Lentils with Chicken Sausage

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This is Annie Wayte's healthy rendition of the classic British dish of bangers and mash. Instead of pork sausages, she uses chicken ones, and she replaces mashed potatoes with fiber-rich lentils. More Sausage Recipes

Lentils with Chicken Sausage
Photo: © Tina Rupp
Total Time:
30 mins
Yield:
4

Ingredients

  • 1 cup French green lentils (7 ounces)

  • 4 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth

  • 1 carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces

  • 1 celery rib, cut into 1-inch pieces

  • 1 small onion, quartered, plus 1 large onion, cut through the root end into 8 wedges

  • 1 garlic clove

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil

  • 4 thyme sprigs

  • 1 cup baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped

  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

  • 4 precooked chicken sausages (3/4 pound)

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions

  1. In a medium heavy soup pot, combine the lentils with the chicken stock. Cover and bring to a boil.

  2. In a food processor, pulse the carrot, celery, quartered onion and the garlic until finely chopped. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the vegetables and the thyme and cook over moderately high heat until softened, 3 minutes; scrape into the lentils, cover and cook over moderate heat until the lentils are tender, 20 minutes. Stir in the spinach; season with salt and pepper.

  3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet. Add the onion wedges and sausages and cook over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until the onions are softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook for 1 minute.

  4. Thickly slice the sausages. Stir the sausages, onions and any accumulated juices into the lentils; discard the thyme sprigs. Spoon the lentils and sausages into bowls and serve.

Notes

One serving 494 cal, 24 gm total fat, 4.8 gm saturated fat, 39 gm carb, 9 gm fiber.

Suggested Pairing

Berry-inflected Merlot.

Originally appeared: January 2006
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