Lentils and Sausage

Lentils and Sausage

From Rachel Ray's 30-Minute Meals

1 Cup lentils

4 Cups water

1 Fresh bay leaf

1 Small onion, peeled and halved

4 Large cloves garlic, minced

1/4 Cup EVOO

8 Fresh turkey sausages, hot or sweet

1/4 Cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, a generous handful, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Cup cooked kale leaves, chopped

I was home sick watching Food Network one day, when I saw Rachel Ray prepare this dish. Her final product looked delicious, and I thought it would be a brilliant idea for using up the left over lentils in my pantry. In my version, I'm using sweet turkey sausage and kale. This meal really does take 30 minutes (maybe a little less), so it's a healthful yet satisfying weeknight dish.

Cover lentils with water in a pot, add the bay leaf and onion and bring to a boil. Boil lentils 20 to 22 minutes until just tender. In a serving bowl combine combine the garlic and EVOO and let stand for at least 15 minutes.

While the lentils are cooking, place sausages in a small pan with 1/4-inch water and 2 TSP EVOO. Bring water to a boil then reduce heat to medium-high. Let the water simmer away (about 8 minutes), then crisp the casings 3 to 4 minutes more.

Remove bay and onion from lentils. Toss hot lentils with garlic oil, kale and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. I originally wanted to serve with thick slices of sausage, but since it kind of fell apart, I decided to crumble it. It may not be the prettiest dish of them all, but it's still tasty and comforting.