WW Recipe of the Day: Slow Cooker Lentil Sausage Stew
This slow cooker lentil stew with sausage is a winner. Simple to make. Deliciously hearty and satisfying to eat. It makes a perfect quick and easy meal that will warm you and your family up from the inside out!
Slow Cooker Lentil & Sausage Stew
The Skinny on Slow Cooker Lentil Sausage Stew
You just toss everything together in your slow cooker and let it cook on LOW for 8 hours, or on HIGH for about 4 hours. (You can also simmer it on the stovetop for about 2 hours, if you prefer.)
I knew I wanted to try it as soon as I saw the recipe for this slow cooker lentil stew with sausage in the October/November issue of Healthy Cooking—My favorite healthy cooking magazine at the moment—where it was one of the recipes featured in their "Healthy Slow Cooker" contest.
I think one of the keys to being able to stick with your weight loss plan is finding recipes that you and your whole family can enjoy.
Eating something different from the rest of the family is a no starter for me. It makes getting dinner on the table way too complicated.
This is one of those recipes you can turn to again and again all winter long.
How Many Calories/ WW Points in this Slow Cooker Lentil and Sausage Stew?
Each 1-½ cup serving has only 231 calories and:
4 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
2 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
2 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
5 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
Serve it with cornbread or muffins or crusty bread for a satisfying meal in a bowl.
Slow Cooker Sausage Stew Recipe Variations
This is the kind of recipe you can modify to suit your tastes and what you have available.
When I made it yesterday, I used a can of whole tomatoes and gave them a quick chop in my little food processor (affiliate link) until they were more like diced.
I also used Aidell's Italian Style Chicken Sausage, since they were in the fridge.
Next time I'll use some with a little more spice.
I increased the celery and carrots from 1 to 2, since I always think more is better when it comes to vegetables.
If you don't have fresh garlic, use garlic powder instead. I also like to keep a jar of chopped garlic in the fridge for those days I'm feeling especially lazy.
Enjoy!
Are You Ready To Slow Cook Yourself Slim?
If you've made this Chicken Sausage & Lentil Stew, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Slow Cooker Lentil Stew with Chicken Sausage
Ingredients
- 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
- 3 fully cooked spicy chicken sausage links (3 ounces each) cut into ½-inch slices or half moons
- 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
- 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
Instructions
- In a 4- or 5-quart slow cooker, combine all the ingredients.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours until lentils are tender.
Recipe Notes
Source: Healthy Cooking Magazine
*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.
This brief video (inspired by Carrabba's Italian Grill Sausage & Lentil Soup) shows another way to make crock pot sausage and lentil stew:If you like slow cooker lentil sausage stew, you might also like:
- Italian Beef and Lentil Slow Cooker Stew
- Weight Watchers Lentil Swiss Chard Soup (Simply Filling)
- Lentils, 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!
Subscribe to Get: Top 10 Reader Favorite Recipes
The Top 10 Most Popular Recipes (PDF) on Simple Nourished Living + Weekly Support Emails with Tips & Easy Healthy Recipes Not Found Anywhere Else!
araucano
Hello and many thanks for your recipes,I love lentils and new recipes are always welcome,as well as the wonderful veggies!
Barbara
When I did this in the slow cooker following the directions as written, my lentils were not fully cooked at all. I googled cooking lentils and found several sites that said adding acid (such as tomatoes) and/or salt at the start of cooking can cause this. So today, I did it on the stove top, starting with just the lentils and broth; when the lentils were starting to get tender, I added everything else. It seems much better. Wondered if you have this experience! I would love to use the slow cooker instead as I don't often have the time it took on the stove.
Martha McKinnon
Hi Barbara, no I haven't had this problem, but there are so many variables - temperature at which your slow cooker cooks (some are hotter than others), age of the lentils (older ones can take longer to cook) etc. One alternative is to just continue cooking them in the slow cooker until done. Another would be to cook them in the slow cooker without the tomatoes until they begin to soften then add the tomatoes (like you did on the stovetop). Hope this helps. - Martha
araucano
Hello:
As always many,many thanks for publishing such healthy recipes,lentils,one of my favorites grains.I'd like to post a question about portions,I'd like to loose a few lbs and I'd like information about it.............can you help?araucano.
JAckie
Would this work in an Instant Pot?
Dorothy
I'm wondering the same thing.
Blair
This is a definite winner! My boyfriend was raving about it. I didn't have thyme so I swapped for miss dash's garlic and herb seasoning, same amount. Will definitely make again
Dee
I always cook lentils in slow cooker . I add tomatoes , ginger, garlic , onion and spices . To 1.5 lentils I add 4.5 to 5 cups boiling water . Generally lentils are done in 5 to 5.5 hours .
Meesh
YUM! that sounds simply delicious ?
Diane Sontag
This looks so easy and good. What type of lentils do you recommend?
Brown or red?
Martha McKinnon
I used brown lentils in this stew, but feel free to experiment.
Michele Maatta
Plain & simple this soup/stew is as delicious as it is easy. Lentils are my true love in legumes ( they are legumes, aren’t they?) ??
Jo
I made it with tomato sauce instead of plum tomatoes very tasty
Gen
Followed menu closely except had a pound of mushrooms in the refrigerator and added after sautéing. Added oregano to the thyme and 1/8 tsp of hot pepper. I left the sausages whole as I was afraid they would dry out and cut them
when dish was done. Oh yes, I used stewed tomatoes as that's all I had. Added
a tsp of lemon at end. Great recipe. Thank you.
Debbie Grantner
Delicious!! The best part is that it’s so easy to make and a delight to eat!! My family loved it!, THANKS ?
Pam Taylor
Love this recipe! Sometimes I add oregano along with the thyme. OR I sub a tsp of Creole seasoning instead of the thyme. It's great both ways. We serve this over 1/3 c cooked rice in the bottom of the bowl. Vinegar based slaw on the side is yummy. Thank you for your wonderful recipes!
Peggy
Delicious ! Whole family enjoyed. Thank you!
Paula Bettis
This has the best taste! I will definitely make this again!
Peggy
Very tasty. Ive never cooked lentils before but will definitely try this again. My lentils did not cook well, probably because they were old.
Maryanne V.
I love this recipe. Made it for New Years Day. I added half a green pepper and some green chilies that were leftover from the day before. Hearty and filling and healthy. Will make often.
Martha McKinnon
So happy you liked in Maryanne. Love the idea of adding bell pepper and green chilies for a little kick!
Linda Y
This Lentil and sausage stew was delicious. I used turkey kielbasa because my husband likes it better than chicken sausage. I'm a big lover of lentils so I was happy. Thank you for this addition to my menu rotation.
Jane Ritchuk
made this last night so the whole house smelled lovely all night long. Can hardly wait until lunch to try it! might need more salt.