Lentils with Italian Sausage
Submitted by the_caveman_
Italian lentils with sausage simmers fresh sausage in broth while earthy lentils cook with sage, soffritto, and tomato paste. A rustic Umbrian-style main or New Year lucky dish.
YIELD
10 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
100 minREADY
120 minLentils with Italian sausage is the classic Italian combination eaten on New Year’s Eve for good luck (the coin-shaped lentils symbolize prosperity). Traditionally from Umbria or Abruzzo, the dish separates the cooking streams for better flavor. Lentils simmer in plain water while sausages poach in chicken broth, and the sausage broth (now infused with pork and herbs) gets poured back over the finished lentils for depth without grease.
The soffritto (sauteed onion, celery, carrot, and garlic) is built separately in olive oil and folded in at the end. This layered approach keeps each component tasting clean and specific instead of muddy-stewy. Fresh sage is non-negotiable. Dried sage just doesn’t have the same peppery, piney lift that makes this dish sing. A touch of tomato paste adds color and umami without turning it into a tomato stew.
Chef Tips
- Pierce the sausages before poaching. This lets fat render out into the broth for flavor while preventing the casings from bursting.
- Skim the foam from the sausage broth as it rises. This keeps the broth clean and refined for later use with the lentils.
- Cook lentils to “not quite done” before draining. They finish absorbing flavor from the sausage broth and soffritto in the final combine.
- Use French green (du Puy) or brown lentils. Red or split lentils disintegrate into mush and ruin the rustic texture.
Variations
- Swap Italian sausage for cotechino, a traditional fatty Italian sausage used in the classic New Year’s preparation.
- Add a Parmesan rind to the lentil pot while simmering for extra umami depth.
- Finish with a drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil and a dusting of grated Parmesan just before serving.
Ingredients
Directions
Clean lentils well by soaking them briefly and changing the water at least once.
Put them in a 2½ quart saucepan, add cold water to cover, and bring to a boil.
Lower heat to simmer and cook until not quite done, about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, pierce sausages in several places, and then put them in a small saucepan.
Add enough chicken broth to cover, and place over medium heat.
Bring to a gentle boil, and simmer for about 40 minutes.
From time to time, skim off and discard foam and fat that rise to the top.
When sausages are done, remove the pot from the heat and let them sit in the broth while you finish the lentils.
Warm the oil in a medium skillet, and sauté the onion, celery, carrot, garlic and sage in the olive oil over medium heat until the onion is translucent and the vegetables are done.
Drain the lentils, saving their liquid.
To the lentil pot, add the vegetables, season with salt and pepper, and add tomato paste.
Mix gently using a wooden spoon.
Add ¾ cup of the broth in which you cooked the sausages.
Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
To serve, slice the sausages and arrange them on a platter next to the warm lentils.
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