Okay, you’re really going to have to try not to judge a book by it’s cover here. I know this Lentil & Sausage Stew isn’t the prettiest thing to look at but, OMG, it will knock the socks right off your taste buds! No joke. We’re talking insanely delicious here… like “at the end of the week I’ll be sad that there isn’t any left” delicious. But worry not, it makes a huge batch so you can always stash a few servings in the freezer for later.
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The recipe posted below is adapted from this Lentil Sausage Soup over on dlynz.com. I still have half of a huge bag of lentils to use up and I’m trying to fiber pack my diet so this Lentil & Sausage Stew really fit the bill. And, as always, I made some changes to the recipe to accommodate what was available to me at a good price.
Can I Use Fresh Spinach?
Yes, fresh spinach works great in this recipe. Simply add about 8 oz. fresh baby spinach to the pot after everything is done cooking and stir until the spinach wilts into the broth.
Freeze Some for Later
The recipe makes a ton but luckily it freezes well. Of course, you could always cut it in half if you prefer. Sausage usually doesn’t come in smaller quantities than one pound, but luckily sausage also freezes well, so you can use half for this recipe and save half for later.
Lentil and Sausage Stew
Servings 8 about 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 1/2 lb. Italian sausage ($1.75)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 3 carrots ($0.30)
- 4 ribs celery ($0.74)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 2 cups brown lentils ($1.27)
- 6 cups chicken broth* ($0.78)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne ($0.05)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika ($0.10)
- 1 tsp ground cumin ($0.10)
- 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.10)
- 10 oz. frozen spinach ($1.00)
Instructions
- Brown the sausage in a large pot over medium heat, breaking it up into pieces as it cooks.
- While the sausage is cooking, prepare your vegetables: wash, peel and slice the carrots, slice the celery, dice the onion, and mince the garlic. Once the sausage is cooked, add the vegetables to the pot and continue to sauté until the onions are soft and transparent (about 5 min).
- Add the lentils to the pot along with the cayenne, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, and chicken broth.
- Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow it to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Add more water if it gets too dry.
- Stir in the frozen spinach and cook for about 15 minutes more. Serve with a thick slice of crusty bread!
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Lentil and Sausage Stew – Step By Step Photos
Brown 1/2 lb. Italian sausage in a large pot over medium heat, breaking it up into pieces as it cooks. Depending on the fat content of your sausage, you may need to add a splash of oil to the pot to get it going in the beginning and you may want to drain off the excess fat if there is a lot (mine did not need to be drained).
While the sausage is cooking, Peel and slice three carrots, slice 4 stalks celery, dice one onion, and mince two cloves of garlic. Add them to the pot once the sausage has browned and continue to sauté until the onions are soft and transparent.
Add 2 cups brown lentils to the pot along with 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, and 1 tsp smoked paprika.
Add 6 cups of chicken broth to the pot. Place a lid on top, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow it to come to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are soft. Add more water if it gets too dry.
Once the lentils are tender, you can add the spinach. Spinach is a delicate green so I add it at the end to prevent over cooking and total disintegration.
Stir in 10 oz. frozen spinach and cook for another 15 minutes or until heated through.
And then the Lentil & Sausage Stew is done and ready to eat!
It’s hard to tell but it is BURSTING with flavor, I swear. You’re going to LOVE this one.
Great recipe. I have made this many times, using all different kinds of sausage. Always comes out fantastic. Thanks.
I’ve made this a few times and I LOVE it! I’ll cook it in the instapot to spend up the cooking time. I’m always happy with the taste AND the cost.
Very nice recipe, and very easy to make. I used a full pound of sausage and cut back the cayenne to 1/4 tsp and it was just about right. I’ll be making this several more times this winter. I’d estimate the entire pot cost me less than $8.
I don’t have crusty bread.
Excellent! I changed the sausage to beef kielbasa.
Can I use red lentils?
You can, however red lentils generally cook faster than brown and green so I would cook them about 5 minutes less and just keep an eye on them so they don’t get mushy.
Made this using spicy impossible sausage and was amazed at how delicious this was. I’m about to make it again but this time double everything and wanted to know if this froze well?
We haven’t tried but I’d think it should freeze well!
Thanks for posting the recipe. I made a bigger pot with more spicy chicken Italian sausage. Really enjoyed it. Good instructions too!
Delicious! We recently made pizza and had cooked sausage in the freezer. My daughter and I like to donate blood and lentils help with iron levels so we thought it would be good to make. Smelled so good while it was cooking!
This is such a hearty and filling soup! And so easy to make. I had a pound of sausage, and just used it all. I’d like to try it one day with kale instead of spinach. Great soup for a cool evening.
This was excellent and will be going on repeat (I am going to need more lentils!). Also, a shout out for adding cook mode to your recipe, that’s one of my pet peeves, especially when working with a new recipe. You’re a genius!
Veganized! I made exactly as written EXCEPT added beyond sausage towards the end of cooking veggies. Veggie bouillon instead of chicken. This is a wonderful hearty vegan meal. I agree with the BB comment about adding crusty bread, perfect!
I just got through with supper and this recipe was a total RAVE. Hubby & I loved it, both dogs loved it and sang for their supper (treats) too!
Due to being in the boondocks and only having a very small, limited grocery store and deciding to do this at the last minute, I had to make a few changes but I don’t think it hurt anything.
I couldn’t get anything but Italian Sweet Sausage Links, so I opened them up and cooked them up like bulk, added some fennel seeds, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, smoked paprika and cumin to take away the sweetness, and only had green lentils in the cupboard so used them instead of brown lentils. I didn’t have chicken stock so used chicken boullion cubes (salt piles) so added a little extra water to counteract all that salt.
In spite of the substitutions, this was really an excellent meal and we’re looking forward to eating all the leftovers. Next time, I’ll drive to the bigger town grocery store where I can get the called for ingredients and follow the recipe a bit closer. I know we’ll like it when we can taste all the other ingredients too! This one’s a keeper!
This soup slaps. Looks like brown sludge, is tasty beyond belief. The flavor layers are out of this WORLD and a great way to get in spinach that’s not salad!
Lol
So easy and delicious! Love this recipe and this whole site!
This was wonderful! I used chicken Italian sausage, so just sliced it and added it at the same time as veggies. Served with a dollop of Green yogurt.
I made this for dinner tonight. Followed the recipe except I forgot to get smoked paprika so I used regular & cut the cumin in half as I sometimes find it to be a little overpowering. It was excellent! Will definitely make it again but with smoked paprika.
This was so easy and so delicious! I will definitely make it again 😊
Good recipe. I used spicy sausage so probably did not need the full 1/2 tsp. of cayenne. I also added a can of tomatoes and salt. I used fresh baby spinach. Next time I might substitute the smoked paprika for regular.
Can you use green lentils instead of brown lentil? I saw another comment that red lentils break down too fast/thicken up too much.
Jeremiah, you can use any kind you want! However, green lentils tend to hold their shape and take longer to cook than brown, which are creamier and break down faster. I would check your bag of lentils for a recommended cook time and potentially adjust accordingly. — Marion :)
Can I use fresh spinach instead of frozen? If so how much would you recommend?
Yep! Check the paragraph above the recipe titled, “Can I Use Fresh Spinach” for my recommendation. :)
Do you soak the lentils before cooking?
Nope. Beth uses lentils that cook quickly, like red or brown. She’s all about efficiency! xoxo -Monti
This is my favorite meal! I decided I needed to eat better and turned to Budget Bytes, especially the soups because I needed to eat more vegetables. I’ve loved everything so far but there is something about this stew that I can’t get enough of it!
I absolutely love this recipe! I made it a couple of months ago and froze the leftovers for easy “I don’t feel like cooking tonight” meals. Delicious every time, even after a couple months in the freezer.
Can you substitute red lentils?
Red lentils break down really quickly when cooked so it will result in a super thick texture to the stew, kind of like split pea soup. Red lentils also have a lighter, less earthy flavor, so the flavor of the soup will change slightly.
Great recipe I loved it and so does daughter which is awesome. Didn’t have any oregano so made it without it.
I am going to make this with kale and kielbasa as suggested in the source recipe, but as always, Beth, I appreciate so much the way you break down the steps and the ingredients with in process pictures to make it easier on us. My brain does not do well with the uncertainty of exactly how much meat i should use or how wet/dry/colorful the dish should look at various points before it’s done so you’re really a lifesaver with your clear explanations, especially compared to a lot of recipes available elsewhere. So thanks a million for making it possible for this ADHD brain to cook, with minimal stress.
This is delicious! We really enjoyed the spice from the crushed red peppers. Very healthy but everyone gobbled it up. Thanks for sharing!!
This recipe really checks all the boxes for me: healthy meal, quick, easy, I have all the seasonings on hand, one pot meal, freezes well, and most importantly, delicious. I did double the spices, including the cayenne, which I will leave the same next time. Great stew that works up quickly.
I’ve made lots of your recipes and this is one of my favorites. Of course I doubled the Italian sausage when I made it. : )
Hi! Can I use canned lentils or are these dried?
These are dried lentils :)
Hi Beth, long time reader. Thanks for what you do! I just wanted to say that I’ve been combining this recipe with your recipe for chunky lentil and vegetable soup and it comes out awesome, like an “everything lentil soup”.
Nice!! They’re both so tasty, how could it go wrong, right? :D
My husband and I just made this recipe and it was fabulous. We used kielbasa and a ham bone And added an extra clove of garlic. Next time we think we will bump the spices and garlic up just a little bit more. Really simple prep work and Easy cooking time. Served it with crusty garlic bread and side salad. It was perfect. Thank you for the recipe
I used veggie Italian sausage, and it worked out really well.
I added a small eggplant and used fresh spinach. Delicious!
Perfect and easy recipe ! I added some lemon juice for freshness.
I didn’t want a little bit of lentils hanging around so used the whole bag, and added an extra carrot, celery rib, garlic clove, a bit more broth, and made the teaspoon of each of the spices a heaping one. Used hot sausage so skipped the cayenne. My hubby’s scared of spinach so I threw it in with the other veg and he didn’t know it was there. It was delicious and a huge hit with everyone!
This is a wonderful recipe as is and a great recipe to use as a jumping off point or substituting in vegetables you have on hand. I was recently given a head of cauliflower and had some smoked sausage that needed to be used up. I didn’t have any celery or carrots so I substituted them for the cauliflower and extra onions. I made my own vegetable broth instead of using bouillon and added a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes and half a can of tomato paste. I followed everything else in the recipe. It turned out delicious!
I made this exact to recipe and it was great!! Especially great for leftovers.
I made this for four but forgot to halve the spices and herbs! Fortunately my friends love very spicy food so it went down a treat!* Also passed the recipe on to a another friend who loved it.
*Also used tofu sausage which was very good.
Just made this for dinner tonight and it was a big hit! I didn’t have celery so I added more carrotes. I used hot sausage so I decreased the cayenne pepper. Super yummy and I appreciate how easy it is to throw together.
Did exactly the same re thee extra carrots. My friend doesn’t like celery. I used heritage carrots to add colour. The celery wasn’t missed.
Absolutely delicious! Sounds like a very basic, run-of-the-mill recipe until you make it. And then……..BAM! My husband really has an aversion to lentils (how does that even happen??) and he loves this dish. I’ve made it a couple of dozen times over the past three years and it is very forgiving if you don’t have everything on hand. I’ve used kale and mustard greens instead of spinach. I’ve used dried celery flakes when I have no fresh celery. I’ve used ground chipotle powder, ground ancho powder or red pepper flakes instead of cayenne and I’ve used turkey sausage or smoked ham hocks when I’ve had no sausage. Delicious EVERY SINGLE TIME! I was trying to feed a group of 20 at a family gathering last winter and didn’t want to spend a fortune. This recipe delivered. Everyone loved it served with fresh corn bread and begged me for the recipe. Feeding 20 people for less than $10??????? Me for the win!!!!!!!! Thank you Beth! I’m a pretty experienced cook (39 years of marriage, endless dinner parties and 6 grandkids!) but enjoy finding new recipes on your site. So good. Run – do not walk – to stock up on lentils today. So VERY good!
Are you supposed to simmer it covered or uncovered? Thanks!
Covered, step four instructs you to place a lid on the pot. :)
Thanks, just wasn’t sure if it was one of those recipes where you cover the pot to bring it to a boil but then let it simmer uncovered (as when making pasta). Anyhow, this came out great and I am eating leftovers right now sopped up with garlic bread. :)
Delicious!! Hubby said this was one of the best soups/stews he’s ever had. Also so easy! He did request I make it with more sausage next time – he’s a meat eater :)
How do you think kale would fare instead of spinach. I rarely have frozen spinach on hand.
I think kale would be awesome in this!
I used fresh spinach – it works just fine.
What can I use instead of Celery? Yuck!
I would just leave it out rather than trying to find something to replace it with. :)
I heard fennel works as a great celery replacement if you like the anise flavor!
Zucchini
This is sooo good!! I would cut the cayenne to 1/4 tsp, little spicy for my gringo husband.
Yep, it was a little spicy for my taste and I doubled the broth!
Definitely vouch for this recipe. It’s a perfect recipe as written but can be so so easily adapted. 12/10
I’ve never commented on recipe before but am compelled to now. I made the recipe last night as written but didn’t have spinach and only had defrosted bratwurst, which I used. The whole family raved about it! Next time I will use the spinach and Italian sausage, and maybe try the bacon suggested by another reviewer. The recipe is delicious, nutricious, filling and satisfying. And, yes, it’s easy and inexpensive to make. Congratulations to you for creating it, and to me (and my family) for finding it :-)
I would like to try to make this, but my kids don’t like cooked spinach. Has anyone substituted other veggies for the spinach? I’d like to hear what worked well.
I just made it without the spinach. It still has tons of vegies! If you want to replace the vegies, you could add more carrots, celery and onion. My whole family loved it!
I have a bunch of wild rice that I bought for no reason so I used 1 cup of that with 1 cup lentils and kept everything else the same. It turned out more of a pilaf than a stew but it’s great!
I’ve made this twice, first time exactly as written the second time I added some diced sweet potatoes. (for no reason other than I had them sitting around) I thought it was excellent well balanced, adaptable, and freezes great. Highly recommend for vegetarians I can see it being equally delish with veg stock & mushrooms in place of the sausage. perhaps I try that next time.
I made this with andouille sausage and added some mixed rice (wild and brown) that I had along with the lentils. Spicy goodness! It makes a lot, so I’m glad it freezes well. I love your recipes!
This is a fantastic recipe!!! Thanks for using spinach (can’tuse Kale with my thyroid med) and I have been using Better than Bouillon bases for the last 5 – 6 years cause they are MSG and low sodium free. Thanks so much for sharing this great recipe.
Are the lentils raw (soaked overnight) or are they cooked already when you put them in the pot?
The lentils in this recipe are raw.
I would love to make this recipe soon. But I only have smoked chicken sausage. Would that work?
Yes that would be just fine. Enjoy!
Thank you!
We just made this tonight and it was so delicious!!
For how long do you think the leftovers will be good for if kept frozen?
Hi Beth. I love your website. Always looking for nice comfort food that doesnt cost an arm and leg. This recipe is on point!!! Made it several times. For my only suggestion. Cook up some bacon, cut up real fine and add when you add the spinach. Brings this to a whole different level. People reading this…DO IT!!!!
Hi Beth!
I love your blog, I’ve been following you for a few years now.
Just made this recipe for lunch, sautéed the onion, garlic, sausage, and veggies in the Instant Pot then dumped everything else in and pushed the stew setting. I allowed it to natural pressure release.
Added a squeeze of lemon and sprinkling of Parmesan cheese before serving. It was delicious! My family gobbled it up. The flavors are spot on, no need to adjust a thing.
Thank you for your awesome blog!
Love this recipe! One question – how long does it stay good in the fridge?
We recommend storing up to three days in the refrigerator.
Any ideas on substitutions for the Italian sausage in this recipe? Apparently my husband is not a fan but this recipe looks delish to me..
Hi Liz! You could swap with regular sausage or just ground beef if you’d like.
How do you Better Than Bouillon if it’s a paste?
Hi Diane! You can simply scoop it out of the jar with a measuring spoon. It’s pretty easy!
This soup was outstanding! I will make it often. My family loved it, too! Can’t wait to explore your site for more wonderful recipes. Thank you!
Totally agree with earlier posts that this one is “the bomb dot com” and “Hall of Fame” status!! This is the kind of blind date with lentils you totally need to agree to! I halved the recipe, and it was still perfection! I was starting to fear that I only liked lentils if they were drowned in coconut milk, but this one hits just as hard as the coconut curry and creamy mushroom ones!! I think that even my Dad, a huge lentil cynic, would like this one, as it packs both a rich meaty flavour and warming, but not overwhelming spices!! May even be my new favourite recipe on the site (and that’s saying a lot)! Thanks Beth :)
This recipe is what led me to discover Budget Bytes back in 2014. Tonight I’m fighting to get out of a rut, both in cooking and more broadly in life. My pantry is sadly lacking in fresh ingredients, I’m low on proteins in the freezer, and we’ve had nothing but take-out for the past week due to work being crazy. I was craving something warm, hearty, and which would produce leftovers, so I can go to the store tomorrow for a very large grocery restock, without having to come home and then cook. This is the perfect recipe to check all those boxes, since BudgetBytes has taught me to keep an “emergency” bag of frozen spinach in my freezer, along with my bag of pre-cut celery and carrots for soups.
My cookbook is almost entirely BudgetByte recipes (and yes, I own your cookbook too!). So thank you, Beth, both for an amazing recipe that is still delicious and something I’m excited about after 5 years of making it constantly, and for running such an incredibly useful website.
You don’t know how happy it makes me to read that!! ❤️
Hi! I was wondering – can I use green lentils instead of brown? Is there a cooking time difference?
You can, but green lentils can take much longer to cook. Just check the package to see the recommended simmer time on your lentils and make sure to simmer the soup for at least that amount of time.
After browning the meat, could i chuck all this in the slow cooker low-6 or high-4?
Hi Zach! We haven’t tried it in the crockpot. But another reader mentioned this, “Excellent. I cooked the sausage (mild Italian) along with garlic, onion and fennel. Then through everything into the crock pot and cooked for about 4 hours on high. Really good.” Hope that helps!
Do you soak the lentils overnight? Is it two cups of lentils before or after soaking?
No soaking needed. :) Two cups dry, unsoaked lentils.
Tried this recipe tonight, will definitely make it again. Didn’t make any changes other than using fresh spinach instead of frozen since that’s what I had on hand (I just added it in the last 2 minutes of cooking), and I don’t think the recipe really needs any tweaking, it was very well received as is. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Love lentils and love this recipe. Easy and tasty. I used 1/3 lb of sausage and still super flavorful. Will make again.
This was my very first time cooking lentils, and this recipe got me out of my comfort zone. The Lentil & Sausage Stew is the bomb dot com!!! I am sooooo looking forward to leftovers this week. I will be making this recipe again. The stew is a very delicious comfort food on a cold winter night and it is also filling since I ate two bowfuls. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe Miss Beth. 😀
I meant to say “bowlfulls.” Typing at its finest lol. 😀😀
So glad you liked it and that you experimented with lentils! :)
Thai has become my go to recipe for making lentils! It’s delicious
Just made this with polish sausage. I ended up using 3/4 lb of sausage so I added extra veggies and lentils to compensate. Glad I did because it’s so good I’m delighted to have more! Will definitely make this again. Oh, I also added some tarragon (because I love its lemony flavor) and a capful of apple cider vinegar to add a little acid. It’s just something I picked up from another recipe that I now like to do with soups and stews. I think it worked well here too.
I used about a lb of sausage and cut in 1 in chunks. Also mixed a couple links of hot. Eliminate cayenne. Followed rest of recipe.
For those wondering how to make this in the Instant Pot, I tried it last night and it worked very well. I browned the sausage using the saute function, and I also sauteed the veggies on this setting as well. I then added the rest of the ingredients (minus spinach) and cooked for 15 minutes on high pressure. Everything was done at the point, but the lentils were a bit overdone, so next time I’ll scale the time back to 12-13 minutes. I took the spinach out to defrost a bit while everything else was cooking, then threw it into the Instant Pot after the quick release. At that point, the pot was on the “Keep Warm” setting. I closed the lid and let everything sit for 5 minutes and after that time, the spinach was heated through. Thanks for another great recipe!
Thanks for sharing!!
Delicious stew! Added 14 oz can diced tomatoes and used Spanish chorizo- was so flavorful and hearty while being very healthy. Ate with a seeded crusty bread. Great fall dinner!
This recipe is amazing!! I doubled it and added a tsp of celery seed and about 1.5 cups of crushed tomatoes. It is so flavorful and delicious! This is a perfect recipe for a hungry and struggling college student.
I made this exactly as written except for adding more vegs. Very tasty. The spices are what make the dish a standout, in my opinion.
The next time I make this, and there will definitely be many next times, I’m going to add chicken thighs and maybe some diced tomatoes. Thanks for a great recipe.
I’ve made this a MILLION times and I absolutely love it. I cook it for parties and it’s a hit. Here are some of the ways I’ve enhanced/modified the recipe:
– I use an extra flavorful sausage such as chorizo or spicy italian — it makes the broth incredibly flavorful
– Instead of spinach, i use frozen chopped kale or chop up fresh kale to add
– I add chopped avocado and a spritz of lime at the end when serving
With all due respect, chorizo must be an acquired taste. I had just purchased some to try for the first time. After seeing your review, I used it in this recipe with no other changes. It was horrible. I will probably never eat chorizo again in my life.
I will remake it with italian sausage and expect it will be good..
Good on you for trying something new! I would suggest you are in the minority with that chorizo opinion, maybe try it from somewhere other than where you got that last one? But each to their own.
Did you use Spanish chorizo or Mexican chorizo? They are very different. Spanish chorizo is a firm sausage, isn’t oily and is very flavorful yet milder than Mexican chorizo, and is great in soups. Mexican chorizo is heavy on both flavor and grease, but is delicious in egg dishes and other pan-fried applications. They are not usually interchangeable.
I used this recipe with the spices as written, but changed a few other things. I really wanted slices of smoked sausage instead of Italian sausage in my soup. It turned out great, the spices are spot on for flavor. Thanks!
Made this tonight and was totally surprised by how delicious it was. This is joining the hall of fame of my favorite recipes on this site, along with falafel and curried chickpeas with spinach.
Sitting on my stove now. I haven’t officially served it yet but I’ve been tasting along the way and I’m already impressed. Replaced the celery with green pepper and that seems to work fine too. Sausage and lentils are a match made in heaven for sure.
Hi! Do you think I could use canned lentils on this one, or should I stick to dried?
I would definitely stick to dry for this one, otherwise you’ll need to adjust the amount of broth used, but then that will also reduce the flavor. Canned lentils will probably also over cook as the soup simmers and get very mushy. :)
Love this stew, any thoughts on converting for Instant Pot? I use instant pot almost exclusively now and haven’t figured out how to convert yet?
I would brown the sausage on the sauté function, add the rest of the ingredients (minus the spinach) and try 30 minutes high pressure. After that, stir in the spinach and it should be done. :) You may not even need a full 30 minutes on high pressure. I’d check the manual to see if they have a time suggestion for brown lentils. Or maybe you could even just use the soup function!
I was looking for a copycat recipe to Carrabba’s lentil soup and I can’t believe I didn’t check your website first. I’m going to make the sausage and tortellini soup today. I’ll probavly make this one next week!
I just made this and it’s perfect! It’s very flavorful. I used hot sausage for an extra kick!
It was so cheap and easy! I’m going to freeze the leftovers! Thanks you so much!!!
I’m not a big fan of lentils, but I had some I needed to use up. I typed in the ingredients Inhad on hand, & your recipe popped up. I didn’t have any carrots so I used a can of roasted corn & diced tomatoes. I didn’t have cumin, so I used thyme, I didn’t have paprika, so I used pink peppercorns. It’s really good! Also I used a frozen pound of spicy ground sausage. I have one more pound of lentils, so next time I’ll duplicate it exactly! Thanks.
I make a very similar recipe and decided to make it today – but it’s been a while, so I figured I’d look it up and came across yours :)
Can I recommend adding a bit of tomato paste before you add the spinach? It thickens up the broth and adds a richness to the whole meal. Super good either way, though!
Made this tonight and it was so good!
This recipe exemplifies the great good that you do, Beth. I made this last night with all that I had in the house (and without a dime to buy anything extra). So, it was lentils, some vegan sausage I had in the freezer and an onion and some mushrooms that were almost dead. The key is a pantry stocked with herbs and spices. Even a stew of nothing but lentils would be delicious. When I received groceries from the food pantry, the only spices I got was a jar of pickling spice and a box of Triguisar (http://www.honeybeesrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/triguisar.png), which is basically cumin-heavy, but had a strange fluorescent color when cooked. Anyway, a stocked pantry is key – I hope that when people donate to pantries they include some dried herbs and spices – and I hope more pantries realize the difference these items make! Thanks again, Beth! (ps: with no green or orange veg, mine looked like a bowl of mud, but so tasty!)
Holy yum! This stew was delicious! I loved all the flavours and it was so easy to make. Two big thumbs up! :)
Do you think this would work with ground beef instead of sausage! Thank you so much for this site – it is amazing!
It won’t quite be the same. The sausage contains a lot of herbs and spices that help flavor the dish, whereas ground beef has none. If you use ground beef, you can try adding a tablespoon or so of Italian seasoning blend to try to make up for the loss of seasoning.
I used kale instead of spinach and it turned out awesome :) Thanks Beth! This is delicious!
Hi Beth! Pretty much every meal I make each week is straight from your website. LOVE your work: wondering if you could please make a post about how you make your homemade vegetable stock?
I should post that at some point, but in the mean time, Oh My Veggies has posted a great tutorial. Here’s the link :)
Thank you so much! Just wanted to also say that I’m really excited about the September challenge :) I’ve been trying to cut back my weekly budget on groceries and so it couldn’t have come at a better time! Thanks again -Holly
I’ve been making this recipe for years. It’s one of my absolute favorite staple meals! But it just so happens I don’t have any lentils in the house tonight. How do you think this recipe would work with brown rice or some other grain?
Maybe barley, but I think rice would fall apart a bit too much.
I was worried about the amount of cayenne, but I like spicy foods so I used the full amount anyway — perfect.This is totally delicious. I think I made about 1.5 times the original recipe and it will hold us for a while (which I’m VERY glad about). I’m sure it will be even better today :)
Hi Beth. I love your website! I am not used to cooking with lentils. I decided to do this recipe using unused lentils from the mujaddara recipe. When you say check them over for stones, what does that mean exactly?
I usually spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet so they don’t spill all over, then just look them over really quickly for small stones. Sometimes they don’t get sorted out well in the factory. :)
I made the last night, and it was really delicious! Maybe it was the hot sauce I used, but it came out really spicy…a touch spicier than would’ve been ideal, I think. We had some leftover sour cream and grated Parmesan, though, and that added some delicious flavor and creaminess that mellowed the spice out, too. Next time I’ll plan to make it that way from the start–and I’ll probably cut back on the hot sauce a bit. :c) But still, even without those tweaks, it was really tasty!
Amazing, I had to make some changes due to ingredients I had on hand and preference. First of all I added red pepper flakes instead of cayenne pepper. I subbed Paprika with 1 more tsp of cumin, added thyme with the oregano, and a tsp of fennel seed. I also used mostly box broth (but added some bullion at the end to taste) and here’s the kicker; since I didn’t have any spinach, I tried green peas (yum) and I also still thought of this dish as more of a soup so I thickened it with a little flour to give it a stew-like consistency and it worked wonderfully!!! with a little red wine vinegar at the end, this one was DELICIOUS!
So delicious, absolutely loved it! Even better the next day.
This was one of the best stews I’ve ever had! I made this when it was about 3 degrees outside and it was so warm and comforting. My husband and I both agreed it was something we would order in a restaurant. It is great with some warm crusty bread, but it is filling enough to just eat on its own. Ok, maybe it was filling because I had two bowls of it…
I do have to say, though- the first time I made it I used regular pork sausage. The second time I used turkey and it wasn’t as flavorful (maybe it was just the brand of turkey sausage I used.) I’ll definitely make it again, but I think I’ll stick to pork sausage.
I’ve been lurking your site for a while but this is the first recipe I’ve tried. I made this tonight and it is delicious! I made a few changes based on what I had on hand from my CSA. I used green onion bratwurst for the sausage and swiss chard instead of spinach. So good. I’ll be having this for lunch for the rest of the week. Thanks!
We enjoyed this a lot. It was a little thick after the first day so my husband added a little chicken broth to his bowl the second day. I decided to turn it into a casserole and spread the leftovers into a 9×13 pan (there were only two of us eating) and baked it and then added shredded cheddar cheese and baked until melted. Very tasty this way too!
HI, just wondering when you say serves 10, what is the serving size? 1 cup portions? Is there a general rule of thumb? Sorry if this has been answered already and I skipped over it. Thanks!
Sorry, that recipe is super old so the serving size may have gotten lost when I transitioned to the new format. It is probably 1 to 1.5 cups per serving, but I can’t say for sure.
I made this for my family tonight and we loved it!! Thanks for another great recipe! I had everything on hand and didn’t need to plan ahead or anything, which is great since we don’t have a store closer than 25 minutes! Yay!! I’ll make this often!
I’ve made this recipe a ton of times (usually sans the spinach because I rarely have it around unless I manage to buy it fresh), but I’ve found that the carrots don’t taste well after thawing. They get this musty, cardboard flavor and I have to sort them out. Any pointers about this?
Hmm. Do you mean leftover carrots that are frozen separately and then added when you make the soup or the carrots that are already in the soup taste musty when the soup as a whole is thawed? If you mean carrots in the soup, I really don’t know what might be causing that. If you mean carrots that had been frozen by themselves to save for soup making, maybe double bag them? They could be absorbing flavor/aroma from the freezer.
No, unfortunately the ones already in the soup. And it happens with everything, soup, stew… The carrots also aren’t old, happens with fresh whatever. Does NOT happen when I freeze the carrots raw. Very strange then. Ah well, for soups at least by the time I freeze them all the flavor has gone into the dish already anyway. I’ll just keep trying. Thanks!
That is very interesting! I’ve never experienced that so I’m not sure how to remedy it. :(
I know this recipe was posted four years ago, but I had to comment because it’s so delicious! I left out the cayenne because I don’t like things too “hot” and added some fresh parsley for the simmering stage for flavor (left on top and removed before stirring). I also added yam chunks (1 yam’s worth) instead of spinach as a personal preference. The stew was savory and delicious. [Parsley and yam are $1 each and I used 1/4 of my parsley bunch for the stew. So my additions/substitutes add 25 cents to the cost of the stew since I left out the 99 cent spinach.]
I have recently started making freezer meals for my family, this recipe sounds amazing! What would your recommendations be if I were to make ahead and freeze?
I usually freeze single serving portions in those blue top resealable containers, then they’re super easy to just reheat in the microwave straight from the freezer.
Fab. I used 6 cups of homemade organic sage chicken stock, and stirred in 1/4 cup full-fat greek yogurt right before serving to up the protein and temper the spice a bit. A hit, even with the toddler set, and loads of leftovers. Thanks!!
NO ME GUSTAN LAS LENTEJAS. YO PREFIERO LAS ARVEJAS CON ESTA MISMA RECETA. LO MEJOR DEL CÓSMICO SIEMPRE EN LA PRESENCIA DE DIOS.
If I wanted to add rice to this recipe, would I add cooked rice or let the rice cook along with the lentils?
How would cook rice if you wanted to add some to the soup? Would you let it simmer with the lentils?
I’m not sure. I just tried to make a soup the other day and added some rice but it disintegrated as it simmered (I didn’t post that recipe for obvious reasons!), so I need to look into that. I think maybe if you add it towards the end and just make sure not to let it simmer too long it might be okay.
I ended up adding the rice towards the last 15 minutes and it came out great! Thanks for the tip!
Good to know! Now I need to try that with the recipe that I was attempting to add rice to :)
I’ve had great luck adding rice to cooking soups if I add uncooked brown rice. No disintegration! And it reheats much better the next day than regular white rice.
It’s a little soft if you cook it for 8 hours in the crock pot, but it’s still not bad.
Just made this for the first time. Love it. Thanks for the recipe your recipes are awesome
Just made this for the first time — so good! This is why I visit your blog so often!
This too was delish, but am I surprised? Not at all because all your recipes so far have been foolproof!
I made this one evening two weeks ago and was glad to have leftovers the next day to offer my neighbor a hot bowlful after he snow blowed my path.
Perfect dish for this super cold winter.
This soup is incredible!! Just, wow. I was really blown away at how the combination of spices was just right; they make this so savory and warm, true comfort food.
I added tomato and beans for more fiber and veggies, inspired by this newer BB recipe: https://vitalityholisticwellnessguide.com/2014/01/chunky-lentil-vegetable-soup/
My girlfriend and I will be finishing this batch off in just a few days, and we’ll have to make more once it’s gone!
Your stew looks amazing!
In Germany we love the lentil stew with some vinegar (plus a little sugar) and sometimes a little bit of mustard stirred in. All of that gets added at the end right before serving.
Excellent. I cooked the sausage (mild Italian) along with garlic, onion and fennel. Then through everything into the crock pot and cooked for about 4 hours on high. Really good.
Made this for myself for lunch while I have your chicken dumpling soup in my crock pot. Used brats and kale as substitutions. Served deliciously with marble rye!
I’ve been planning on making this all day and now I realize I don’t have any chicken bouillon cubes or stock. Can u think of any substations? Thanks!
Well, there is quite a bit of flavor between the sausage, vegetables, and spices anyway, so I bet if you just add some salt to make up for the salt in the broth it will still taste pretty good!
I was searching for a lentil sausage stew recipe and looking at the thumb nail images on my Google search page. Yours was the only one I found that looked at all like what I think delicious lentil soup should look like. It doesn’t look awful, it looks tasty! Thanks for the recipe!
I have this simmering and it smells fabulous. I know this is an oldie, but the bite I just tasted tells me it is a goodie.
Hmm I meant Crock pot, please excuse the typo.
Okay,I am making this today and will go ahead and cook it in a medium pot as the recipe says. But I was thinking maybe I could just throw everything into the cock pot. But then I was thinking some more (I’m not an airhead, promise) and maybe the lentils would act more like split peas and turn to mush? Has anyone tried this or have any ideas? Thanks.
They may get extra mushy, but I don’t think that would be an entirely bad thing! :) If you do use a crock pot, I would brown the sausage in a skillet and add that at the end. I’ve added ground sausage to a crock pot recipe in the beginning before and the texture just didn’t work right. It over cooked and got all pellet-like.
I made this last night and loved it. I had to use bratwurst because Germany seems to discriminate against delicious foreign sausage, but it was still fantastic. Definitely making it again!
I made this last month for myself and my husband exactly per the recipe. It was SO SO yummy! And it lasted for almost an entire week for us! Thanks for the great recipe! This one is definitely a keeper and going to be made again this year before winter is over. I’m going to try with either a homemade or natural/organic chicken stock next time for less additives/preservatives or whatever all those oddly named things are from the bouillon cubes ingredients.
im cooking this right now, I added half a pound of Italian spicy sausage that was on sale and half a pound of regular sausage I think its gonna be great! way to make lentils more appetizing! thanks!
This was amazing! So good! I used smoked paprika. Will be a regular around here :)
This was absolutely amazing, such wonderful blend of flavors and you can catch each one of them in one bite…DELICIOUS, this one is a keeper!
p.s. added some stewed tomatoes to give it a little zing!
Just found your blog a couple of weeks ago and tried this recipe after enjoying your baked spaghetti recipe a few days earlier. All I can say is this is my new favorite soup/stew!!! I did not make a single change. We ate on this all week and still have several more servings in the freezer for later. Now I’m baking one of your baked oatmeals… Can’t wait. Thanks for the great resource and delicious recipes!
I have just started using lentils…and honestly at first I was scared of them…But now that I have started with lentils I love them! They are soooo easy and so good for you! Anyways I came across this recipe and I am addicted to it:) It is incredibly delish! I made it at 7 am this morning and I am cooking it on slow…I had a bowl for breakfast and for lunch…This is a keeper…I am going to triple this and freeze it. Thank you for this wonderful recipe and your awesome blog!!!!
I made this last week, and it was just as delicious as you described, and so healthy and cheap! Thank you for sharing, this is going into my family’s permanent rotation.
Wow! Yum! I made it vegetarian – with some Trader Joes veggie broth & gimme lean soysage! This is delicious, I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Jackie – Absolutely! Just substitute the same volume (6 cups) and adjust the salt to your taste at the end. I hope you enjoy it!
Would it be possible to use homemade chicken stock in place of the bouillon? I have some chicken stock in the ‘fridge right now but no bouillon. How much stock would I use instead? Thank you! (and BTW, I LOVE your blog.)
Is it possible to make this with homemade chicken stock instead of bouillon cubes? I have about 2lbs of homemade stock in the fridge right now but no bouillon cubes. How much stock would I use instead? Thank you! (and btw, I absolutely LOVE your blog.)
(Leisel): I made this for dinner tonight (09/110/12). it was FANTASTIC! DH and I give it five stars, and all four kids liked it. Even the 21 month old couldn’t seem to get enough of it. I used a full bag of precut carrot slices, and the only frozen spinach the store had was 16 ounces as well. I did have to add another 2 cups or so of water, and I used French green lentils, which take longer to cook, so I go them started cooking in the liquid while I was sautéing the sausage and veggies. This will be going into the family cookbook for sure.
We made this last night with homemade chicken stock. Only thing that we did differently was add leeks in addition to all the other listed vegetables. Enjoyed with pita and served the stew in roasted red peppers – some for supper, some for next day’s lunch, and some for the freezer. What a great combination of spices!
Made this tonight for the husband and I, I simply doubled the meat (1 lb of sweet italian turkey sausage and 1 lb spicy) and boyyy was it good!
I made this without sausage because I didn’t have any and put it all in my crockpot for the day. This is seriously awesome!! I love the spice combination.
I really need to write this recipe down. I am back here making it for at least the 4th time. I love to surprise people with this one. It is just so good. People don’t expect that from lentils and spinach. I have used turkey Italian sausage, hot Italian sausage, and regular bulk Italian sausage. It is delicious everytime. Today I am making it for a soup and salad baby shower at church. It should spice things up.
Hi im not a massive lentil eater but want to make this soon, do you think green lentils will be nice. ive never tried them but do have them in my kitchen.
TIA
Hi im not a massive lentil eater but want to make this soon, do you think green lentils will be nice. ive never tried them but do have them in my kitchen.
TIA
Hi im not a massive lentil eater but want to make this soon, do you think green lentils will be nice. ive never tried them but do have them in my kitchen.
TIA
Hi im not a massive lentil eater but want to make this soon, do you think green lentils will be nice. ive never tried them but do have them in my kitchen.
TIA
Super meal!! We loved it tonight! I’m going to try to freeze half the leftovers and take the rest to work for lunch tomorrow! Yummy! My kids even liked it (although I think I went a little heavy on the cayenne for them – I loved the spice!). Thank you again and again!!
Found this, love it, sending the link to everyone I know. Making it again this weekend. Thanks so much!
This was great. In the process of making it noticed hubby had pulled smoked sausage instead of regular sausage, figured what te heck. Actually turned out pretty good. Kids that it tasted like jambalaya soup. They ate it tho, & that is what matters. Thanks
This recipe is seriously good. And it freezes well! I just had some for dinner out of my freezer yesterday. I agree that you should add oil to cook the sausage–even my pork sausage burnt a little, but that could be because I was busy chopping my veggies and my knife skills are a bit sluggish. Thanks for posting this! It has fed me for almost a week of meals at this point.
This is so, so good. G and I made it this week, since it’s been so cold, and to be honest, I’ve been kind of fantasizing about it all day.
I made this for dinner two nights ago and my fiance and I loved it! I used hot Italian pork sausage and played with the amount of bouillon after I added some extra water. Next time I’ll also add another carrot since the pops of orange are so pretty (and tasty!).
I would try white beans! White bean and sausage is a classic combo. But, they don’t cook nearly as fast as lentils so you’ll either need to cook them ahead of time or used canned. Good luck!
The lentils must have not bothered me too much because I’m having this for lunch today too. : ) I was trying to think of a different type of bean that would be good in this. Any ideas?
Okay, this is really flavorful. 2 comments: My turkey sausage was the exact same brand as yours, but I had to add olive oil. It was just not “greasy” enough. The other comment is that I realized tonight I’m not a big lentil fan. I had lentils at an Ethiopian restaurant recently, and did not care for them there. I thought it was just at that particular restaurant so I gave them a chance tonight. That aside, I would make this again and try using something else like rice or barley in substitution for the lentils. I did feel like I was eating healthy, which was nice, and that turkey sausage is amazing. Hard to believe it’s turkey. Thanks again. Tomorrow’s menu: Glazed pork chops and the wild rice you posted recently.
I am trying this tonight. I have never cooked with dried beans so should be interesting. I never would have chosen this on my own, but your comments make it impossible not to. : )
This looks great and can’t wait to try it! I like the suggestion of leeks instead of celery. I had leeks for the first time a week ago from a TastyKitchen recipe and have been looking for more recipes to use them in since!
I didn’t have enough lentils so I threw some rice into it. I ladled out a bowl before realizing I hadn’t added spinach. The second bowl was much tastier.
This looks delicious! I think I’ll make this this week!
Omg omg omg omg omg!
Ok so this is dinner #12 AND 13# and lunch in between lol.
Tastes so vibrant and I do, I really do, hope people will make it. Whether they like the look or not. Just read the ingredients everyone, its guaranteed to win!
Side-note: This is the first time in 2 weeks I have nothing to throw away before I grocery shopping.
NO MORE CLEANING OUT THE FRIDGE! yayers! No containers of ‘eeeew’ or ‘maybe we shouldn’t open that and just toss it’
Thanks again Beth, and wish me luck with another 245$ or maybe even more savings tomorrow!
I make something rally similar and I ALWAYS love it. You cant go wrong with any combo of legumes, kale, sausage, and either butternut squash or sweet potatoes. So good.
We loved it!!!
Your blog is a godsend! What a great wealth of ideas for cheap AND amazing photos. I may even be able to talk my wife into helping me cook…
cheers and many thanks
Tara
I’m not sure about tofurky because I’ve never cooked with it… although I’m pretty sure that is what it was meant to do so I would give it a shot!
Said student from the first comment here. I just made this with regular pork sausage… (and leeks instead of celery) it was absolutely amazing. It was the first time I ever made a stew but it was the best thing I’ve made for months. Wow. Definitely a new favourite meal of mine. I can’t wait to finish the leftovers so I can make a new batch of this!
Thanks a ton. Brilliant recipe.
do you think tofurky italian “sausage” will work too?
I love lentil stew. I make mine with beef, but I’ve been considering a kielbasa recipe. Enjoy!
I make a very similar vegetarian version. I add a slice of ginger and chopped swiss chard. I top with sriracha, delicious!
I know what I’m making with the leftover sausage from the Jamalaya! Mmmmmm Can’t wait!
see, I enjoy turkey bacon.. but HATE ground turkey for like.. turkey burgers. *GAG*
Oh yay! I can’t wait to try this either!! You make things look way less intimidating to cook!
I love this kind of dish, and truthfully I don’t think it looks bad at all!
I’ve been on a complete lentil spree since I started life as a student in September – I’ll have to try this. Perhaps even tomorrow. Sounds delicious!