lentil soup with sausage, chard and garlic

3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2-3 sausage links, casings removed (I used lamb; recipe calls for Italian pork, but could also substitute chicken or turkey)
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into half-moons or diced
6 cloves garlic, sliced and divided
Sea salt, to taste
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup brown lentils, sorted and rinsed
2 bay leaves
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups water
Freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 cups shredded or thinly ribboned Swiss chard leaves or kale

Leftovers will keep for several days in the fridge.

Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil (enough to coat bottom of pot) in a large pot on medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up with wooden spoon until starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, carrots, first 3 garlic cloves, and pinch each of salt and red pepper flakes. Cook with the sausage until the vegetables soften a bit, another 5 minutes. Add the lentils, bay leaves, tomatoes, broth, water and more salt and black pepper to taste. Simmer until lentils are tender, about 40 minutes, adding water as needed.
When lentils are cooked, add greens and cook a few minutes more until tender. Discard bay leaves.

To finish, divide soup among bowls, then add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 garlic cloves to small skillet and heat over medium until garlic softens and hisses. Drizzle garlic-infused oil over soup bowls to serve.

Serving Size: Makes 6 servings.

Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user GIRANIMAL.