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Servings: 2-3

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Black Lentils (or any lentil)
• 2 Links Sweet Italian Sausage, ½ pound bulk
• 1 Large Red Onion
• 4 Celery Stalks
• 3 Carrots
• 1 Cup Frozen Corn
• 4 Sprigs + 2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
• 3 Cloves Garlic
• 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Qt Chicken Broth
• 2 Cups Filtered Water
• 2 1/2 Tbsp Smooth Dijon Mustard
• 1 Tsp Chili Powder
• 1 Tsp Cumin
• 1/4 Tsp White Pepper
• 1/4 Tsp Sea Salt
• 1/2 Tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
• Sriracha hot chili sauce, if desired

Rated: (5/5), based on 2 reviews

Sausage and Lentil Stew

What a delicious, veggie-packed dinner! The beauty of sausage (be it chicken, turkey, or pork) is that a little goes a long way. The flavor of this stew comes from the sausage, but the bulk of it comes from healthy veggies and legumes!

Submitted by:
Katie Newell Katie Newell is a reformed junk food junkie who is hoping to change the way parents feed their children. She is currently writing her first cookbook revitalizing the made- from-scratch home cooked dinner. Visit Healthnut Foodie and preview more of her recipes, tips, and techniques. Happy eating!

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Prep It:

1. Prepare your produce. Peel and dice 1 large red onion and 3 cloves garlic. Peel and thinly slice 4 stalks celery and 3 carrots. (If you have small children, slice the carrots lengthwise first to avoid a potential choking hazard.) Coarsely chop leaves and tender stems of 2 sprigs fresh thyme. This can be done up to a day ahead, storing thyme separate from veggies.

2. Using clean hands, remove casings from sausage (or use bulk) and roll into bite sized balls (1 – 2 cm).

3. Rinse 1 cup black lentils, and cull (sort through) to remove any damaged legumes or debris.

Make It:

1. Heat a 4-quart or larger stockpot over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Add 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and heat an additional 30 seconds, until oil shimmers. Add prepared veggies and 1 cup frozen corn kernels to pot. Season the veggies with 1/4 tsp sea salt, and 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes.

2. Add chicken sausage balls to pot and sauté 5 minutes more.

3. When sausage is browned and veggies are tender, pour 1 quart chicken broth, 2 cups filtered water, 1 cup lentils, and 4 whole thyme stems to pot. Add 2 1/2 tbsp smooth Dijon mustard, ¼ tsp white pepper, 1 tsp chili powder, and 1 tsp cumin. Bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to medium- low and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

4. After 1 hour has lapsed, turn off heat and stir in chopped thyme. Ladle a generous portion of stew into each bowl. Offer sriracha to the adults, if desired.

Notes: What a great one-dish meal for a chilly night! This stew is chock full of nutrients, super satisfying, and so easy to make! Another bonus is the comforting way your house will smell as the stew simmers on the stove. Make sure to ladle your kids dishes a few minutes before your own so that they can cool! Vegetarians could easily substitute meat-free sausage and vegetable broth, or even leave the sausage out altogether. This dish is naturally gluten free and nut free.

Clean It:

Buy organic celery! Celery is currently ranked #1 on EWG’s dirty dozen list. Reduce your family’s exposure to pesticides by always purchasing organic celery.

Green It:

To save on trash bound packaging, purchase your sausage from the bulk bin, if available. The paper the butcher uses is more eco friendly than the plastic packaging from the prepackage brands.

Make It Fun:

Let your kiddos cull the lentils. Talk to them about how families used to travel to California to search for gold, and how they had to search through debris just like this. (Bonus: If they find a rock or piece of debris, pretend it is gold!)