Smoky Lentil & Sausage Stew
You know how you’ll have a week of 65 and sunny in early March and then wake up to get blindsided by a 35 degree rainy day? Yea, I hate that too. Instead of getting (too) grumpy about it, let’s embrace it. Get a loaf of sourdough bread and put a pot of this stew on the hob. The smells will warm you all day. I love smelling dinner cooking throughout the day and I love arriving at 5 o’clock with dinner already made,
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 red onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 carrots, peeled and diced
3 celery sticks, diced
2 cups diced butternut squash (i love to use the frozen cubed butternut squash in this!)
1 bunch of kale or spinach, very finely diced (totally optional!)
1 cup brown or green lentils
(i use these sprouted mixed lentils!)
12 ounces of smoked kielbasa sausage, diced into small bite sized pieces
(they make some great kielbasas these days in beef, pork, or turkey! by what you can get your hands on, we typically get this beef one)
salt and pepper to taste
(you may not need much depending on how flavorful your sausage is)
about 32 ounces of chicken broth
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Directions:
In a large pot with a lid, heat the butter over medium low heat. Add the onion and garlic and stir every once in a while as it softens. Add the carrots and celery and allow them to soften as well. Add the butternut squash, kale (if using), lentils, and diced sausage. Stir it all together and pour the broth on top. You’ll want the broth to cover the other ingredients by about 1/2 inch because the lentils will absorb some liquid while they cook. Add the red wine vinegar and stir through. Pop the lid on and simmer for about an hour. Check the lentils, they should have softened, but still retain their shape. Taste the broth and see if it needs a bit more salt and pepper. Enjoy with a nice piece of crusty bread!
