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Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

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Lentil Stew with Italian Sausage and Kale

[heart_this] · Jan 23, 2010 · 40 Comments

Lentil Stew with Sausage and Kale

After having the artichoke bread on the weekend, I was looking for something a little lighter and a little healthier for lunches during the week. Soups very often fit that bill and I had been thinking of making a lentil soup with winter greens for a while. I have not been doing much with the winter greens lately and I was thinking that some kale would go nicely in a soup or stew. I wanted a little bit of meat in the stew as well and Italian sausage always bring a ton of flavour to soups so they were in. I of course started the soup with the a healthy dose of the basics, diced onions, celery and carrots for even more vegetable goodness. After that it was just a matter of adding the liquid, white wine and chicken stock, and some aromas and flavours in the form of bay leaves, oregano and a splash of balsamic vinegar. (I wanted this to be more of a stew than a soup so I cut back on the amount of liquid that I would have used, but if you want it to be more soup like feel free to add another cup of the chicken stock.) I also happened to have a parmigiano reggiano rind in my freezer so I tossed that into the soup while it was simmering to add even more flavour. This soup is pretty simple to make and it can be done in about an hour.
The lentil stew with Italian sausage and kale turned out really well! It was nice and warm and just full of flavour and healthy vegetables and it really hit the spot on the cold winter days. I had half of a loaf of bread left from the artichoke bread and that was the perfect excuse to slather it up with garlicky butter and toast it with some cheese on top. The cheesy garlic bread was perfect for soaking up that lat bit of tasty stew from the bottom of the bowl.

Lentil Stew with Italian Sausage and Kale

Lentil Stew with Italian Sausage and Kale

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 2 hours Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes Servings: 4
ingredients
  • 1/2 pound Italian sausage (casing removed and crumbled)
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 onion (diced)
  • 1 carrot (diced)
  • 2 stalks celery (diced)
  • 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
  • chili pepper flakes to taste
  • 1 cup white wine (or chicken stock)
  • 1 cup de puy lentils
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 parmigiano reggiano rind (optional)
  • 1 bunch kale (cut into bit sized pieces) (or spinach or swiss chard, etc.)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup parsley (chopped)
directions
  1. Cook the sausage in a large pot and set aside.
  2. Heat the oil in the same pot.
  3. All the onions, carrot and celery and and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes.
  4. Add the garlic and chili pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
  5. Add the wine and deglaze the pan.
  6. Add the sausage, lentils, chicken stock, bay leaf, oregano, balsamic vinegar and parmigiano reggiano rind and bring to a boil.
  7. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the lentils are cooked al dente, about 20-30 minutes.
  8. Add the kale and simmer until wilted.
  9. Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat and mix in the parsley.
Similar Recipes:
Italian Sausage and Roasted Red Pepper Lentil Stew
Spinach, White Bean and Turkey Sausage Soup
Ham and Lentil Soup
Italian Lentil and Chestnut Stew
Roasted Red Pepper and Italian Sausage Frittata topped with Marinara and Mozzarella

Food, Gluten-free, Italian, Main Course, One-Pan, One-Pot, Pork, Recipe, Stew

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rachael says

    January 23, 2010 at 2:46 am

    This look so hearty and delicious! I wonder if this would be a good with a turkey or chicken sausage too? I not the biggest fan of pork sausage-I'm weird like that.

    Reply
  2. The Nervous Cook says

    January 23, 2010 at 3:49 am

    Being crazy about lentils, as I am, I always appreciate someone else's take on them. I've never cooked kale with lentils; that might have to be this Saturday's late-lunch project. Nice one!

    Reply
  3. Coniqua says

    January 23, 2010 at 3:59 am

    mmm this looks really good, and hearty.

    Reply
  4. Bridgett says

    January 23, 2010 at 4:04 am

    Hearty and delicious…hard to beat that combo.

    Reply
  5. Jennifer says

    January 23, 2010 at 4:38 am

    I made a lentil and andouille soup shortly ago. love lentils!! the kale I must try in it!

    Reply
  6. Katerina says

    January 23, 2010 at 5:54 am

    The stew looks good, but I am so glad you already posted that garlic bread recipe, it looks amazing!

    Reply
  7. Kathleen says

    January 23, 2010 at 6:12 am

    This sounds like the perfect thing to warm us up with all the cold weather we're having!

    Reply
  8. screwdestiny says

    January 23, 2010 at 6:25 am

    That looks very close to the lentil and sausage stew I made for New Year's Day. Very tasty combination!

    Reply
  9. Nina Timm says

    January 23, 2010 at 9:49 am

    Geez, Kev, I wish I could move in every night just before dinner. You sure do know how to feed people well!!!

    Reply
  10. Joanne says

    January 23, 2010 at 11:15 am

    This sounds supremely hearty and delicious. I love the parmesan rind trick! You get so much flavor out of it.

    Reply
  11. Rosa's Yummy Yums says

    January 23, 2010 at 12:46 pm

    A magnificent stew! A fabulous combination!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  12. Melynda says

    January 23, 2010 at 1:15 pm

    Looks great, another lentil recipe to try. Always on the lookout for good stuff with lentils. Thanks.

    Reply
  13. [email protected] says

    January 23, 2010 at 2:38 pm

    This is something my husband would go crazy for. Anything lentil and sausage and it looks hearty and appealing.

    Reply
  14. Chris says

    January 23, 2010 at 2:39 pm

    That looks hearty, Kevin, perfect for these cold days.

    Reply
  15. cookeaze says

    January 23, 2010 at 3:22 pm

    This is on my list for next week! Sounds wonderful!

    Reply
  16. Mother Rimmy says

    January 23, 2010 at 4:25 pm

    What a healthy, hearty dish. I love anything with kale in it!

    Reply
  17. wild.artz says

    January 23, 2010 at 4:46 pm

    Yum! This speaks to my *soul*!! 🙂 Thanks for the recipe 🙂

    Reply
  18. The Real Dish says

    January 23, 2010 at 5:08 pm

    Love lentils – the recipe looks great, thanks!

    Reply
  19. Alex says

    January 23, 2010 at 7:24 pm

    Just found your blog; It's good to see other tiny-kitchened Torontonians making delicious things from less than ideal kitchens. Your food looks excellent! This and the asparagus-gruyere tart have just moved to the top of my need-to-cook-soon list.

    Reply
  20. Anonymous says

    January 23, 2010 at 7:47 pm

    Can this be made as a vegetarian stew?

    Reply
  21. The Gypsy Chef says

    January 23, 2010 at 9:04 pm

    Love lentils, kale and Italian sausage. This is my kind of recipe!
    Pam

    Reply
  22. Cynthia says

    January 23, 2010 at 9:25 pm

    As always, your food beckons Kevin.

    Reply
  23. Cam de la Ron says

    January 23, 2010 at 10:11 pm

    Oh Kevin, as usual you are outdoing everyone with your deliciousness. I love lentils and sausage-true comfort food. Maybe I will use the organic black lentils I have to make something like this??!! Gotta go get some good sausage. Cam

    Reply
  24. elly says

    January 24, 2010 at 2:21 am

    This looks so hearty and delicious. I love lentil stews!

    Reply
  25. The Food Hunter says

    January 24, 2010 at 2:46 am

    This looks great..I plan to make this soon. thanks

    Reply
  26. Elizabeth says

    January 24, 2010 at 4:48 am

    Oh this looks delicious! I can only imagine what great flavor the Italian sausage introduces to the lentils. Wonderful recipe!

    Reply
  27. Jacob says

    January 25, 2010 at 11:10 am

    I really like lentils, but I've never cooked with them…Did you start with dried lentils, or cooked lentils for this?

    Reply
  28. Jeanne @ Cooksister! says

    January 25, 2010 at 11:41 am

    And another winner… I love Italian sausage too – like Toulouse sausage, it just imparts so much flavour to any dish. And I'm always a sucker for lentils!

    Reply
  29. Pam says

    January 25, 2010 at 7:10 pm

    I just happen to have some lentils that need to be used up – this stew looks warm, comforting and delicious.

    Reply
  30. Kevin says

    January 26, 2010 at 1:06 am

    Rachael: Turkey or chicken sausage would also work great!

    Reply
  31. Kevin says

    January 26, 2010 at 1:10 am

    Anonymous: You could make a vegetarian version of this but the sausage adds a lot of flavour so you would have to compensate.

    Reply
  32. Kevin says

    January 26, 2010 at 1:29 am

    Jacob: Yes I started with dried lentils. You could use canned if you like though.

    Reply
  33. Rachel says

    January 26, 2010 at 2:05 am

    This looks amazing! I have been wanting to find a recipe for a sausage lentil soup… I think this may have just hit the spot! Thank you!

    Reply
  34. Mona says

    January 26, 2010 at 4:42 pm

    Looks delicious !

    Reply
  35. Anonymous says

    January 27, 2010 at 11:22 pm

    I had all of the ingredients in the house and took it as a sign that this recipe needed to be made asap. Wow! It is the best lentil stew I've eaten to date. The cheese rinds gave it a depth of flavor not to be rivaled.

    Reply
  36. Jessica says

    February 25, 2010 at 12:43 am

    Made this one tonight! I had some elk Italian sausage hanging out in my freezer (I know, weird) and decided this would be a good recipe to use for it! Very simple and extremely delicious. I had a lb of the elk, so I used 2 carrots, 3 stalks of celery, 4 cloves of garlic, 4 cups of veg stock, 1 1/2 cups of the lentils, 1 1/2 tbsp of balsamic vin, and a little more than a cup of the white wine and presto! Thanks for sharing all of your recipes! I've really enjoyed your site.

    Reply
  37. Gwyn says

    April 18, 2010 at 5:11 pm

    Absolutely fantastic recipe!! So much flavor, which is hard to achieve with Lentils. Thanks for the great recipe!

    Reply
  38. Anonymous says

    October 26, 2010 at 11:47 pm

    this stew was great but it might benefit from adding a few tablespoons of tomato paste when you add the garlic and red pepper flakes, then saute it for a few minutes before adding the wine for a little more depth of flavor…

    Reply
  39. Joe in New Lenox, IL says

    August 18, 2012 at 5:39 pm

    Kevin, your adventurous cooking and absolutely gorgeous photography never cease to amaze me. You are my favorite food blogger! I have a bumper crop of Kale (as well as chard & collards) and am looking forward to making several of your dishes in the coming week. Having all the ingredients (except the parm rind) I simmered this today and have eaten 2 bowls for lunch! p.s. my wife and I are planning a trip to Toronto in the coming months, perhaps we can meet for dinner! Keep up the great work, and continue to let your curiousity run wild regarding how unusual pairings of food make such MAGIC in your closet kitchen! Thanks!

    Reply
  40. Jessica says

    October 8, 2021 at 3:49 pm

    I’m coming back…11 years later, to say I’ve been making this recipe for years with zero moderation and it’s been fabulous. I’ve also recommended it to others. Big winner in my household!

    Reply

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