I am embarrassed to say before I made this Sausage and Lentil Stew, I had never eaten lentils before. I know! Crazy, right?
About Lentils
Just in case there is someone out there who is as lentil challenged as me, here are a few things I learned about lentils and why we should eat them:
- tons of protein
- tons of fiber
- full of B vitamins which help to support nervous systems, digestive systems and immune systems (hello, duh, I have an immune disorder, get eating those lentils!)
There are other health benefits too, but these were the main ones for me. If you are interested in learning more about lentils, you can bounce over to Wikipedia.Â
I'm such a dope. I suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, which is an immune disorder, so yes, I should be eating tons of lentils! I swear, now that I know, I will. Maybe if I eat enough lentils, I can avoid another surgery. Probably not, but hey, any little bit helps, right?
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Crockpot?
I originally thought I would make this in the crockpot
, but I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of sausage in the crockpot. Sometimes it gets a weird texture. Don't get me wrong, I love a good crockpot meal, and you could probably make this Sausage and Lentil Stew in one, but for me, I didn't want to chance it. So if you want to crockpot it, I think you'd want to brown the sausage first and then just plop it all in and cook on low for 6 hours or so. The pot that I use for dishes like this one is the Calphalon Dutch Oven
. Maybe some day, I will cave and spend the money for a Le Creuset
, but not today!
I had a vision of making a fresh baked boule to rip and dip into this. My favorite part of a soup or stew is dipping bread in. But since this cold is kicking my butt, I lost my gusto to bake fresh bread. Instead, I opened the pantry and saw a sad collection of half week old hamburger rolls, hot dog rolls and whole wheat sandwich bread. Eh. To some this may seem a lost case, but give this girl some old bread and I make crunchy croutons, perfect for stew dipping!
All you have to do for the croutons is cut up the rolls into large bite sized pieces, toss with either melted butter or olive oil, salt and pepper and if you're up for it, a little minced garlic. Cook them up on a baking sheet at 350 for about 15 minutes and there you have it.
Printable Recipe Card
Sausage & Lentil Stew
Ingredients
- 2 T olive oil
- 6 Hot Italian Sausages
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 sprigs rosemary fresh
- 3 sprigs thyme fresh
- 1 C lentils
- 3 C chicken broth
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325.
- Tie rosemary and thyme together with kitchen string. Set aside.
- Heat 1 T oil in large oven safe pot (dutch oven), over medium/high heat. Add the sausages and brown on all sides. Remove sausages and place on cutting board.
- Return pot to heat, add 1 T oil, onion and carrot. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 3-4 minutes. While vegetables are cooking, slice your sausage into bite sized pieces. After3-4 minutes, add garlic, herb bundle, sliced sausage and lentils to pot. Stir together and add broth. Bring just to a boil, cover with a tight fitting lid and place in oven for 1 hour.
- Serve with bread and soup croutons.
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Heather // girlichef says
Today is such a soup, stew, and chili kinda day...and I could definitely go for this bowl of lentil goodness. I actually love a Dutch Oven meal even more than a crockpot one!
Amy @Very Culinary says
Oh, I love lentils! I buy the red and brown in bulk - they're perfect in stews like this. Delicious!
Lana@NeverEnoughThyme says
I don't cook with lentils often enough, either. Making a mental note to do so as your stew looks absolutely mouth-watering. And, by the way, I do the same with leftover bread 🙂
Stephanie @ Back For Seconds says
This is the perfect soup for this dreary day!
Marjory @ Dinner-Mom says
Yum! I have not had lentils in quite some time and this is the perfect soup to change that...thanks for the tip about helping with RA too!
Renee - Kudos Kitchen says
I love lentils and glad you are now a lentil lover too. Your stew looks lovely. I hope it helped made your cold feel all better. Chicken soup, move over. LOL
foodyschmoody says
Ha! I actually made chicken soup the day before and neither one was the remedy!
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
I am lentil challenged...but not for long! Yum!
Melanie says
I love lentils but don't cook them often enough. Thanks for the inspiration!
valmg @ From Val's Kitchen says
I have had lentils, my Mom used to put them in a soup. I've never had them in a stew or with sausage.
Angela {Mind Over Batter} says
Any little bit does help! I love lentils, but I'm SO lentil challenged! I love this stew. So hearty!
Kellie @ The Suburban Soapbox says
This is one of my favorite stews but I have yet to make it for myself. Lentils are the bomb! And so is sausage....and stew. OH YUM!
Lauren @ Healthy Delicious says
I love lentils! They're kind of scary looking, but they have so much flavor and are so healthy