We're making green lentil "gumbo" soup with the same things we put in gumbo, except the signature roux. This delicious soup is gluten-free, dairy-free, and much lower in fat, and the lentils act as the thickener. The best part is that it has all the gumbo flavor you love.
Ingredients
- ounces andouille sausage: 8 piece (cut into 1/4 inch cubes)
- olive oil: 2 Tbsp
- onion: 1 cup (diced)
- green bell pepper: 1 cup (diced)
- celery: 0.66667 cup (diced)
- kosher salt, plus more: 0.25 tsp (to taste)
- paprika: 1 tsp
- ground cumin: 1 tsp
- black pepper: 0.5 tsp (freshly ground)
- thyme: 0.5 tsp (dried)
- oregano: 0.25 tsp (dried)
- bay leaf: 1 piece
- no-salt or low-sodium chicken broth: 6 cups
- ounces chicken thighs: 8 piece (cut into small pieces)
- ounces smoked ham: 4 piece (diced)
- fresh or frozen okra: 0.75 cup (sliced)
- green lentils, rinsed: 1 cup
- Worcestershire sauce: 1 tsp
- Louisiana-style hot sauce: 0.5 tsp
- Italian parsley: 0.25 cup (chopped)
- green onions: 0.33333 cup (sliced)
- white rice: 2 cups (cooked, optional)
- green onions: 0.33333 cup (or as needed, sliced)
- cayenne pepper: 0.125 tsp (to taste)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Add andouille to a dry soup pot and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sausage begins to brown, a few minutes.
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Add all the olive oil, unless a lot of fat was rendered from the sausage, in which case adjust the amount of oil added.
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Add onion, green pepper, celery, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
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Add paprika, cumin, black pepper, thyme, oregano, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more.
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Stir in broth, raise heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and stir in chicken, ham, and sliced okra. Cook’s Note For nice tender lentils, do not use a salted broth, or add any additional salt. This can prevent the lentils from getting tender. Once lentils have softened up near the end of the cooking time, more salt can be added to taste.
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Cook for 10 minutes, then stir in lentils. Simmer soup, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, about 1 hour.
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Stir in Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, parsley, and green onions, and cook for another few minutes. Season to taste with salt. Serve with rice, more green onions, and a shake of cayenne. Chef John
