, celery and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add stock, lentils, red pepper flakes, tomatoes and stir.
- Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure the release valve is in the "sealing" position. Press "manual" button and set timer for 12 minutes.
- The Instant Pot will warm up for about 10 minutes and then start cooking. After 12 minutes, quick-release by flipping the release valve to “venting."
- Add kale and vinegar. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.
Don’t have an Instant Pot? Here’s how to make this Lentil Soup with Sausage & Kale on the stove top.
This post was sponsored by USA Pulses & Pulse Canada.
What type of lentils did you use?
Thanks!
Hi Yoni – I used brown lentils.
What size instant pot did you use for this soup? Thanks!!
Hi Celeste – I have the 6-Quart Instant Pot.
Do you know what the conversions for time would be for a crock pot?
Hi Anna – I would loosely follow this recipe and cook it for 8-10 hours on low. Hope this helps!
This was absolutely delicious – perfect for a day when the temps stayed in the single digits! The lentils were cooked perfectly in the Instant Pot, I ended up using 2 – 14 oz. cans of diced tomatoes since I didn’t have crushed and it was perfect. Thank you for a great recipe – will definitely put lentils into the rotation after trying this.
So glad to hear that you liked this soup Sam – The Instant Pot makes things so easy!
Holy cow this is delicious!!!! I paired it with some creamy mashed potatoes. I absolutely love this and how easy it was, thanks!!!!!!
I should’ve read the comments before I made this dish in my 3 quart instant pot. I realized after I put the hot pepper flakes that I was up to the fill line so I just cooked what was in the pot minus the tomatoes. Once the pressure cooking was done I transferred everything to a stockpot added the tomatoes kale and red wine vinegar and he did gently on the stove came out fine. Under servings above it says “people’ is a serving size a cup? Cup and a half? Not sure what you were calling a serving size.
[…] Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Sausage and Kale- Platings and Pairings […]
This soup is delicious! I added an extra clove of garlic to the pot and a drizzle of olive oil just before serving! It is a meal, for sure. Thanks for sharing. I look forward to more as I learn to cook in the Instant Pot. So far, I love it.
So glad to hear that you liked this soup Janice! Please stop by again soon – I’ll be putting a new Instant Pot recipe out each week!
Sooooo delicious and so easy it felt like cheating. I used roasted crushed tomatoes and WOW!
Yay! So happy you enjoyed the recipe Joya!
I made this tonight with some leftover smoked pastrami from st patties day. I skipped the vinegar, used fire roasted tomatoes and added a few dashes of spike. Yum yum yum!!
Your substitutions sound amazing Leslie! So glad you liked it!
I made this tonight for dinner tomorrow night and everything is perfect! Especially that last minute add of red wine vinegar. God bless the Instant pot!
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe!
28 oz can of tomatoes seems like it would be way too much….do you mean 15 oz can?
Nope! The 28-ounce can works perfectly!
This is great! I the only changes I made were to use hot Italian sausage (and omitted the red pepper flakes) and spinach instead of kale as that’s what I had. The soup is super thick, which I like, but I still added another cup of chicken broth. So excited to freeze in portions so I can take to work for lunches now that the weather is getting cooler. 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that you liked it Megan! This soup is DEFINITELY perfect for these cooler months!
Can tofu be used instead of sausage? What about French green lentils?
Hi Mo! I would give it a try! The French Green Lentils will definitely work! Let me know how the tofu works out!
This is one of my husband and my favorite (Instant Pot) meals. It’s hearty, healthy, and like a perfect hug in a bowl for a cold day. It’s thick like a stew. Great with a piece of crusty loaf of bread. Freezes beautifully if you want to meal prep. Happy for the cold weather since I get to make this again!
I’m so happy to hear you like it Nicole – Thanks for the feedback!
Excellent recipe! I used Swiss chard instead of kale and went a little lighter on the red pepper flakes…..makes for a thick soup with superb flavors….thank you!
This was delicious! The kids weren’t too sure about the lentils at first, but they ended up polishing off big bowls of it. We’ll definitely make this again!
I’m so glad you guys liked it Alyssa!
Would red lentils work for this?
Hi Andrea – Red lentils cook faster than green and they break down more. With red lentils, it will still work but your soup will have more of a creamy texture. Hope that helps!
YUM! This was delicious, and easy and quick. Basically the weeknight recipe trifecta! I used red lentils and they were basically liquified by the end, but it made for a really thick, smooth velvety stew like texture which we loved. Also used hot italian sausage and did not need to add red pepper flakes. I also think you can increase the greens – you can get a lot of these to wilt into the stew. Will be keeping this in heavy rotation. Thanks Erin!
Looks so yummy!
I have a real problem with Kale after being forced to eat it as a kid (we grew it in our front yard).
Can you suggest an alternative to the kale? Collard greens maybe? I cannot eat kale.
thanks,
Sarah
Hi Sarah – Definitely! I would use spinach or collard greens.
Do you think I could use frozen spinach and kale?
I think that will work just fine Krystle!
I love this soup! I used hot Italian sausage and green lentils, and spinach in place of kale. It turned out fantastic. Even my fussy husband loved it. I froze individual servings so I could take them for lunch and now that the weather has turned cold it’s great to have this hot and spicy soup at lunchtime. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Wanda!
I’ve eaten lentils before but have always been too nervous to cook them. My husband is also a picky eater so I figured he’d just eat around them. I made this soup for dinner last night and it was absolutely delicious and my husband even asked for it to be on our weekly rotation. It was deceptively easy, so I just threw a few ingredients into the pot and watched my favorite TV show. The only change I made was to stir in a mix of baby kale, spinach, and collard greens (bought the wrong bag at the store), and all tasted great in the soup. I served it with bread.
Thanks for this amazing recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that you both liked it Karina – and that you got some TV time in the meantime (isn’t it the best?!). Cheers!
So delicious! I was sad the first day I made it and it was gone! was actually happy the weather got cooler so I could make it again! Used carrots instead of celery as that’s what I had. Perfectly tender. Never thought I would be a lentil fan. Thanks for a delicious and EASY recipe!
You’re so welcome Sue! I’m glad you liked it!!!