Lentil and sausage stew is an easy, healthy recipe you can make for your family. Crock pot and make ahead freezer instructions are also included. This simple, flavorful recipe is perfect for your clean eating goals.
If you love healthy soups, you'll want to check out our Moroccan lentil stew and our copycat Panera Bread 10 vegetable soup.
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Ingredients
Our lentil and sausage stew takes pantry staples that are easy to find at your local grocery store. Let's talk about some of the key ingredients.
- Aromatics: We used onion, celery, carrot and garlic.
- Spices: We used Worcestershire sauce, oregano, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and black pepper.
- Legumes: We used green lentils, but you could also use brown lentils, chickpeas, or yellow split peas.
- Liquid: We used beef broth but you could also use vegetable stock.
- Meat: We used cut up kielbasa sausage, but you could also use turkey or chorizo sausage, lamb, or diced ham.
How to Make
Gather all the ingredients for our lentil and sausage stew. Chop up the onion, carrot, celery, and the kielbasa sausage, then mince the garlic. Rinse the lentils and measure out the spices.
- Cook the kielbasa until it's browned in a bit of oil over medium high heat.
- Saute the onion, celery, and carrot until it's soft, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
3. Add the spices and cook for 1 minute.
4. Pour in the broth.
5. Add the rinsed lentils, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and 1 bay leaf.
6. Mix all the ingredients together with a large wooden spoon. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the the browned kielbasa sausage and stir it in.
Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Cover the lentil and sausage stew and let simmer for another 15 minutes.
7. Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. If you like your stew more tangy, add a splash of red wine vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice after the lentil stew has been removed from the heat.
8. Garnish the lentil and sausage stew with fresh parsley or olive oil and serve with some crusty bread, like our white mountain bread.
Recipe FAQs
Although lentils are a dried legume, they don't need to be soaked beforehand, just rinsed, as they can cook in 35 minutes.
Lentil stew is rich in protein, potassium, fiber, iron and folate. It is a nutritious and well-balanced main course. One cup of our lentil stew has 398 calories and 35.1g of carbs.
Start by omitting the sausage. Add ½ cup more lentils, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 3 cups butternut squash, 3 cups kale, and switch the beef broth to vegetable broth.
Since lentils are a good source of resistant starches and high in fiber, they help your body to have regular bowel movements, increase your stool weight, and help improve your gut microbiome (healthy gut bacteria).
Variations
- Want it more tangy? Just before serving the lentil and sausage stew add a splash of red wine vinegar or lemon juice.
- Want extra veggies? Try butternut squash, potatoes, kale, or spinach.
- Need less sodium? Use no salt diced tomatoes, use low sodium broth, and increase the spices to taste.
- Want a different meat? Try cubed lamb, diced ham, or chorizo sausage in the lentil and sausage stew.
Expert Tips
- What are the best lentils? Use brown or green; red is too mushy.
- Want additional flavor? Heat a little olive oil in the soup pot and saute the kielbasa for 4 minutes by itself before cooking the veggies.
- Need to use a slow cooker? Saute sausage and veggies first, then add everything to the slow cooker. Cook on low 7 to 8 hours.
- Want this for a freezer meal? Freeze everything uncooked for the lentil and sausage stew, except the broth, for up to 2 months. Thaw in fridge or under hot water, then cook on the stovetop or in the crock pot.
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Recipe
Lentil and Sausage Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ¼ cup onion, chopped
- 1 cup carrots, chopped (3 medium carrots)
- 1 cup celery, chopped (3 medium stalks)
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 cups beef broth
- 14 ounces kielbasa sausage, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup green or brown lentils
- 28 ounces canned petite diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Equipment
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions
- Heat up the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat for 2 minutes, then add the cut up sausage and brown for 4 minutes. Remove from the pot and set it aside in another bowl.
- Saute the onion, carrots, and celery for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the dried spices and let them bloom for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the beef broth, rinsed lentils, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaf. Stir until well combined.
- Cover and bring the soup mixture to a boil, roughly 6 minutes, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring once. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Add browned sausage. Cover and simmer for another 15 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh parsley, lemon juice or slices, Greek yogurt, a drizzle of olive oil or a splash of red wine vinegar. Serve hot.
Crock Pot Instructions
- Follow steps 1 to 3 under the stovetop instructions. These steps add a lot more flavor to the stew.
- Dump everything in the crock pot and stir. Cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
- During the last 30 minutes, taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
- Garnish with fresh parsley, Parmesan cheese shards, Greek yogurt, or a drizzle of olive oil. If you want your lentil stew to be a bit tangy, add a splash of red wine vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice at the very end of cooking.
Freezer Meal Instructions
- Do all the prep work. Cut up the vegetables and the kielbasa sausage, then measure out the dried spices into a sandwich bag.
- Place all the uncooked ingredients, except the broth, in a freezer friendly container. Label with the date it the day it was assembled. If you want, tape the crock pot instructions to the plastic lid, or note it was from Savor the Flavour to look at the recipe on your smart phone or tablet.
- Freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to use, thaw overnight in the fridge or sit in a 9x13-inch pan filled with hot water. This should loosen the uncooked ingredients from the container.
- Follow the instructions for making on the stovetop or in the crock pot and add in the beef broth.
Notes
- Use brown or green lentils; red is too mushy.
- Heat a little olive oil in the soup pot and saute the sausage for 4 minutes by itself before cooking the veggies for additional flavor.
- If you need to use a slow cooker, saute the sausage and veggies first, then add everything to the slow cooker. Cook on low 7 to 8 hours.
- To make a freezer meal, freeze everything uncooked, except the broth, for up to 2 months. Thaw in fridge or under hot water, then cook on the stovetop or in the crock pot for a great tasting meal.
Nutrition
This lentil and sausage stew recipe was originally published on October 19, 2017 and was updated with new photos and information on October 17, 2019 and on September 2, 2022.
Alex
The overall taste of this stew is warm and spicy. I love the sausage in it! The lentils are plentiful and delicious. The blend of vegetables adds color. I like the flavor of this stew on the second day as leftovers, too.
Emma
I agree, Alex! It's hard to wait for this stew to finish cooking! You can't go wrong with amazing leftovers, either. Thanks for your kind comment, Alex!
Beth
This hearty vegetable stew has some nice spice from the cayenne. I like the lentils and sausage especially. It's a great stew to warm up up.
Emma
This stew definitely has some kick--but I like it that way. 😊 I'm glad you enjoyed it too!