Hearty Lentils with Sausage

This is one of my favorite fall/winter dishes. I love lentils and they pair wonderfully with sausage! The idea for this recipe came from a cookbook called Easy Meals on a Budget. Yet again, I've changed and added a few things to make it a little more exciting!

No one complains when I say we are having lentils for dinner! I used canned lentils in this dish to make it go together quicker. You could substitute dried, but the dish will take a bit longer to prepare, and with two young kids in my house- the quicker the better!! I have also used red lentils in this dish in place of the brown, which also was delicious, but had a much more "mushy" consistency.

Hearty Lentils with Sausage

-serves 4 as a main dish-

1/2 Lb. Sausage, can be bulk, or links cut into rounds

(I used 3 Brat-sized links cut into rounds)

4 Slices thick cut Bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 15 oz. cans of lentils, drained

1/2 cup chopped Onion

1 minced Shallot

1/2 cup- 3/4 cup chopped Carrots

1 1/2 Cups Beef Broth

2 cloves of Garlic minced

1/2 tsp. Smoked Paprika

1 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar

3 Tbsp. Tomato Paste

3/4 tsp. dried Thyme

In a large pot, cook your sausage and bacon. (Sometimes I'll crisp the bacon in the microwave and add it when I'm adding the lentils, it gives it a bit of a crunch that way.) Remove to a plate to drain on a paper towel.

In the same pot, melt a tablespoon of butter and a swirl of olive oil over medium low heat. Add your onions and carrots and seat until your onions are translucent. Add your garlic and shallot and saute for about a minute longer. Add your tomato paste and beef stock. Stir until well combined. Start adding the rest of your ingredients, drained lentils, red wine vinegar, smoked paprika, and thyme. Mix in your bacon and sausage. Move the heat up to medium and heat until lentils are heated through, and the sauce has thickened to your liking. Salt and Pepper to taste. If needed, you can always add a tad more tomato paste to thicken, or more beef stock to loosen!

I usually serve this with crusty bread for a great hearty meal.

Indian- Inspired Crock Pot Beef Stew

The past couple of weeks have been so busy and crazy I really didn't get time to cook anything really exciting, let alone blog about it... hopefully things will calm down now and I can get back into the swing of things.... Today I was in Kalamazoo all afternoon for an appointment, and wasn't home to make dinner, so yesterday I prepared this Indian Curry Stew, and all I had to do was pop it in the crock pot all day to simmer while I was gone. This is one I made up on the spot.... the ingredients are not all traditional to Indian Food, but I was going for an Indian- inspired Beef Stew.

Indian Beef Curry Stew

2 Lbs. Round Steak, cubed (or 2 Lbs beef stew meat)
3 medium Carrots, sliced thickly
2 medium Potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
1 medium Onion, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tsp. Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp. Smoked Paprika
1 tsp. Tumeric
2 Tbsp. Curry Powder
1 1/2 Tbsp Garam Masala
2 crushed Bay Leaves
1 1/2 inch piece Ginger, minced (I used the microplane)
pinch Cayenne Pepper
1 Tbsp. Minced Onion
1 1/2 Tbsp. Red Curry Paste
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Cinnamon Stick
15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice


1. Place the carrot, potato, and onion in the crockpot first, then top with the beef.
2. Mix the garlic, cumin, paprika, tumeric, curry powder, garam masala, bay leaves, ginger, cayenne, minced onion, and red curry powder together. Add the tomato sauce and water, mix to combine, then pour over the beef.
3. Cover and set to low, and simmer all day (7-9 hrs.) Add the lemon juice during the last half hour.
4. Serve over rice if desired.


It was a hectic day the day we ate this, and I totally forgot to take a picture. I would definitely use Beef Stew Meat next time, as the Round Steak did not have the consistency I desired. It was tasty though!

Crock Pot Brunswick Stew- Kristin Style

We like Brunswick Stew- there is a BBQ restaurant here called Smokey Bones that makes a good one with bits of all their smoked meats. After reading a lot of different recipes, I've come up with my own..... not as traditional with okra and lima beans, or lots of smoked meats... and have cooked it in the crockpot. I tend to do this a lot when working with my crockpot nowadays (just throw some stuff in there and call it something clever!) Here is my version:

K-Style Brunswick Stew (in the Crock Pot)

5 slices Bacon, crisped and chopped
1 Cup Cubed Ham (I may use a ham shank next time)
1 Lb. Chicken Breast, cut into small pieces
1 medium size Onion, finely chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
2 Carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalks of Celery, finely chopped
3-4 smallish Red Potatoes, cubed
1 can Corn, with liquid (will use creamed corn next time)
1 15 oz. can Stewed Tomatoes
8 oz. Tomato Sauce
2 Cups Chicken Broth
3 Tbs. BBQ Spice Rub
1 Tsp. Worcestshire Sauce
4-5 drops Tabasco Sauce
1 Tbsp. Yellow Mustard
3-4 Tbsp. BBQ Sauce
1 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Oregano
1/2 Tsp. Sage
2 Bay Leaves
Fresh Ground Pepper

Throw everything in the Pot, cook on high for a couple of hours, then low until ready to serve (about 8 hrs total) Beware: when throwing things in the pot- it tends to make a lot!! But when I crockpot I like to make enough for a couple of meals. I love the way the house smells all day!

Meat Sauce and what to do with it!

This recipe is for an "all purpose meat sauce" that can be used in several different recipes. or as taco filling, filling on baked potatoes, sloppy joes, etc. It is from the Feb '09 issue of Rachael Ray magazine. I will be using it in 2 of her recipes included in the issue, and then freezing some because it made so much! I did change a couple of things...

Meat Sauce

1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 Cup chopped Pancetta (I used about a 1/3 lb package of pre-sliced and chopped it up)
1 Onion, chopped
2 Carrots, finely chopped
2 Ribs Celery, finely chopped
3 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 Shallot, chopped
2 Lbs. Ground Beef
1/2 Cup Dry Red Wine
28 oz. Tomato Puree (or sauce)
Salt and Pepper


1. Heat the olive oil over med-low heat and add pancetta and cooked until fat is rendered. (about 5 minutes) increase heat to medium, add onion, carrot, celery, and shallot, and cook stirring occasionally until softened about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for a couple more minutes.
(she had you add the beef to the vegetables to cook it, but i decided to take the vegetables out and set them aside, cook the beef, and then add the vegetables back in.)
2. So cook the beef either way. stir in the wine and cook until the liquid is cooked off, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce , 1 cup of water, and season with salt and pepper, bring to a simmer. partially cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for the last 30 minutes, until thickened, about 2 hours. season with more salt and pepper if needed.

We really liked the sauce, I just need to remember to half her recipes for my family!

That night i used the meat sauce to make her white bean stew- very good. I did adjust the portions a bit, so I will write my version of the recipe!


White Bean Stew
4 medium sized red potatoes, cut into bite size chunks
4 small bratwurst
1 15 oz can great northern beans
2 cups meat sauce
1 cup chicken broth
3 tsp herbes de provence
salt and pepper

bring the potatoes to a boil in a pot with enough water to cover them by an inch, lower heat and simmer for about 15 minutes (until fork tender) drain. My brats were not cooked so i boiled them for about 10 minutes, and then cut them into rounds, and then browned them. In the same pot, add all ingredients, and bring to a simmer, cooking until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.

This is the second recipe i will be using the meat sauce for, i thought i should add it to the same post, and will be making it tonight:

Beef and Feta Pasta Bake

1 lb cavatappi or elbow pasta (i'm using a vegetable rotini, and the box is only 12 oz)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbs flour
2 cups milk heated
3/4 lb feta
3 cups meat sauce
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350
Cook pasta until al dente, drain.
in a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat, whisk in flour for 2 min. increase heat to medium, whisk in hot milk and cook whisking until thickened about 5 minutes. Stir in feta.
In a large bowl, combine meat sauce, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, and half the pasta. In another bowl stir remaining pasta with feta sauce. transfer meaty pasta to a 9 by 13 baking dish, and top with feta pasta. bake until golden about 30 minutes.

This seems like a take on lasagna....but sounded good to all of us!