Lentil Stew w/ Mustard Greens and Sausage

Hanging out in the kitchen, my typical Sunday around here. I'm waiting for my mushroom, leek, and fontina frittata and some coconut macaroons to finish up in the oven when I realized I hadn't posted this delicious recipe from a few weeks ago. 

I got the recipe for this lentil stew with mustard greens and sausage from Real Simple's February 2013 magazine. In my opinion, Real Simple recipes can be hit or miss, and this one was definitely a HIT! Boyfriend love it and asked for more.


Here's what you'll need:

1 T olive oil
**3/4 lb Italian sausage links, casings removed
2 med. onions chopped
**2 cloves garlic, chopped
6 C. low sodium chicken broth
6 C stemmed and torn mustard greens or kale
1 lb sweet potatoes (about 2) peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 C dried lentils
salt and pepper

**I used chicken sausage links from Trader Joe's and slipped them out of the casings with a little knife slide down the side.  I used Trader Joe's frozen chopped garlic cubes, a great way to save time if you know you'll be sauteing or heating the garlic up enough for the cube to melt.

Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned, 8-10 minutes. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until more fragrant, about 1 more minute

Add broth, mustard greens, sweet potatoes, lentils, 1/2 ts; salt and 1/4 tsp pepper to the pot. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer partially covered until the lentils and sweet potatoes are tender, 30-35 minutes.

This recipe is a little high-calorie, so watch those serving sizes. And you can substitute a less fattening chicken or turkey sausage, like I did. You can also skim the fat (looks like foam) off the top of the stew as it cooks to remove some fat. And watch how much salt you add to the stew.  BUT you're getting a lot of fiber from those lentils!

Calories 508
Fat 17g
Sat Fat 5g
Cholesterol 32mg
Sodium 1,003mg 
Protein 33g
Carbohydrate 56g
Sugar 12g
Fiber 14g
Iron 8mg
Calcium 251mg