I made minor adjustments to this and it was fantastic! It was a wonderful earthy yet spicy comfort food on a cold Sunday night. I used brown rice instead of white, chicken stock instead of water, and omitted carrot although it seems appropriate for this recipe. I sauteed some red bell pepper and celery instead. I chose to make this in a slow cooker. Saute the veggies and kielbasa first, add to slow cooker with dry lentils, spinach and about 4 c chicken stock/broth. Add brown rice for last hour of cooking. Next time I will try adding some cumin and topping with grated parmesan at the end. (tip from Giada).

My family really enjoyed this one. I did make one alteration though. I switched the amounts of chicken broth and water (6 cups chicken broth - 2 cups water). And for next time I think I will be adding a bit of garlic (as that should go in EVERYTHING)...and will cut the pepper flakes in half. It wasn't that spicy if you only had one bowl - the second one had our noses running away. It was wonderful with some buttered peasant bread.

Very tasty. I didn't understand the rationale behind cooking the rice separately, so I just added it with the lentils. Also, I reversed the amount of broth and water. Hearty and healthy.

Excellent -- I made several changes and additions. I used olive oil--always--rather than vegetable. I switched the amounts of broth and water as reviewers had suggested, added lots of extra red pepper (I like it spicy), and added the rice (Basmati) with the lentils (green) rather than cooking separately. I added to the onions, 4 cloves of garlic (minced); to the spices, caraway seed, 1 bay leaf, summer savory, & garam masala; to the broth, a splash of red wine; and to the spinach, a handful of sliced mushrooms.

With a few additions and substitutions this soup came out great. I added zucchini, yellow squash, and a 14 oz can of diced tomato. Additionally, I used kale instead of spinach as it holds up better in my opinion. I too flipped the water / broth using 6 cups of chicken stock (not broth) and 2 cups of water. I also added a generous helping of garlic, a dash of cumin, and two fresh bay leaves. One reviewer stated that the soup is bland, perhaps he or she did not allow the soup to really cook down thus developing flavor. Honestly, 25 minutes was not nearly enough time for the ingredients to mesh and for the flavor to develop. It took me nearly 50 minutes, and having said this next time I will wait to add the zucchini, squash, and kale until the last 15 minutes as it got a bit softer than I prefer. Moreover, do add salt and pepper to taste, not sure why it was left out on the recipe but it is surely necessary. I added uncooked rice and F renchlentils and the 50 minute cook time was perfect. This is a healthy and low calorie soup that fit my nutrition plan perfectly.

I enjoyed this recipe. I love fresh garlic so I added that… I also used brown rice (added @ the same time as lentils) and frozen spinach. I only had one problem, but it was totally my fault. I thought I could save time and just throw everything into the crock pot… the first couple bowls were awesome, but by time I got to the end, all of the flavor from the kielbasa had leached into the broth, leaving the meat flavorless and chewy. (I just picked the pieces out). So if you use the crock pot I wouldn’t leave the soup in it for reheats.

My family loved this!! I took tips from other reviewers and used 6 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of water, used 8 oz of kielbasa instead of 4 oz, added 3 cloves minced garlic to onion/carrot, and threw brown rice in along with the lentils (it cooked just fine...no need to cook seperate). Will make again, and again and again! Thank you!

This is so good!!! I added fresh garlic just as the veggies were nearly ready, and I did not precook the rice. I added it with the broth and water. I use whole grain brown rice and regular kielbasa sausage. I have made this several times and it is definitely a keeper!!

This was very good. I did use all chicken broth instead of the water. And I used baby spinach so I was lazy and didn't tear it. Thanks for the recipe.

I made this for dinner tonight, substituting Italian veggie sausage for the kielbasa and veggie broth instead of chicken (we're vegetarians) and this turned out fantastic. It's so rare that I can find a meaty recipe and can convert it but keep it relatively the same. My husband LOVED it! Thanks!