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This Sausage and Lentils recipe is anything but ordinary. Smoky grilled beef kielbasa is served over a flavorful black lentil salad studded with sweet golden raisins, fresh greens, and a spicy, lemony dressing. Finished with cool, tangy goat cheese, this is a protein-packed dinner that’s hearty, satisfying, and bold in flavor.
Years ago, at the beginning of my career, I got a masterclass in cooking lentils. I was interning at America’s Test Kitchen and working with the Book Team to develop The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook. Which is to say, I cooked a lot of lentils.
This recipe, which is certainly not vegetarian, is a great example of how versatile lentils can be. I’ve used them in soups, meatballs, veggie patties, and of course salads. They can be served warm or cold, and can be paired with just about any flavor.
My favorite combination is lentils and sausage. (I also make a Sausage and Lentil Soup if you like the combo too.) Earthy, fiber-rich lentils just beg to be served with savory, fatty beef sausage. And my weeknight choice is always beef kielbasa. It’s readily available, savory and wildly juicy.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe For Lentils and Sausage
- Packed with protein and fiber: the combo of lentils and sausage packs major protein. The lentils and greens bring the fiber.
- Bold, balanced flavors: the salad is smoky, sweet, spicy and tangy.
- Easy prep + no-fuss grilling: the lentils get cooked in the water the carrots are par-boiled in. Then the rest of the cooking happens on the grill. Easy!
Ingredients in this Sausage and Lentils Recipe
- Beef Kielbasa: when I’m buying kielbasa I always choose beef. It’s more savory and juicier than other varieties. And it has a great texture.
- Black lentils: also called Beluga lentils, this variety is small, firm in texture and holds up well during cooking.
- Carrots: get a bag of whole carrots, not baby carrots. They get par-boiled and then grilled for crisp-tender texture and charred flavor.
- Chili crisp: this is a spicy condiment made of oil, dried chiles, and aromatics. It adds a punch of heat that really brings this salad together. Don’t skip it!
- Lemon: lemon zest and juice are added to the salad to balance all of the savory flavors.
- Greens: I like to use either watercress or spinach or a combination. You can also use arugula which is more mild in pepperiness than watercress.
- Raisins: golden raisins are my choice here. Currants would also work well.
- Parsley: a bit of fresh parsley brightens everything up.
- Goat cheese: make sure you’re using fresh goat cheese (chevre) and I recommend keeping it in the fridge until right before you crumble it into the salad. The coldness will keep it from melting into the salad too quickly and it will add a contrasting temperature.
How to Make Sausage and Lentils
- Blanch the carrots until they are crisp-tender.
Crisp tender is a term I often use to describe something that is partially cooked until it’s tender enough to easily be cut with a steak knife, but not so soft that it won’t stay stuck on the knife if speared with the end. Think of it as the veggie version of al dente.
- Using a slotted spoon (or spider) transfer the carrot to a bowl and return the water to a boil. Add the lentils and cook until they are al dente.
- Grill the carrots and beef kielbasa over medium heat on a grill, until charred.
- Toss the salad together by combining the lentils, greens, raisins, parsley, oil, lemon zest and juice, chili crisp and carrots. Add the goat cheese and stir just to combine.
- Slice and serve the kielbasa over the salad.
Cooking Lentils Tip
Cook lentils like pasta—not rice. What does that mean? Cook them in a pot of boiling, salted water. This method allows you to monitor the doneness of the lentils more closely, and seasons the lentils.
Storing Kielbasa and Lentils
Store the lentil salad and cooked kielbasa in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
The best way to reheat this recipe is to reheat the kielbasa in a skillet with a splash of oil or butter until sizzling. Transfer those to a plate and add the lentil salad to the skillet and heat over medium-low just until warmed through.
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Sausage and Lentils Recipe
Description
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Ingredients
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 4×1/2-inch sticks
- 1 cup black lentils, picked over
- 1 (12-ounce) beef kielbasa
- 2 cups watercress or roughly chopped spinach
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 tablespoon chili crisp
- 4 ounce cold fresh goat cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Season generously with salt.
- Add 1 pound carrots and cook just until crisp-tender (a steak knife can slide in but can’t slide out), about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or spider, transfer carrot to a bowl and let cool.
- Bring water back to a boil, add 1 cup lentils, and cook over medium-high until al dente, about 15 minutes. Drain lentils using a fine mesh sieve; set aside to cool.
- Heat a gas grill to medium and let preheat for 10–15 minutes. Remove kielbasa from package. Toss carrots with a splash of olive oil and season lightly with salt.
- Place carrots and kielbasa on grill grates and cook until charred, 8–10 minutes; flipping halfway through. Transfer carrots and kielbasas to a plate; let cool slightly.
- Add cooked lentils, 2 cups watercress or spinach, ½ cup raisins, ½ cup parsley, ¼ cup olive oil, zest of 1 lemon, 3 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon chili crisp to a large bowl.
- Cut carrots into ½-inch chunks and add to bowl. Toss everything together to coat then season to taste with salt.
- Crumble 4 ounces goat cheese over salad and lightly toss just to combine.
- Cut grilled kielbasa into ¾-inch thick slices. Divide salad between serving bowls; top with sliced kielbasa and serve with additional chili crisp on the side.
Equipment
Notes
The best way to reheat this recipe is to reheat the kielbasa in a skillet with a splash of oil or butter until sizzling. Transfer those to a plate and add the lentil salad to the skillet and heat over medium-low just until warmed through.
Nutrition
This sponsored post is in partnership with the Iowa Beef Council. As always the thoughts, opinions, recipe, photos and content are all my own.
It says 1 cup of lentils “picked over”. But you don’t explain what picked over means…
Hi Michelle, picked over means sifting through them briefly to make sure there aren’t any small pebbles or rocks. Lentils can sometimes have small pebbles that haven’t been filtered out, so this is just an added layer of precaution.