Okay, you’re really going to have to try not to judge a book by it’s cover here. I know this Lentil & Sausage Stew isn’t the prettiest thing to look at but, OMG, it will knock the socks right off your taste buds! No joke. We’re talking insanely delicious here… like “at the end of the week I’ll be sad that there isn’t any left” delicious. But worry not, it makes a huge batch so you can always stash a few servings in the freezer for later.
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The recipe posted below is adapted from this Lentil Sausage Soup over on dlynz.com. I still have half of a huge bag of lentils to use up and I’m trying to fiber pack my diet so this Lentil & Sausage Stew really fit the bill. And, as always, I made some changes to the recipe to accommodate what was available to me at a good price.
Can I Use Fresh Spinach?
Yes, fresh spinach works great in this recipe. Simply add about 8 oz. fresh baby spinach to the pot after everything is done cooking and stir until the spinach wilts into the broth.
Freeze Some for Later
The recipe makes a ton but luckily it freezes well. Of course, you could always cut it in half if you prefer. Sausage usually doesn’t come in smaller quantities than one pound, but luckily sausage also freezes well, so you can use half for this recipe and save half for later.
Lentil and Sausage Stew
Servings 8 about 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 1/2 lb. Italian sausage ($1.75)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 3 carrots ($0.30)
- 4 ribs celery ($0.74)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 2 cups brown lentils ($1.27)
- 6 cups chicken broth* ($0.78)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne ($0.05)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika ($0.10)
- 1 tsp ground cumin ($0.10)
- 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.10)
- 10 oz. frozen spinach ($1.00)
Instructions
- Brown the sausage in a large pot over medium heat, breaking it up into pieces as it cooks.
- While the sausage is cooking, prepare your vegetables: wash, peel and slice the carrots, slice the celery, dice the onion, and mince the garlic. Once the sausage is cooked, add the vegetables to the pot and continue to sauté until the onions are soft and transparent (about 5 min).
- Add the lentils to the pot along with the cayenne, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, and chicken broth.
- Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow it to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Add more water if it gets too dry.
- Stir in the frozen spinach and cook for about 15 minutes more. Serve with a thick slice of crusty bread!
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Lentil and Sausage Stew – Step By Step Photos
Brown 1/2 lb. Italian sausage in a large pot over medium heat, breaking it up into pieces as it cooks. Depending on the fat content of your sausage, you may need to add a splash of oil to the pot to get it going in the beginning and you may want to drain off the excess fat if there is a lot (mine did not need to be drained).
While the sausage is cooking, Peel and slice three carrots, slice 4 stalks celery, dice one onion, and mince two cloves of garlic. Add them to the pot once the sausage has browned and continue to sauté until the onions are soft and transparent.
Add 2 cups brown lentils to the pot along with 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, and 1 tsp smoked paprika.
Add 6 cups of chicken broth to the pot. Place a lid on top, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow it to come to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are soft. Add more water if it gets too dry.
Once the lentils are tender, you can add the spinach. Spinach is a delicate green so I add it at the end to prevent over cooking and total disintegration.
Stir in 10 oz. frozen spinach and cook for another 15 minutes or until heated through.
And then the Lentil & Sausage Stew is done and ready to eat!
It’s hard to tell but it is BURSTING with flavor, I swear. You’re going to LOVE this one.
Great recipe. I have made this many times, using all different kinds of sausage. Always comes out fantastic. Thanks.
I’ve made this a few times and I LOVE it! I’ll cook it in the instapot to spend up the cooking time. I’m always happy with the taste AND the cost.
Very nice recipe, and very easy to make. I used a full pound of sausage and cut back the cayenne to 1/4 tsp and it was just about right. I’ll be making this several more times this winter. I’d estimate the entire pot cost me less than $8.
I don’t have crusty bread.
Excellent! I changed the sausage to beef kielbasa.
Can I use red lentils?
You can, however red lentils generally cook faster than brown and green so I would cook them about 5 minutes less and just keep an eye on them so they don’t get mushy.
Made this using spicy impossible sausage and was amazed at how delicious this was. I’m about to make it again but this time double everything and wanted to know if this froze well?
We haven’t tried but I’d think it should freeze well!
Thanks for posting the recipe. I made a bigger pot with more spicy chicken Italian sausage. Really enjoyed it. Good instructions too!
Delicious! We recently made pizza and had cooked sausage in the freezer. My daughter and I like to donate blood and lentils help with iron levels so we thought it would be good to make. Smelled so good while it was cooking!
This is such a hearty and filling soup! And so easy to make. I had a pound of sausage, and just used it all. I’d like to try it one day with kale instead of spinach. Great soup for a cool evening.
This was excellent and will be going on repeat (I am going to need more lentils!). Also, a shout out for adding cook mode to your recipe, that’s one of my pet peeves, especially when working with a new recipe. You’re a genius!
Veganized! I made exactly as written EXCEPT added beyond sausage towards the end of cooking veggies. Veggie bouillon instead of chicken. This is a wonderful hearty vegan meal. I agree with the BB comment about adding crusty bread, perfect!
I just got through with supper and this recipe was a total RAVE. Hubby & I loved it, both dogs loved it and sang for their supper (treats) too!
Due to being in the boondocks and only having a very small, limited grocery store and deciding to do this at the last minute, I had to make a few changes but I don’t think it hurt anything.
I couldn’t get anything but Italian Sweet Sausage Links, so I opened them up and cooked them up like bulk, added some fennel seeds, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, smoked paprika and cumin to take away the sweetness, and only had green lentils in the cupboard so used them instead of brown lentils. I didn’t have chicken stock so used chicken boullion cubes (salt piles) so added a little extra water to counteract all that salt.
In spite of the substitutions, this was really an excellent meal and we’re looking forward to eating all the leftovers. Next time, I’ll drive to the bigger town grocery store where I can get the called for ingredients and follow the recipe a bit closer. I know we’ll like it when we can taste all the other ingredients too! This one’s a keeper!
This soup slaps. Looks like brown sludge, is tasty beyond belief. The flavor layers are out of this WORLD and a great way to get in spinach that’s not salad!
Lol
So easy and delicious! Love this recipe and this whole site!