Lentils – Simply Sundays

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

Servings: 4-6
Time: Prep 35 Min, Cook 35 Min
Difficulty: Medium
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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

Lodge Cast Iron Skillet

Mini Prep Glass Bowl

NuWave Flex Precision Induction Cooktop

ZELITE INFINITY Chef Knife 8 inch

OXO Good Grips Flat Wire Whisk

I have a slight obsession with lentils. There. I’ve said it

I must say, if you try this lentil salad, you may feel the same

My husband treated us to a day long class at the Culinary Institute of America

It was ah-maze-ing. True story

We had such a great time working in a professional kitchen with a REAL chef instructing us!

This lentil salad was part of a delicious Sea Scallop meal, but we’re breaking it down in two parts because the lentils are so delicious they can stand on their own

Let’s start with one large yellow onion, 2 bay leaves, 6 fresh parsley sprigs, 5 garlic cloves, 2 cups of rinsed french lentils and some olive oil

Note ~ French lentils are a bit smaller and firmer than regular brown lentils. This makes them perfect for salads. I found them pretty easily at the grocery store but they are also available online or at a “trendy” store such as Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s

Le Puy Roland French Lentils

Here’s the part that I thought was pretty intuitive. Let’s add flavor to the lentils while they cook, but put the ingredients in cheesecloth so we can pluck it out super easy

Peel and cut the onion into eighths, then add to a square of cheesecloth along with the bay leaves, the parsley and garlic

Gather the edges of the cloth in and tie with butcher’s string

This is commonly referred to as a “Bouquet Garni” but our kids would call it a “flavor present”. So I’m going with it

Place the lentils and flavor present into a medium saucepan and cover with water by one inch. Bring to a boil over medium heat then reduce the heat to low and partially cover

Simmer for 20-30 minutes until cooked through. Drain, remove cheesecloth

Set the lentils aside to cool

We’ve diced 2 Spanish chorizo sausage links

Saute them over medium heat

After about 2-3 minutes, remove the chorizo from the pan and place in a fine sieve to drain

Let’s make the vinaigrette for the salad

Measure out 1/4 cup of sherry wine vinegar, 1/3 of a cup of red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of honey & 1 tablespoon of orange juice

Zest 2 tablespoons of orange and measure 2 teaspoons of thyme, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder

Stir all ingredients together until well combined and set aside

A few fresh veggies add some welcome crunch to this delicious salad

Finely dice 3/4 cup each of fennel, celery and red bell pepper

Add the veggies to a large mixing bowl along with the vinaigrette

Add in the chorizo and lentils and stir until well combined

Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary

Serve the Lentil – Chorizo Salad as an accompaniment to most any meal or simply over a bed of arugula

Enjoy!

Simply Sundays! ~ Lentil - Chorizo Salad

Servings: 8
Time: 15 minutes prep, 35 minutes cook
Difficulty: Medium
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Ingredients

1 large yellow onion

2 bay leaves

6 fresh parsley sprigs

5 garlic cloves

2 cups of rinsed french lentils

olive oil

2 Spanish chorizo sausage links

For the vinaigrette

1/4 cup of sherry wine vinegar

1/3 of a cup of red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons of honey

1 tablespoon of orange juice

2 tablespoons of orange zest

2 teaspoons of thyme

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

Directions

Peel and cut the onion into eights then add to a square of cheesecloth along with the bay leaves, the parsley and garlic

Gather the edges of the cloth in and tie with butcher’s string

Place the lentils and cheesecloth packet into a medium saucepan and cover with water by one inch. Bring to a boil over medium heat then reduce the heat to low and partially cover

Simmer for 20-30 minutes until cooked through. Drain, remove cheesecloth

Set the lentils aside to cool

Dice 2 Spanish chorizo sausage links and saute over medium heat; after about 2-3 minutes, remove the chorizo from the pan and place in a fine sieve to drain

Combine sherry wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, honey & orange juice and place in a bowl

Whisk in 2 orange zest, thyme, kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder until all vinaigrette ingredients are thoroughly combined

Finely dice 3/4 cup each of fennel, celery and red bell pepper; add the veggies to a large mixing bowl along with the vinaigrette

Add in the chorizo and lentils and stir until well combined

Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary

Tools used to make this recipe

Regency Natural Cooking Twine

Pure Acres Farm 100% Unbleached Cheese Cloth, 18 Sq Feet

Simply Bamboo 13.5″ Valencia Bamboo Cutting Board

Winco Strainer with Double Fine Mesh, 8-Inch Diameter

Greenbrier 1 X Mini Pinch Prep Bowls, Set of 4

Royal Classique 10 Piece Professional Grade Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons Set