Weight Watchers Recipe of the Day: One-Pot Lentils, Sausage & Kale
If you're looking for an easy, healthy and delicious one-dish skillet meal that is deeply satisfying, you may want to give this recipe a go.
Skillet Lentils with Sausage and Kale
I tore it from an old (2008) issue of Eating Well, and finally got around to trying it this week. (I rip way too many recipes out of magazines with the best intentions of making them, but most of them get tossed, untried, after languishing in my files for way too long.)
The recipe suggested using french green lentils (Puy) in this dish, because they are smaller, cook faster and keep their shape better. I never see them in the places I routinely shop and rarely think to look for them when I'm in fancier, better stocked market.
I used plain brown lentils with great results.
Keep in mind that this is not one of those quick easy dinner recipes that let's you have your meal on the table in 15 minutes or less, because the lentils take a while (about 40 minutes) to cook.
You probably could lessen the time requirement considerably by using a pressure cooker, something my sister highly encourages. I bought one years ago, but have yet to use it.
Most of the cooking time requires very little work - just the occasional stir of the skillet - which is the kind of simple easy healthy recipe I like best.
I was surprised by how much we all enjoyed this meal. Could it have been the generous amount of sausage in it?
Both Rod and Mac thought it was good and had seconds, which is the highest form of praise for a home cook who enjoys cooking to please. I guess real men do eat sausage, lentils and kale!
Recipe Notes
I used plain brown lentils, Aidell's spicy mango and jalapeno cooked chicken sausage and merlot, for the dry red wine, with good results.
You may need to add a little more water to the lentils if they get too dry during cooking. I added about ½ cup more by the time the dish was done.
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Skillet Meal?
According to my calculations, each 1 cup serving has about 333 calories and:
7 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
5 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
5 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
7 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
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Lentils, Sausage and Kale Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon, olive oil
- 1 package (12 ounces) cooked chicken sausage
- 1 large onion, sliced thinly
- 2 tablespoons crushed garlic
- A pinch of red pepper flakes, or more to taste
- 2-½ cups water
- 1-½ cups dry red wine
- 1 cup lentils, preferably French green, picked through and rinsed
- 12 cups chopped kale leaves, tough stems/ribs removed
- 1 teaspoon fresh sage
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place a large skillet (affiliate link) over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. Add the sausages and cook them until they are browned on all around. This should take about 5 minutes. Transfer them to a clean cutting board (affiliate link).
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet along with the onion. Cook over medium heat, until the onion is browned, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and crushed pepper and stir it around in the pan for about 15 seconds. Then add the water and wine and increase the heat to high to bring it to a boil, scrape up any browned bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the lentils and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Partially cover the pan with the lid and let them cook until they are almost tender, stirring them every once in a while and adding a little more water if they begin to look dry. (This should take about 35 minutes.)
- Add the chopped kale, sage and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils and kale are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Slice the sausages and add them to the skillet, along with freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Cover and cook until the sausage slices are heated through, 2 to 3 minutes more.
Equipment
Recipe Notes
Source: Eating Well
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
More Weight Watchers Friendly Meals You Might Also Like:
- Slow Cooker Lentil Sausage Stew
- Italian Lentil and Beef Slow Cooker Stew
- Weight Watchers Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage and Kale
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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Carol Brown
Hi Martha! I am new to WW and on the Blue Plan. I am not familiar with "PointsPlus"...I understand that the Freestyle is the previous WW program. How do I calculate those points to Blue and what does PointsPlus mean?
Thanks and regards,
Carol
Martha McKinnon
Hi Carol, WW Freestyle SmartPoints are the same as myWW Blue Plan. PointsPlus is an old WW Plan from before Freestyle. Hope this helps. ~Martha