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.
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!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
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.
Hi Beth. I love your website! I am not used to cooking with lentils. I decided to do this recipe using unused lentils from the mujaddara recipe. When you say check them over for stones, what does that mean exactly?
I usually spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet so they don’t spill all over, then just look them over really quickly for small stones. Sometimes they don’t get sorted out well in the factory. :)
I made the last night, and it was really delicious! Maybe it was the hot sauce I used, but it came out really spicy…a touch spicier than would’ve been ideal, I think. We had some leftover sour cream and grated Parmesan, though, and that added some delicious flavor and creaminess that mellowed the spice out, too. Next time I’ll plan to make it that way from the start–and I’ll probably cut back on the hot sauce a bit. :c) But still, even without those tweaks, it was really tasty!
Amazing, I had to make some changes due to ingredients I had on hand and preference. First of all I added red pepper flakes instead of cayenne pepper. I subbed Paprika with 1 more tsp of cumin, added thyme with the oregano, and a tsp of fennel seed. I also used mostly box broth (but added some bullion at the end to taste) and here’s the kicker; since I didn’t have any spinach, I tried green peas (yum) and I also still thought of this dish as more of a soup so I thickened it with a little flour to give it a stew-like consistency and it worked wonderfully!!! with a little red wine vinegar at the end, this one was DELICIOUS!
So delicious, absolutely loved it! Even better the next day.
This was one of the best stews I’ve ever had! I made this when it was about 3 degrees outside and it was so warm and comforting. My husband and I both agreed it was something we would order in a restaurant. It is great with some warm crusty bread, but it is filling enough to just eat on its own. Ok, maybe it was filling because I had two bowls of it…
I do have to say, though- the first time I made it I used regular pork sausage. The second time I used turkey and it wasn’t as flavorful (maybe it was just the brand of turkey sausage I used.) I’ll definitely make it again, but I think I’ll stick to pork sausage.
I’ve been lurking your site for a while but this is the first recipe I’ve tried. I made this tonight and it is delicious! I made a few changes based on what I had on hand from my CSA. I used green onion bratwurst for the sausage and swiss chard instead of spinach. So good. I’ll be having this for lunch for the rest of the week. Thanks!
We enjoyed this a lot. It was a little thick after the first day so my husband added a little chicken broth to his bowl the second day. I decided to turn it into a casserole and spread the leftovers into a 9×13 pan (there were only two of us eating) and baked it and then added shredded cheddar cheese and baked until melted. Very tasty this way too!
HI, just wondering when you say serves 10, what is the serving size? 1 cup portions? Is there a general rule of thumb? Sorry if this has been answered already and I skipped over it. Thanks!
Sorry, that recipe is super old so the serving size may have gotten lost when I transitioned to the new format. It is probably 1 to 1.5 cups per serving, but I can’t say for sure.
I made this for my family tonight and we loved it!! Thanks for another great recipe! I had everything on hand and didn’t need to plan ahead or anything, which is great since we don’t have a store closer than 25 minutes! Yay!! I’ll make this often!
I’ve made this recipe a ton of times (usually sans the spinach because I rarely have it around unless I manage to buy it fresh), but I’ve found that the carrots don’t taste well after thawing. They get this musty, cardboard flavor and I have to sort them out. Any pointers about this?
Hmm. Do you mean leftover carrots that are frozen separately and then added when you make the soup or the carrots that are already in the soup taste musty when the soup as a whole is thawed? If you mean carrots in the soup, I really don’t know what might be causing that. If you mean carrots that had been frozen by themselves to save for soup making, maybe double bag them? They could be absorbing flavor/aroma from the freezer.
No, unfortunately the ones already in the soup. And it happens with everything, soup, stew… The carrots also aren’t old, happens with fresh whatever. Does NOT happen when I freeze the carrots raw. Very strange then. Ah well, for soups at least by the time I freeze them all the flavor has gone into the dish already anyway. I’ll just keep trying. Thanks!
That is very interesting! I’ve never experienced that so I’m not sure how to remedy it. :(
I know this recipe was posted four years ago, but I had to comment because it’s so delicious! I left out the cayenne because I don’t like things too “hot” and added some fresh parsley for the simmering stage for flavor (left on top and removed before stirring). I also added yam chunks (1 yam’s worth) instead of spinach as a personal preference. The stew was savory and delicious. [Parsley and yam are $1 each and I used 1/4 of my parsley bunch for the stew. So my additions/substitutes add 25 cents to the cost of the stew since I left out the 99 cent spinach.]
I have recently started making freezer meals for my family, this recipe sounds amazing! What would your recommendations be if I were to make ahead and freeze?
I usually freeze single serving portions in those blue top resealable containers, then they’re super easy to just reheat in the microwave straight from the freezer.
Fab. I used 6 cups of homemade organic sage chicken stock, and stirred in 1/4 cup full-fat greek yogurt right before serving to up the protein and temper the spice a bit. A hit, even with the toddler set, and loads of leftovers. Thanks!!
NO ME GUSTAN LAS LENTEJAS. YO PREFIERO LAS ARVEJAS CON ESTA MISMA RECETA. LO MEJOR DEL CÓSMICO SIEMPRE EN LA PRESENCIA DE DIOS.
If I wanted to add rice to this recipe, would I add cooked rice or let the rice cook along with the lentils?