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["The night before preparing the soup put the lentils in a large bowl and cover them with about 1 inch of water.", "Allow to ""soak"" over night.", "In the morning rinse and drain the lentils.", "Set aside to be added to the soup as directed.", "In a large soup kettle brown the sausage, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks.", "(Use bulk sausage or remove any casings).", "Remove sausage, drain fat, leaving a small film of fat on the bottom of the kettle.", "Add the onion, carrots, and celery; saute over medium for about 10 minutes, adding the garlic for the last 2 minutes.", "Stir in the tomato paste and cook over medium for about 2 minutes.", "Return the sausage to the pan.", "Stir in the tomatoes in their juice, tomato sauce, beef broth and Italian seasoning.", "Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.", "Stir in lentils and water; cook for 20 minutes, tasting lentils for ""doneness"" and cooking longer if necessary.", "Add a bit more water if necessary - depending on how ""thirsty"" your lentils are - this is a thick soup but there should be some broth.", "Serve, allowing each person to add grated Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper as desired."]
