Friday, October 5, 2018

Black Lentil Stew with Sausage & Kale – Dark Food for Dark Days

There’s nothing like a big, steaming bowl of comfort food to make everything seem all right, and this dark, but delightful black lentil stew with sausage and kale is no exception. Whether you’re battling a lack of sunlight, or troubles at work, or you’re a NY Giants fan, a dish like this can do wonders to brighten your mood. 

Sausage and lentils is a marriage made in heaven, and so good together, that not even kale can ruin it. I’m kidding, and actually love kale, but if you’re not the biggest fan in the world, maybe try it one more time in this. As long as you cook the greens until they get nice and tender, you’ll be surprised how sweet, and mild they become.

In case that’s asking too much, spinach, and/or other vegetables will also work here, as these types of recipes are a perfect catch-all for seasonal produce. You people with neighbors who grow zucchini should pay especially close attention to that last part. Regardless of what you add, or don’t, I really do hope you give this black lentil stew a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 4 large portions:
2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, large dice
1 large carrot, cubed
1 rib celery, cubed
12 ounces smoked garlic sausage, or any kind of sausage (cook fresh sausage first, and then slice)
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups black lentils
6 cups chicken broth
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
2 bunches (about 12 ounces by weight) kale or other leafy dark greens, chopped, washed
1 large diced tomato, optional
sour cream and cayenne to garnish

20 comments:

Unknown said...

Got some homemade broth simmering away right now, making this tonight.

Unknown said...

Dear Chef John, did anyone really ask for this as a food wish???

Gary Reed said...

With fall coming, I'll have to try this one. However, I will try a "Lighter" lentil just to up the 'Date-ability' (LOL) of the dish.

Unknown said...

Yummy. Great idea as I had things I needed to use from my CSA box. I'm making it now, but used polish sausage, green lentils, mustard greens and sorrel so I added garlic, a pepper, chorizo seasoning and paprika. Tastes good and smells amazing

Himself said...

Excellent just as you suggest. Thank you Chef John

Unknown said...

This turned out awesome!

Unknown said...

Hey Chef John,
I'm a starving uni student that just made a whole bunch of this and I gotta say it's absolutely delicious and so wholesome!
Thank you so much for the recipe.

tino said...

fyi - Made this with red lentils and they turned to mush! I overcooked them apparently.

TickleBelly said...

This was unreal. I wasn't a fan of the low quality available everywhere andouli I could find in my area, tasted like kielbasa. I ways have some Italian sausage in the freezer from the market, I'll be going that route next time.

Decided to throw in some parsnip and zucchini, and while the zucchini was good...I'd borderline argue parsnip should be a mandatory ingredient in this one. Added so much to the dish. But maybe that's just be me, being the you of how I do stew.

Unknown said...

This shit is good. I made it last night. It was very easy. I added some potatoes we had laying around doing nothing good. It was delicious.

Unknown said...

Chef John! Can you do a recipe for Chicken or Beef Empanadas?? I feel like you would make a killer recipe.

saldeniv said...

I don't like kale, but since I trust your recipes I tried this stew. AND I loved it! I'm eating 3rd day left overs as I type,(carefully avoiding dripping on the keyboard). I shared the recipe with a friend and she said the stew was also delicious with brown lentils, turkey sausage, and spinach.

Gemfyre said...

Would Puy lentils work instead of black lentils?

arbpen said...

For anyone having difficulty finding black lentils, the Sadaf company has them. Try Mediterranean stores that usually carry Sadaf products.

arbpen said...

I was a little worried that my son would turn up his nose at black lentils. He kept on saying how good it smelled while it was cooking, and when he saw it, in the new soup tureen I bought specifically for this, he said, "I'll try it after you do." I did and proclaimed it wonderful. He dug in and ate a huge bowl, loved it.

By the way, anyone reading this message, if you are having a hard time finding the black lentils, try a Mediterranean store that carries Sadaf products. They won't price gouge you like some other stores or online will.

Thank you, Chef John, this is definitely a keeper.

Unknown said...

can i use vegan sausage in this? do you guys think it'll work out in this recipe?

Unknown said...

I used collard greens and it was fabulous.

Milos said...

Just made a huge batch of this - tastes great! Just wondering if anyone knows whether or not I might be able to freeze something like this?

Actually, what is it about a given soup/stew that makes it good for freezing or bad for freezing?

Unknown said...

Fantastic. Had it after a long hard day at work and cold dreary weather. Better now. My son who will not eat lentils or kale devoured it. This is now a family tradition.

tblackshaw said...

Definitely doesn't need the sour cream at the end... or maybe that's my more Australian (and less refined?) taste?