I had a friend BEG for this recipe. Like others, I made minor adjustments (use frozen spinach, brown rice) but definitely add cooked rice @ end.

Very good soup, although I did not follow the recipe exactly. I used chicken sausage instead if kilbasa. Instead of using broth and water separately I boiled the sausage to cook it and used the broth from that as the base. Everything else was kept the same and the coup was fantastic.

Husband and I really liked this soup. Only four stars though because I was looking for something thicker, will probably use less water next time. I didn't have any stock on hand, just used water and it was flavorful enough from the garlic I added and the sausage seasonings. I used a lamb sausage that I had around, it was quite good. Finally, I used cabbage instead of spinach since we have an overabundance at the moment and it is REALLY good with cabbage. I just shredded it and added in the last few minutes, let it cook down a bit. So good.

What got my attention about this recipe was the ability to tweak it just a little and make it a powerhouse recipe for preggos (like me). I took other reviewers' advice and swapped the water/broth amounts, added a dash of cumin and also some celery seed, and used brown rice (much healthier) instead of white. I didn't have turkey kielbasa hanging around, so I substituted some leftover peppercorn-crusted pork tenderloin and omitted the red pepper flakes, threw in some sliced mushrooms with the spinach, and topped with shredded Italian cheese blend. Came out awesome! The one thing I did wrong was try to rush the rice. I didn't give it the full 20 minutes to simmer and ended up with very firm rice and kinda mushy everything else. Any mommies-to-be or anyone who knows one, definitely keep this recipe.

I haven't had lentil soup in years & after reading several receipes,this was the one I decided to try. It is great! I used red pepper powder instead of flakes as I wanted to keep it mild. I put less rice to keep soup from getting too thick, and I had an extra mushroom that I sliced up & threw in there. However, I needed to add salt or otherwise, it was like beans in water to me. I also had chopped frozen spinach, which seemed to work fine. Great health conscious soup, definitely keeping this receipe!!!

This is a very good basic recipe. I substituted kale for the spinach, used brown rice and eliminated the sausage this time as we're trying to eat more meatless dinners. It was a big hit! Thanks.

Very good! Hearty! I added some cumin, celery, and more broth to water as some other reviewers suggested. My wife is a vegetarian, so I used "better than chicken" brand broth, and didn't cook the kielbasa in the stew, but added it to mine after. Really tasty!

Yum!! I love this recipe. The turkey kielbasa is perfect and shouldn't be substituted with anything else. I did add a little celery and garlic but that was it. I added a little more chicken broth so that it was more like a soup than stew.

Great recipe! I served this to a friend who is the BEST cook I know and she asked for the recipe. You can vary the ingredient proportions to your personal taste. chicken bouillon cubes worked great and I used more of them- about one for every 1.5 cups of wather. Used brown rice- really tasty and easy AND healthy!

I was afraid of making bland lentil soup - this recipe is anything but that! If you want a real soup though, add more water; this came out like more of a stew/porridge for me. Also, I added celery and used healthier brown rice instead of white rice. Serve in a bowl with an over-easy egg on top for a great, protein-packed breakfast!

I have to give this one 3 stars. I did alter the recipe but only after I felt it was lacking taste. I added some crushed tomatoes and some salt. It just seemed to need more salt. It does taste better on day two but I probably won't make this one again. I still think that the Lentil Chili is the best. I guess I will just stick to that one!

Oh my goodness, this is going on my regular rotation of soups. It is so delicious for being so healthful! For some reason I wrote down veggie broth when I made my grocery list for this recipe, but honest to goodness, I might make it that way in the future. It tasted great! My husband isn't a big fan of lentils so I may try to substitute something next time around, but he said that when it came to taste and "heartiness", he really enjoyed it. Great recipe!

Yum!!! I followed other reviewers and used more chicken broth than water and just added the uncooked rice with the lentils. And, I had already cooked up Italian Sausages in the freezer, so used that instead of Kielbasa, DH really doesn't like either, but I tried! Added a few more carrots and a clove of garlic. DH complained about the sausage, but DS & I loved every bite! Thanks for a great recipe!

Excellant and very adaptable. I took alot from this recipe to improve my recipe for lentil soup. I like a thicker soup and used 2 cups of lentils, 8 oz. skinless traditional kielbasa chopped, 2 carrots, 3 celery stalks ran through the food processer with the onion and added 2 cloves of garlic. I also did what other posts did and swapped the chicken stock quantity with the water quantity. Love the spinich addition and substituted ditalini pasta for the rice. Great recipe that can be altered to suit your taste or change it up. Thanks!

Eagerly added to the "Souper Sunday!" list, where I make a large pot and put in portion bags for lunches. I've had this batch in bags for eight days, still flavorful and hearty. Changes I used turkey ring bologna because I couldn't find kielbasa. I had a tough time getting it to brown/crisp, but even without that, it seems immune to the "rubbery" meat texture others had. I also added the lentils and rice at the same time, to excellent results.

I like this soup but think it needs a little something more. I did not have sausage so made it with beef broth and that might be why it was a little bland. I added extra vegetables such as broccoli which I think I would do again. I will also add extra spices like some others suggested.

Very good and very easy to make.