026 / 75 · Use the Small Fridge Well

Sausage and Green Lentil Tomato Pot

3 bowls · Active 15 min · Total 40 min

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Sausages and green lentils simmer in tomato with carrots and thyme, making a filling pot for a cool evening on the road. Canned lentils shorten the cooking time and keep the water requirement modest. Brown the sausages first, then let the sauce finish cooking them gently.

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Sausage and green lentil tomato pot.

A useful one-pot sequence

Whole sausages are easier to brown than tiny pieces and retain their juices while simmering. Turn them until colored, then set aside briefly while the onion and carrot soften. Slice only after cooking if you want smaller pieces for serving. Green lentils hold their shape better than red lentils, which would dissolve and need a different amount of liquid.

Keep the simmer gentle

A covered pot should bubble quietly, not boil so hard that tomato spits around the galley. Stir occasionally and check the base, adding a little water if thickening too fast. Test pork sausages in the center for 160°F/71°C. If using chicken sausages, their target is 165°F/74°C. Serve as soon as ready rather than leaving the pot cooling on the burner while the day’s equipment is packed away.

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil (5 ml)
  • 4 plain pork sausages, about 12 oz total (340 g)
  • 1 medium onion, diced (150 g)
  • 1 large carrot, finely diced (120 g)
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 can chopped tomatoes, 14 oz (400 g)
  • 1/2 cup water (120 ml)
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 can green lentils, 15 oz (425 g), drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Set out

Medium saucepan with lid, Tongs, Instant-read thermometer

Allergens

No major US allergen identified in the base ingredients. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Heat oil in the pot over medium heat. Brown sausages for 5 minutes, turning, then transfer to a plate.
  2. Cook onion and carrot in the pot for 5 minutes. Add garlic for 30 seconds.
  3. Add tomatoes, water, thyme, lentils and pepper. Return sausages, cover and simmer gently for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausages reach 160°F/71°C and carrot is tender.
  4. Slice sausages into thick pieces if desired, return to the sauce and serve. Taste before adding salt.

Buy a useful pack size

Four sausages serve three in this lentil-rich dish. If buying a larger pack, refrigerate or freeze the unused raw sausages immediately according to their label rather than carrying them loose in the cooler.

A useful detail

Sausages vary in salt and allergens; check their label before seasoning or serving to someone with dietary requirements.

Another way

  • Use chicken sausages and cook to 165°F/74°C.
  • Add 2 handfuls spinach (60 g) for the final 2 minutes.

Keep it well

Refrigerate shallow portions within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C, at 40°F/4°C or below for up to 3 days. Reheat to 165°F/74°C. Freeze for up to 2 months if a reliable freezer is available.