Green Lentil Stew with Sausage and Vegetables a nutritious and delicious flavor packed one pot dinner. And it may even bring a year of good luck to all who eat it!
Loaded with fresh vegetables and finished with a sprinkling of herbs, feta cheese and bright lemon juice. This hearty meal is filling without being too heavy. Plus, rumor has it that consuming coin shaped foods on New Year’s Eve will bring wealth and prosperity in the coming year.
Superstition or not, I have been making this Green Lentil Stew with Sausage and Vegetables every New Year’s Eve for the past five years. And packing it full of as many round coin shaped foods as I can find! One can never have too much good luck…
Created after researching New Year’s Eve activities all over the world, Green Lentil Stew with Sausage and Vegetables is a nutritious family friendly meal that doubles as a family tradition.
I went looking for alternatives to mainstream New Year’s Eve activities as a somewhat new-ish Mom about 10 years ago. Tired of trying to fit my family into what I’d known of the holiday, I needed new ideas. Staying up till midnight, watching fireworks, making tons of noise and drinking loads of bubbly bevs is great and all, but it just wasn’t anything that worked with my family.
Instead we’ve eaten grapes and burned wishes and chimed bells and cooked coin shaped foods.
In my home we refer to Green Lentil Stew as ‘Good Luck Stew’. And I’m pretty convinced it works about 80% of the time…
Green Lentil Stew with Sausage and Vegetables Recipe
Coin shaped lentils, onion rounds, garlic, scallions, peas and olives make up my prosperous version. But this method is super versatile! Use whatever coin shaped vegetables you please. Or, non-coin shaped if superstition and wealth aren’t your thing.
Seriously though, go ahead and throw whatever vegetables you have in there.
Green lentils hold their shape a have a bit of a bite to them still after cooking. If you don’t have green lentils substitute orange, red or any other variety. Be mindful that other varieties may have shorter cooking times and may require you to reduce overall cooking time.
Ingredients
- 1 pound smoked sausage about 4 medium sausages
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 4 medium scallions
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup green lentils 'french' lentils
- 3 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 3 small carrots
- 1/4 cup green peas fresh or frozen
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup olive rounds
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice fresh
- 1/4 cup cilantro or other fresh herbs
- 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbled
Instructions
- Slice sausages into rounds. In large saucepan over medium heat, brown sausage rounds in 1 tablespoon of oil until slightly crispy and nicely browned on both sides. Remove and set aside.
- Meanwhile, slice onions and scallions into rounds. Separate scallion greens from the whites.
- To sausage drippings in hot saucepan add remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Then sliced onions and scallion whites. Cook until softened and lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
- Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Meanwhile, rinse lentils and pick out any pebbles or other debris. Add lentils to the onion mixture. Increase heat to high and add chicken stock while stirring.
- Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
- Peel and slice carrots into rounds then add to lentil mixture with peas, salt and reserved sausage rounds. Return to simmer and cook until sausages are reheated and carrots are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Season to taste with lemon juice, feta cheese, salt and pepper. Serve with fresh herbs, hot sauce, and crusty bread.
Nutrition
Prosperity and good luck aside, Green Lentil Stew with Sausage and Vegetables is 100% guaranteed to fill the bellies of those you love!
Enjoy!
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