Go Back
–+ servings
Lentil & Sausage Stew is a fast and easy soup bursting with flavor and chock full of good-for-you vegetables! Plus it freezes well for later. BudgetBytes.com
Print Recipe Add to Collection
4.85 from 83 votes

Lentil and Sausage Stew

Lentil and Sausage Stew is a fast and easy soup bursting with flavor and chock full of good-for-you vegetables! Plus it freezes well for later.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Total Cost: $7.11 recipe / $0.88 serving
Servings: 8 about 1.5 cups each
Calories: 310kcal
Author: Beth Moncel

Ingredients

  • ½ lb. Italian sausage $1.93
  • 1 yellow onion $0.70
  • 3 carrots $0.30
  • 4 ribs celery $0.45
  • 2 garlic cloves $0.08
  • 2 cups brown lentils uncooked, $1.18*
  • 6 cups chicken broth $0.78**
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper $0.05
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika $0.10
  • 1 tsp ground cumin $0.10
  • 1 tsp dried oregano $0.10
  • 10 oz. frozen spinach $1.34***

Instructions

  • Brown the sausage in a large pot over medium heat, breaking it up into pieces as it cooks.
  • While the sausage is cooking, prepare your vegetables: wash, peel and slice the carrots, slice the celery, dice the onion, and mince the garlic. Once the sausage is cooked, add the vegetables to the pot and continue to sauté until the onions are soft and transparent (about 5 min).
  • Add the lentils to the pot along with the cayenne, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, and chicken broth.
  • Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow it to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Add more water if it gets too dry. 
  • Stir in the frozen spinach and cook for about 15 minutes more. Serve with a thick slice of crusty bread!

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*The cook time in this recipe is perfect for unsoaked, dried brown lentils. You can try swapping in red lentils, but they cook and break down much quicker than brown lentils. Cook red lentils for about 5 minutes less and keep an eye on them so they don't become too mushy.
**I use Better Than Bouillon to make my broth.
***Fresh spinach also works great in this recipe. Simply add about 8 oz. fresh baby spinach to the pot after everything is done cooking and stir until the spinach wilts into the broth.

Nutrition

Serving: 1.5Cups | Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 10g | Sodium: 923mg | Fiber: 17g