Sausage & Lentil Soup

• 1 pound meat combination of beef, sausage, venison, turkey), ground
• 1 large onions chopped
• 2 medium carrots peeled & chopped
• 1/4 cup green bell peppers diced
• 3 garlic cloves, ground minced
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 6 each chicken bouillon cubes *
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 2 cups spinach chopped or 1 cup swiss chard
• 3/4 cup lentils dry
• 2 tablespoons butter optional
• 1 x cheddar cheese, very old, sharp grated

1. Saute meats, rinse & drain for a "lowfat" version.
2. Add all the vegetables and cook until onion is softened and translucent.
3. Add 8 cups of water and stock cubes or use the equivalent amount of chicken stock.
4. *
5. Add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT lentils, butter and grated cheddar cheese.
6. Continue cooking covered, simmer for at least one hour on stove-top OR transfer to crockpot on LOW for several hours.
7. Stir occasionally.
8. Lentils go in 45 minutes to 1 hour before serving time.
9. Add a bit of water if the soup becomes too thick.
10. Add the butter if you're not preparing a "lowfat" version.
11. Serve with grated cheddar cheese sprinkled over the top.
12. NOTE: Leftovers are better than fresh.

beef, onions, carrots, green bell peppers, garlic, basil, oregano, chicken bouillon cubes, tomato sauce, swiss chard, lentils dry, butter, cheddar cheese

Taken from recipeland.com/recipe/v/sausage-amp-lentil-soup-52917 (may not work)