As promised via Instagram, here’s the recipe for this soul-warming stew. Lentils are one of the cheapest sources of protein and iron, and have a magnificent way of adding a velvety texture to soups and stews.

This lovely #turmeric spiked lentil sausage stew will warm your soul. And, it’s packed with veggies 🌱kale, carrots and delicata squash. Recipe coming to the blog soon 👍 #lentils #nourishyourself #f52grams #buzzfeed #feedfeed #stew

A photo posted by Ashley Galloway MS, RD (@thefreshbeet) on Dec 6, 2023 at 11:29am PST

Use split lentils (which cook in less than 15 minutes) and pre-cooked sausages to throw this stew together in a snap. Anything that reduces cooking time during my busy week is A-OK with me. I like to start soups and stews with a flavorful mirepoix - chopped or diced onion, carrot and celery. It’s such a simple base but adds amazing flavor and aromas to these dishes.

Sausage Lentil Stew

Serves ~6

What you Need

1.5 cup onion, chopped

1 cup carrots, sliced

1 cup celery, sliced

1 TBS olive oil

1 delicata squash, seeded and chopped (leave skin on)

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1.5 cups dry split lentils

2 teaspoons chicken base (I like Better than Bouillon)

4 cups water (plus more depending on how soupy you want it)

5 fully cooked chicken sausages, sliced (I used Aidells)

3 generous handfulls of kale

salt and pepper

2 teaspoons Turmeric

What to Do

1. Heat oil in a 4-qt pot or larger. When hot, add onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Stir frequently so not to burn and cook until onions are translucent. Season with a couple pinches of salt and pepper during this process.
2. Add squash and cook a few minutes longer, stirring frequently.
3. Add water and chicken base, and bring to a boil.
4. Turn heat down to medium and simmer. Add lentils, sausage, kale and turmeric. Season with a little more salt and pepper to taste.
5. Stew is done once lentils are cooked and kale is a bit wilted. If you like a more liquid stew, add more water and another pinch of salt and turmeric.

Nutrition per 1.5 cup serving: 210 calories, 9g fat, 3g saturated fat, 419 mg sodium, 528mg potassium, 22g carbohydrate, 7g fiber, 2g sugar, 15g protein.

Check this -> 229% of your DV for vitamin A! WHAT?! Not sure what’s so great about vitamin A? Read my latest post on this powerhouse of a vitamin here.

This stew is also an excellent source (excellent meaning it has greater than 20% of your DV) of Folate, and provides over 10% of your DV for iron. Not too shabby eh? And it’s delicious.

Enjoy 🙂