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1
Heat 2 tsp. olive oil, add chopped onion and celery and saute until it's just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and saute 1 minute more, then add red pepper flakes, dried thyme, dried oregano, and ground fennel seed and saute 1 minute more.
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2
Cook beans / lentils separately with combo of water and chicken broth. When tender add onions.
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3
Add the rest of the chicken stock, diced tomatoes and juice, and bay leaves to the soup pot. Heat soup until it's barely boiling, then reduce heat.
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4
Add 2 tsp. more olive oil to pan that had onions, squeeze turkey sausage out of casings and saute until the sausage is nicely browned, breaking it apart with a metal turner as it cooks. (You may need a bit more olive oil if you don't use a non-stick pan.) Add browned sausage to soup pot, then deglaze the pan with 2 cups of the chicken stock, scraping the browned sausage bits off the bottom of the pan, and add that to soup pot.
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5
When lentils are soft, remove about 1/3 of soup mixture and use an immersion blender, food processor, or blender to puree the mixture until it's very smooth, about 2 minutes. (Be very careful with the hot soup if you use a food processor or blender.)
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6
Taste soup, season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper, and serve hot, garnished with chopped parsley if desired.
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7
This soup freezes well, so you might want to make a double batch and freeze some for lunches to take to work.
