Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE TO EAT! Since I love to eat and wish to eat a lot... I do try to make the most out of what I eat. That is, I try to eat healthy, so I get the most out of each calorie. I wouldn't say this recipe is the healthiest(due to the pork fat), but it is delicious! My husband and I loved it and are adding it to our regular menu list. I followed the exact recipe this time around and thoroughly enjoyed it, but next time I am going to change things up a bit and healthy it up even more. In the original recipe, Hot Italian Pork Sausage is called for... which was amazing! But ideally I'd like my fat intake in this recipe to be a little lower. So next time I am going to buy a spicy turkey or chicken sausage, rather than pork. I am also going to try the recipe with low-fat or fat-free chicken broth or even vegetable broth, I really don't think it will affect the flavor all that much. The rest is great for you: carrots, portabella mushrooms, potatoes, fire roasted tomatoes, lentils (a great source of iron, fiber and protein) and KALE(can we say Cancer Fighting Properties!!!)! I don't know about you, but this is one leafy green I don't get very much of and I am short on recipes for, so I was thrilled to squeeze this great whole food into my diet. I will say this recipe did not go over well with my kiddos it was just too spicy for them. I could change it next time and cook it with a mild sausage and even turkey burger. But this is one of those dinners where I bend the rules a bit and play short order cook and make my kids something just for them, so we can have the spice! It's a win-win! Try it, you'll love it and the left-overs are even tastier! I am sure it would freeze well too. My kind of dish!
Hungarian Hot Sausage and Lentil Stoup
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Serves:4 servings
•2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
•1 1/2 pounds bulk hot Italian sausage
•3 cloves garlic, chopped
•1 medium onion, chopped
•2 portabella mushrooms, gills scraped out, chopped
•1 cup pre-shredded carrots, available in sacks in produce department of the market
•1 cup lentils
•1 large starchy potato, peeled and chopped
•Salt and pepper
•1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
•2 teaspoons smoked paprika (or substitute a mix of 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon sweet paprika and 2 pinches cayenne pepper)
•3 sprigs fresh rosemary, in tact on stems
•1 (14-ounce) can fire roasted chopped tomatoes, such as Muir Glenn or, regular diced tomatoes
•6 cups chicken stock
•4 cups kale or chard, a small bunch, veins removed and chopped
Heat a medium soup pot over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, then add sausage to pot and brown and crumble it, then add garlic, onions and mushrooms. Cook a few minutes, then add carrots, lentils, potato, salt and pepper, bay leaf, paprika or substitute mixture and rosemary (leaves will fall from stems as stoup cooks). Add tomatoes and broth and cover pot then raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Uncover pot and place heat back a bit but keep stoup at a good rolling boil. Cook 15 minutes until lentils and potatoes are tender. Wilt in greens in small bunches, remove rosemary stems and turn off heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Serve in shallow bowls with bread and butter to mop up stoup. Reheat leftovers thinning it with broth or water.
Original Source: Rachael Ray
