Chicken Sausage and Lentil Soup - Slow Cooker

Oh, this is so good, so easy and so healthy. Your talking veggies, lentils, cheese tortellini (optional) and low fat chicken sausage in a base of low sodium free range chicken stock, garlic and herbs. Yums.

Just have about 8 hours on the slow cooker for this recipe.

1 lb chicken sausage
2 cups of onions
2 cups carrots
9-12 oz mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
6 cups of low sodium free range chicken stock (or regular if you prefer)
8-10 oz. of cheese filled tortellini (or you can leave this out)
1 1/2 cups of lentils
1/4 to 1/2 sundried tomatoes (not oil-packed)

With 1 tbsp of olive oil, brown chicken sausage for about 10-12 minutes, set aside. Using same pan, heat mushrooms for about 3 minutes. Cut sausage in 1/2 inch chunks. Put lentils, onions, carrots, tomatoes up a stir. Add sausage and mushrooms and stir. Add garlic, then stock, then herbs and stir. High for 2 hours. Simmer or Low for 5 hours. High for 45 minutes and after 15 minutes add cheese tortellini.

This makes a lot. Be prepared to store some in refrigerator and freezer for future meals.