LENTIL AND VEGETABLE STEW WITH SAUSAGE RECIPE

Here is a recipe that 2nd Man makes all the time and we just love it.  It's especially good on cold, rainy days like we just had this past weekend...and so I took these photos!

This is the end result but what follows are the details of how you get there:

Here are the ingredients you'll start out with...celery, carrots and onions.

Heat a large pan with approximately 2 TBSP olive oil.  Sauté the celery until softened and the moisture starts to evaporate from the celery.

Next, add the shredded carrots and continue to sauté until they begin to soften as well.

Finally, add the onions and sauté until they turn soft and translucent.  At this point, the veggies should all be soft and full of flavor.

Now, add 2 lbs of mild Italian sausage, you can use ground or the links with casing removed.  Continue to cook until browned and fully cooked.

Here are the final few ingredients...a whole bay leaf, a small bunch of Thyme (tied together to make removal easier), 5 cloves of garlic (you can use less), and 2 TBSP of tomato paste.

Make an opening in the middle of the mixture and put the tomato paste.  Sauté for a couple of minutes to really bring out the flavor.

Add the thyme bundle, the bay leaf, the garlic (leave whole or chop) and the 2 cups of lentils.

Add 6 cups of chicken broth (homemade stock is wonderful in this) and 2 cups of water, salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine.

Bring to boil, reduce to low and simmer, uncovered, on low for 20 to 25 minutes.  Skim off any foam that comes up.  It will thicken and of course the the liquid will reduce a bit.

Turn off the heat and then pour 1 1/2 TBSP of balsamic vinegar over the top and stir to combine.  

Lentils with vegetables and sausage 

It's ready to serve!

It's substantial and hearty and healthy.  You can also leave out the the Italian sausage, and substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth and it becomes a great vegetarian dish.  We love it with some crusty bread on the side.  It's even better the next day after it sits overnight and the flavors meld.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup chopped celery

2 medium onions, chopped

2 lbs mild Italian sausage (optional if vegetarian)

5 cloves garlic, whole

1 small bunch of fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

2 TBSP tomato paste

2 TBSP olive oil

2 cups (16 oz) red lentils (can also use green or brown)

6 cups chicken broth (vegetable if vegetarian)

2 cups water

1 1/2 TBSP balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar)

Salt and pepper to taste

See step by step of ingredients listed are in photos above.

Enjoy!