Sausage Stew

Stew. My husband turns his nose up at the mention of stew, although he tolerates it more than the dreaded soup, He didn't seem to hate this recipe, which for a stew is high praise! :) I added a couple spices and a bit of cream, just because I had them and I thought it would make the stew a little more robust. I also reduced the stated quantities by 1/2 as the recipe below serves 10!

Lentil, Kielbasa, and Garlic Stew
slightly adapted from IWasBorntoCook

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 pounds turkey kielbasa, cut into bite size chunks

1 large onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups baby carrots, cut into small chunks

4 medium stalks celery, chopped

8 cloves garlic, chopped

6 cups water

2 cans (14 oz) chicken broth (or homemade)

2 cans (14 oz) diced tomatoes

1 1/2 bags (16 oz) lentils, picked over and rinsed
2 tsp Italian Seasonings
Bay Leaf
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot, then add kielbasa (divide if necessary). Cook until brown, then transfer to a plate.

Add onion, celery and carrots to pot and cook until golden. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add water, broth, tomatoes, seasonings and lentils to pot and bring to boil. Reduce to medium-low and cook uncovered for about 40 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Stir in kielbasa and heavy cream and heat through. Serve.