Al dente pasta and hearty lentils in a red wine sauce made with hot Italian sausage, onions and sun dried tomatoes
We have been making this particular dish for years, in fact if I remember correctly, we had this at a restaurant once and liked it so much we had to recreate it at home
Don’t tell anyone this but this meal has opened my eyes to lentils and how good they are
So let’s start there. Take 1 cup of lentils that you have rinsed and picked through
Picked through you ask?
Yes, because sometimes they have small stones and grit so just give them a once over
Add the lentils to a pot and cover with 2-3 cups of water
Bring to a boil then lower the heat and gently simmer for 25-30 minutes or until just tender
Remove and drain in a colander and set aside
While the lentils are cooking bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook 1 pound of your favorite pasta according to the directions on the package
Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water when your draining the pasta
Add this to the pasta along with some olive oil in the pot and set aside
Why are we reserving pasta water?
The reserved pasta water contains starch from the pasta which will help your sauce adhere to the noodles
Moving on, we will need 1 onion chopped and 3 garlic cloves thinly sliced
In a large pan heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and add in the onions and garlic
Sprinkle with kosher salt and ground black pepper
Cook for 4-6 minutes until lightly browned and the onions start to turn translucent
Next up are the sausages
We are using 8 hot Italian sausage
You can certainly substitute sweet sausage or use a mixture of both
Remove the casing from the sausage and discard
Add the sausage to the pan in chunks
Cook the sausage for 6-8 minutes breaking it up into smaller bits as you go until browned and cooked through
Next we will need 2 tablespoons of sliced sun dried tomatoes in their oil
This ingredient is completely optional though I do urge you to give it a try
Not only do they add wonderful flavor they also add great color to the dish
Add them to the pan and cook for 2 minutes
Next we will need 1 cup of dry red wine (like a Cabernet) and 1 cup of chicken stock
Click on our link to make Homemade Instant Pot Chicken Stock
Add the wine to the pan, bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook 6-8 minutes
Next we will add in the chicken stock
Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook another 10-12 minutes
Chop 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley
Fold the lentils into the mixture
Sprinkle with the parsley and cook 4 minutes to warm the lentils through
Taste and reseason if needed with salt and pepper
Add the cooked pasta to the pan and mix with the sauce to coat all the noodles
Sprinkle with a little crushed red pepper flakes and serve!
Enjoy!!!
Simply Sundays! ~ Sausage & Lentil Pasta
Ingredients
1 cup of dry lentils (cooked until tender)
1 large onion
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of sun dried tomatoes (optional)
8 hot sausage links, casings removed
1 cup of dry red wine (like a Cabernet)
1 cup of chicken stock
2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley
1 pound of pasta (cooked)
kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons of olive oil plus 2 more for the pasta
1/2 cup of reserved pasta water
Directions
Rinse lentils and pick for any stones, cover in water and cook until tender about 30-35 minutes, drain and set aside
While the lentils are cooking bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook 1 pound of your favorite pasta according to the directions on the package. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water when your draining the pasta. Add this to the pasta along with some olive oil in the pot and set aside
In a large pan heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and add in 1 peeled and chopped onion and 3 peeled and sliced garlic cloves. Sprinkle with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Cook for 4-6 minutes until lightly browned and the onions start to turn translucent
Remove the casing from 8 hot Italian sausage links and and discard. Add the sausage to the pan in chunks. Cook the sausage for 6-8 minutes breaking it up into smaller bits as you go until browned and cooked through
Add 2 tablespoons of sliced sun dried tomatoes to the pan. Cook for around 2 minutes. Add in 1 cup of dry red wine (like a Cabernet). Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook 6-8 minutes
Next add in 1 cup of chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook another 10-12 minutes. Fold the lentils into the mixture. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley and cook 4 minutes to warm the lentils through. Taste and reseason if needed with salt and pepper
Add the cooked pasta to the pan and mix with the sauce to coat all the noodles. Sprinkle with a little crushed red pepper flakes and serve
Tools used to make this recipe
Architec Carving Board, Gripperwood
NuWave Flex Precision Induction Cooktop
ZELITE INFINITY Chef Knife 8 inch
OXO Good Grips Flat Wire Whisk
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