Crockpot Meals: Andouille & Lentil Stew
January 3, 2008 by Marye Audet
Filed under Main Course
*This can be a Once A Month Cooking (OAMC )Recipe
On New Years we traditionally have black-eyed peas but this year I found at the last minute that I didn’t have them and substituted lentils.
Wow, I was pleasantly surprised! The lentils gave the stew a mellower flavor than the black eyed peas and I really liked it.
Plan on doing this in the crockpot for best results. The long slow cooking allows the flavors to mix and the onions and garlic to cook down without causing the lentils to become too mushy. Serve with a salad and a crusty bread, a simple poached pear or pear tart for dessert would be fantastic.
Andouille & Lentil Stew
1 lb lentils, cooked until just tender- about 15–20 minutes
2 lbs Pecan Smoked Andouille Sausage , sliced in thick slices
2 onions chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
2 large cans Muir Glen Organic Tomatoes
1 tsp cracked black pepper
3 cloves garlic chopped
1 lb fresh, organic, baby spinach
2 cups of water
Put all together in crockpot on low and cook 6-8 hours. Serves 12-16. Adjust salt an pepper after cooking..The Andouille is rather spicy.
You can freeze this in 2 or 3 batches if you want to use it for a Once A Month Cooking Recipe. To freeze: Place desired amount in gallon size freezer bags and lay in a single layer on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Freeze. Remove from cookie sheet, label with name, date, and amount. When you are ready to cook remove from freezer, thaw and heat through.
I have never had Andouille sausage. I’ll have to look for it. It sounds intriguing. You mentioned it was spicy. Does it stay spicy cooked in the stew? Usually when I throw Italian sausage in minestrone, for example, it tastes very blah. Is there something different about the sausage that helps it maintain its spiciness?
Ginger the Andouille holds it’s flavor better than any other sausage I have tried. I am not sure why, other than it has an intense flavor.
If I can find the sausage, I am going to try this with black eyed peas. Jim doesn’t like lentils and I see no point in annoying him.
Just back from shopping. I couldn’t find the sausage. Is it a brand name or a type of sausage? The butcher never heard of it.
I clicked your link for it and found it is a Louisiana type. If I found a cajun style sausage would it be the same thing?
Ginger- this is andouille, I don’t know if you can get it online pecan smoked
http://www.cajungrocer.com/fresh-foods-sausage-andouille-c-1_15_34.html
Andouille is used in a lot of Cajun cooking - jambalya, gumbo, etc. I have had no trouble finding it in my local grocery story in Nevada.
I don’t know how widespread it is. Diane, that is cool that you can get it in Nevada