A little over a year ago I tried cooking lentils for the first time and it did not go so well. It seemed that no matter how long I cooked them they just did not soften. That put me off lentils for a while but recently I have been wanting to give them a second chance. I was thinking about doing a simple lentil dish with some vegetables and aromatics to show off the lentils. I was a bit worried that the lentils would be a bit plain and I remembered seeing a sausage and lentil dish that looked nice. I thought that some tasty sausage would rescue the meal if the lentils proved to be boring. I wanted some green vegetables in the meal and having recently enjoyed some sauteed Swiss chard I thought that it would round out meal perfectly.
The lentils smelled amazing while they were cooking. My fears of flavourless lentils were quickly thrown aside and I was eagerly awaiting for them to finish cooking. I made sure to test the lentils a few times around when they were supposed to be done to make sure that I caught them when the were al dente. The lentils turned out really well. They smelled great, were full of flavour, and I enjoyed their texture. The sauteed Swiss chard and Italian sausage finished the meal off nicely. I was using up some leftover sausage from my freezer and the sausage ran out before the lentils and Swiss chard so I enjoyed the leftovers with a fried egg on top for breakfast. I am now looking forward to cooking with lentils again.
Sausage on Lentils and Greens
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 clove garlic (chopped)
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- 1 carrot (chopped)
- 1 rib celery (chopped)
- 1 cup dry lentils
- 1 bay leaf
- ~2 cups water (or broth or stock)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 2 links Italian sausage
- 1 handful parsley (chopped)
directions
- Heat the oil in a pan.
- Add the garlic, onion, carrot, and celery and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the lentils and bay leaf and cover in water.
- Simmer covered until the lentils are al dente, about 20-30 minutes.
- Season the lentils with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a pan.
- Add the sausage and cook until golden brown on all sides and fully cooked.
- Slice the sausage and serve over the lentils
Swiss Chard and Cannellini Beans
White Bean and Kale Soup with Turkey Sausage
Minestrone Soup with Sausage and Squash
Sauteed Swiss Chard
Swordfish Steak with Mango Chutney on Curried Lentils
Italian Lentil and Chestnut Stew
Chicken and Chanterelles on Spinach and Wild Rice
Cajun Red Beans and Rice
This makes me want to cook lentil soup again!
So, did you figure out what went wrong on your previous attempts? Regardless, glad you got it right and enjoy lentils. You’ve got some nice plates here.
I always have lentils in the cupboard. They’re so cheap and good for you. I love them with sausage and I’ve got to throw in some swiss chard into the mix next time.
wh at a complete meal indeed! It looks very appetizing!
I love to make a Bobby Flay recipe with lentils, beets and bacon. Your sausage dish looks great but I have to admit I’m even more intrigued with the fried egg. I’ve never thought of that and it sounds delicious! Thanks for a great idea.
oh my lord that looks good Kevin! WOW
I love lentils with a soft cooked egg!
What beautiful looking dishes!
Your blog is so awesome. I’m going to put a link on my side bar.
looks like good fart food
You now definitely have a way with lentils….both plates look awefully good!
Excellent Kevin. I just picked up some Aidells Whiskey and Fennel sausage and may take a go at it with this recipe. The egg looks delectable.
–Marc
Nicely presented and really tempting! A gorgeous dish!
cheers,
Rosa
I dun really like sausages but your wonderful cooking and presentation makes it look so good that I will try XD
I have had problems with lentils too. I should give them another shot. Your dinner looks really good but the breakfast is calling my name – I love the yolk.
i love lentils! glad to hear they finally became your friend! and that fried egg is just absolutely divine.
I like your runny egg yolk,looking good!! yum!!
I love sausage with lentils. This combo sounds great
Ooooh! Delicious! I can’t decide which presentation I like better, both are superb!
Love the pictures Kevin – the one with the egg looks double yum!
This looks so good! Esp with that egg on top.
Glad you gave cooking lentils another try!! I loooove turning lentils & greens into a hearty meal – yum!!
What a healthy looking meal. The swiss chard is such a pretty green.
oh i’m totally down with that fried egg on top of the lentils!! so tantalizing 🙂
Hi, i’ll tell you the recipe of typical Mediterranean soup. Simple to prepare, can be eaten hot or cold, the taste is fantastic.
First let the lentils to soak with water for few hours.
May be this was your mistake when you cooked first time, or just the lentils was very old and dry.
* 1 lb brown lentils, washed
* 1, 15 oz can stewed tomatoes /better fresh/
* 2 C shredded or chopped carrots (or a small pkg baby carrots)
* 1 med onion, diced
* 2-3 cloves garlic
* 2-3 teaspoons mint/ better fresh/
* 1 t flat leaf parsley
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 6-7 C water
also you can add few pinches sugar
1. On the stove top in a large soup pan, heat the water on medium high till almost boiling.
2. Add the lentils, tomatoes, carrots, garlic, savory and parsley.
3. Salt and pepper to taste as well
4. Cook till the lentils are done 45 min. or more
5. It’s important to note that you don’t want this dish to boil, but just simmer under the boiling point. The lower and slower you can cook the soup will also enhance the flavors. However, if you don’t have time for low and slow, this hour version will also be great
Enjoy!
I’ve never cooked with lentils before, but this makes me want to change that!
What is bay? Oh, ok… I get it: alloro in italian; it’s that the greens you mention in the title?
I love how versatile lentils are in recipes. They look fabulous in this hearty dish, and recently they made a nice showing in a Roasted Eggplant Soup I made—surprisingly delicious!
Ina Garten offers a great tip to speed up cooking lentils: She pours boiling water over the dried lentils and lets them steep for 20 minutes or so while prepping the other ingredients, then they cook must faster and are definitely tender. Both of your dishes look amazing!
Love that last picture. It is to make all of us hungry , just seeing the pic.
I always cook my lentils in a pressure cooker.
This is simple a gorgeous and guilt free meal. Lentils are up there in the power food department.
Chard, sausage and legumes are a fantastic combination! I don’t know if you used tomatoes in your previous attempts (like cooking them in tomato sauce) but there is an issue with the acid in the tomatoes that makes the lentils stay hard…
I’m glad your experience with lentils went so well this time! I love the look of that egg releasing its yolk all over the plate of lentils! Oh yum!
oh wow Kevin…these photos make lentils look amazing ….I have always wanted to try a recipe with lentils….and perhaps you have inspired me ….
Hugs
Diana
I have some lentils at home – this has comfort written all over it!
-DTW
http://www.everydaycookin.blogspot.com
Claud: Yes it looks like alloro is the correct translation of bay leaf. The greens in title refers to the Swiss chard, a green vegetable.
As for the lentils not cooking the first time: I heard a food network host mention that old lentils can sometimes do that.
Martin Jordan: Thanks for the lentil soup recipe!
JennDZ – The Leftover Queen: I was cooking with tomatoes. I will have to keep that in mind and cook them separately in the future. Thanks for the tip.
I love lentils with sausage. It’s the kind of dinner I whip up on weekdays when I’m in need of comforting. The egg is a great addition – why didn’t I think of that?
look at that lovely fried egg!
I love the idea of the egg over the lentil stew. It makes it such a comforting dish for some reason. Lentils won’t cook well if you salt the water while they cook. Could it be that this one the reason with your first lentil experience?
This was a favorite childhood dish of mine. It’s so nice to see someone else loves it too!
I know beans won’t get soft if you add salt too early in the cooking, maybe lentils are the same?
I agree with Happy Cook – it’s faster with pressure cooker.
Never add salt before the lentils is done, the same is recommended for all the grains – rice, beans,etc…
I see… thanks for explaining!
Okay, you’ve convinced me to give lentils a second try. Actually, a first try, if the truth be known. I’ve never made them before. These look wonderful.
I always see fresh lentils at the farmers market, but I have been meaning to stock up on some dried. I think they go so great with sausage.
I haven’t had lentils in a while, that dish looks fantastic! I love the greens on top, looks delicious!
Everything is better with a runny egg on top.
I love lentils but don’t cook them nearly enough, you’ve inspired me to try cooking them again!
I love putting eggs on things… anything 🙂 Looks delicious!
I love eggs too!
Panagiurski eggs
This is an ancient Bulgarian recipe. Very tasty and easy to prepare.
/Panagiurishte is an old town in Bulgaria/
-Put few broken eggs in boiling water (with 1 spoon vinegar and pinch of salt).
-When the white covers yolk (4-5 minutes) are ready. /the yolk must stay soft/
-Put few spoons yogurt in a plate, then the boiled eggs.
-Cover with fried butter with red pepper powder / be careful not to burn the pepper :)/
Option: you can add smashed garlic and a pinch of salt in the yogurt.
Enjoy!
So glad you got to the lentil Nirvana in the end – I absolutely adore them. I often make them with garlic, ginger and a cirry spices, then boil them in stock and they turn out fantastically. Sausages are such a classic accompaniment and I love the addition of the greens!
Thanks for the recipe. I made the lentils today for my family's lunch. (I didn't have any greens or sausage in the house.) I prepared them according to your instructions and seasoned them to taste with salt, pepper, onion powder and paprika. They were wonderful and even my finicky 3 year old ate them. These are great.
This was absolutely delicious, I made it for dinner tonight. Thank you, your recipes are wonderful!
That dish looks beautiful. Love the runny egg. Yum!