Sausage & Lentils with Spinach
When the weather starts to get cold, I like to make meals that warm my insides. Recently I used a recipe from Bon Appetit’s November issue. I found it in the ‘Fast, Easy, Fresh’ section of the magazine. This hearty “one dish meal” was perfect for a chilly, evening of football watching and a low-key date night. Lentils add great texture to a meal and fill you up. It’s a high fiber meal and so flavorful with the addition of andouille sausage. This recipe definitely makes enough food for a meal in itself, but we also had hummus and rice crackers with our meal. We ate leftovers the next day for lunch and it was still delicious.
Ingredients:
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 14 oz. GF andouille sausage, cut crosswise into ½ inch thick slices
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 colored bell peppers, cored and sliced, chopped (you can make your pieces of peppers as big or as small as you want; I sliced mine and then chopped each piece in half)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 teaspoons fresh thyme (or 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme)
- 2 cups dried brown lentils, rinsed
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 5 oz. package baby spinach
- Parmesan cheese
Heat oil in large heavy pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add sausage and sauté until browned, about 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or spatula, transfer sausage to plate and set aside.
In the same pot, now add onion and peppers. Sprinkle with salt and sauté until peppers are soft, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and thyme; stir one minute. Add lentils and bay leaves. Stir to coat.
Add 4 cups broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover with lid slightly ajar, and simmer until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. (Add more broth if it starts to dry out.)
Return sausage to pot. Add spinach, stirring until wilted. Add salt and pepper. Serve in bowls and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
