• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Harvest and Wild Community Table logo

  • Meet Matt
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast and brunch recipes
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Desserts and sweets
    • Snacks
    • Sides
    • Drinks, Smoothies and Cocktails
  • Entertain
    • Menus
    • Music
    • Resource Library
    • Set up your kitchen
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact us
  • Harvest and Wild
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Start here
  • Recipes
  • Menus
  • Resource Library
  • Music
×

One-pot apple cider sausage and lentil casserole

Published: Jun 22, 2019 · Modified: Apr 2, 2020 · This blog uses cookies and may contain ads or affiliate links. See this page for more details · 32 Comments

Sharing is caring!

83 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
sausage and puy lentils in a frying pan

An easy one-pot sausage and lentil casserole, with apple cider and puy lentils, it is a simple, rustic casserole dish that is pure hygge on a winter night.

sausage and lentil casserole in a frying pan

An easy and delicious one-pot sausage and lentil casserole

This has been an amazingly tiring couple of weeks with work. Anyone who is a teacher can probably appreciate this, especially anyone who also holds some leadership roles, but there have more than a couple of 12+hour days of work. Nonetheless, the week is done, and the weekend beckons. Weekends have clearly turned into my days of cooking, and last weekend was no exception.

On Saturday, D and I took full advantage of a beautiful fall day to go for a walk. Luckily for us, there is Wrest Park which is a great old estate near our house that is perfect for walking. One of the great benefits of the UK is that houses like this (although not always as grand) are dotted around the place. (check out English Heritage or National Trust to find out more).

Coming back to the house, we were both in the mood for comfort food. To use the now trendy term, we wanted some ‘hygge’ food. Something we could enjoy and then relax for the evening. Now, a couple of weeks ago I told Rachel (A Beer Girl Cooks) that I would post a bit more about using beer/cider with food, so here we go! For this relaxing meal, we turned to a dish I first made years ago; Apple cider sausage and lentils.

Sausage and lentil casserole with apple cider sausage and puy lentils is a great little one-pot dish. All it requires is a good quality cast iron casserole dish, or at least a big pot. First, you fry some top quality sausages. These aren’t your run of the mill breakfast sausages, you need some big ones. We went for some juicy all pork ones. After removing these from the pan, you fry some bacon, onion, garlic, and carrot. Then you tip in the lentils.

What kind of lentils should I use in a casserole?

I wouldn’t suggest using your average red or green lentils. Instead, use puy lentils (or lentils verte). They are slightly bigger and hold their shape a lot better. However, they need to be cooked longer. So, you tip them in the pan, stir to coat and hit them with ½ bottle of apple cider. Then, and this is important, drink the rest of the bottle. I used a good dry cider, very tasty. Let it boil for about 5min, and then top up with some chicken stock. Just before the lentils are down, place the sausages back in. Lid on, cook for 5min.

What type of sausages should you use with lentils?

In short, good quality ones! I really like using a Toulouse style sausage, with a high pork content (about 85-90%) and some red wine. If in America, I would strongly recommend using a high-quality sausage, with at least 85% pork. Avoid breakfast sausages, they won’t work!

How do you serve sausage and lentil casserole?

Place the lentils in a bowl first, with sausages on top. Try to get a bit of everything on your fork. Get a good chunk of bread to help soak up the cider liquid in the bottom of the bowl. Apple cider sausages and lentils, pure hygge and deliciousness in one.

What dish is best for making a casserole?

For this dish, I’d really suggest using an enameled cast iron pot. This one from Le Creuset could be a great option.

Also, I’ve added this to FiestaFriday! Quality recipe ideas every Friday!

Pairings

Drinks

We had this with some delicious English cider, Aspall Cider to be exact. Worth the taste.

Music

This was ‘wind down from your hike’ food, and ‘get ready to relax’ food. Sticking with the hygge theme, on D’s iPhone we had To Build a House by The Cinematic Orchestra playing, matched the mood well.

sausage and puy lentils in a frying pan

Sausage and puy lentils

Matt
An easy one-pot sausage and lentil casserole, with apple cider and puy lentils, it is a simple, rustic casserole dish that is pure hygge on a winter night.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine French
Servings 6

Equipment

  • Dutch Oven

Ingredients
  

  • 4-6 Good quality pork sausages. Such as cumberland sausages
  • 1 Chopped carrots
  • 1 small brown onion finely chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic finely chopped
  • 1 cup of Puy Lentils
  • 1.5 cups chicken stock
  • 2 cups apple cider
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 125 g bacon lardons
  • 1 Tbs chopped parsley
  • 1 Tbs chopped thyme
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • Cook the sausages in a deep frying pan, until nice and golden and cooked throughout. Remove from the pan, and wipe out.
  • Fry the bacon, until crispy. Using a slotted spoon, take the bacon out. Drain the grease, but leave about 1TB in the pan.
  • Heat the pan again and add the garlic, onion and carrots. Fry for about 5min, then add the bay and lentils. Stir to coat, then add the cider. Let it boil, and add the stock. Lid on, and let it cook for 20min.
  • After 20min, add the sausages and herbs to the pot. Lid back on and cook for 5 more minutes. The lentils should be cooked, but have a little bite to them. Season with salt and pepper and remove the bay. Plate the lentils with sausages placed on top. Drizzle a bit of the leftover juices on top, and serve hot.
Keyword apple cider, lentil, lentils, sausage, sausages
« Healthy Crispy Chicken Sandwich
Cool Chicken Feast »

Dinner, Entertaining, Fall recipes, Food, Lunch, Main Dishes, Pork recipes, Potluck recipes apple, bacon, cider, cidre, country, hygge, lentils, one pot, puy, rustic, sausages

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. David @ Spiced says

    October 10, 2016 at 12:22 pm

    Oh this sounds like an amazing Fall dinner, Matt! Sounds like you’ve had a long few weeks here, but hopefully everything is moving along well. I miss my days teaching! Oh, and I had to go google ‘hygge’ as I wasn’t familiar with that one. Pretty cool word. And even cooler meal here with the cider sausage and the puy lentils. That looks like a pan I need in my kitchen next weekend!

    Reply
    • matt says

      October 10, 2016 at 9:32 pm

      Thanks David. It’s a pretty cool term, definitely in vogue in the UK at the moment. As for teaching, as you know some times it gets difficult for a few weeks but its always fun to teach students!

      Reply
  2. KevinIsCooking says

    October 10, 2016 at 5:12 pm

    This is a beautiful dish Matt. Perfectly browned sausages over nicely flavored lentils that don’t look all mushy. Comfort food to me! Thanks for introducing me to the word hygge, too. Cool definition.
    I loved visiting London and touring around in a rental car. We hit up Bath and Oxford and just some country road driving. So scenic. I would love to have some cool old estates to walk around. For that I need to go up in the mountains an hour from us to Mt Laguna with the dogs. Cheers!

    Reply
    • matt says

      October 10, 2016 at 9:35 pm

      Way to go driving on the other side of the road Kevin! It prospect of doing that scared me at first. Mt Laguna looks amazing, much better views in my opinion!

      Reply
  3. Mary Ann @ thebeachhousekitchen says

    October 10, 2016 at 10:55 pm

    What a hearty, comforting dish Matt! My husband Tom loves lentils and we both love sausage, so I can’t wait to try!

    Reply
    • matt says

      October 15, 2016 at 4:12 pm

      Thanks Mary Ann!

      Reply
  4. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says

    October 12, 2016 at 5:30 pm

    I am a HUGE fan of lentils and holy sausage batman, these look AMAZING! Love the flavors going on in here! Definitely adding this rustic, comforting dish to my list of must make immediately! Cheers and thanks for sharing the YUM!

    Reply
    • matt says

      October 15, 2016 at 4:14 pm

      Thanks Cheyenne, it’s worth it. English sausages are brilliant (usually!)

      Reply
  5. Susan @ Culinary Envy says

    October 14, 2016 at 2:25 pm

    I could eat this for breakfast right now! It looks absolutely amazing. pinned.

    Reply
    • matt says

      October 15, 2016 at 4:15 pm

      Would be quite a savoury breakfast but do give it a go!

      Reply
  6. Loretta says

    October 14, 2016 at 7:35 pm

    Love the dish, and just love the British sausages, there’s nothing quite like the taste. Here in the USA, they just aren’t the same, so whenever I visit family in England, they know to serve those for breakfast when I arrive 🙂 Love the pairing of the lentils, it is a complete meal. Great dish!

    Reply
    • matt says

      October 15, 2016 at 4:15 pm

      I know what you mean, although I prefer American sausages for the BBQ! Thanks for the comment!

      Reply
  7. J Seaton says

    October 14, 2016 at 8:59 pm

    This looks very tasty! Also, congrats on being featured on Foodgawker’s Instagram. I’m dreaming of the day they choose one of mine.

    Reply
    • matt says

      October 15, 2016 at 4:17 pm

      Thanks Jamie, was surprised but happy they did. I think both of our photo skills have improved since we started blogging (god knows mine looked hideous when I first started).

      Reply
  8. [email protected] For The Soul says

    October 14, 2016 at 11:56 pm

    Love the use of lentils with the sausage. Looks delicious and thanks for sharing on Fiesta Friday!

    Reply
    • matt says

      October 15, 2016 at 4:18 pm

      Thanks Zeba!

      Reply
  9. cookingwithauntjuju.com says

    October 19, 2016 at 4:52 pm

    I can buy a number of flavored sausages and that’s what I thought your recipe used at first. But the apple cider as a sauce must make this dish very flavorful. Lentils are always good with sausage 🙂

    Reply
    • matt says

      October 28, 2016 at 8:01 pm

      The Cider really does make a lovely sauce. If you can find some smoked sausages, that would probably add a great flavour dimension too!

      Reply
  10. Ben Maclain says

    October 31, 2016 at 7:05 pm

    Oh this sounds absolutely delicious, comfort, and earthy, Matt! I’ve tried incorating apple cider in my cooking first time ever recently, and I did like the results. It introduces a lovely subtle aftertaste. I bet cider works fantastically with sausage and lentils.

    Reply
    • matt says

      November 10, 2016 at 10:59 pm

      Thanks Ben, I agree with you on the flavour ciders can impart.

      Reply
  11. Caitlin McMurtry says

    November 10, 2016 at 10:45 pm

    SCRUMPTIOUS! I found this recipe on foodgawker and knew I had to make it right away. Absolutely delicious – I love the hard cider. It really gives the broth a nice savory twang and goes perfectly with the sausage.

    Reply
    • matt says

      November 10, 2016 at 11:02 pm

      Thanks Caitlin!

      Reply
  12. Sabrina Zaragoza says

    November 12, 2016 at 3:13 am

    Always love your dish, Matt. You did a great job!

    Reply
    • matt says

      November 18, 2016 at 1:28 pm

      Thanks Sabrina!

      Reply
  13. Nguyen says

    November 23, 2016 at 10:52 am

    It looks tasty, Matt! It’s great to find your page. How lucky I am. I’m from Asian country and I love your cooking style. Simple but looks stunning.

    Reply
  14. Shiv says

    November 28, 2017 at 3:40 pm

    It is the testy and delicious.Who they like the light breakfast, It is the perfect for that. Thank you to share your recipe.

    Reply
  15. Alexandra @ It's Not Complicated Recipes says

    June 24, 2019 at 5:30 am

    What a delicious meal! Love the flavours – so warming and comforting. I might have to try tonight for my family – they’ll love it!

    Reply
    • Matt says

      June 24, 2019 at 12:26 pm

      Thank you! It is definitely one of my family favourites, especially in the autumn!

      Reply
  16. Dawn @ Girl Heart Food says

    June 25, 2019 at 12:40 pm

    Talk about a deliciously hearty dish! This is right up my alley – love the combo of sausage and lentils and I know hubby would too! Seriously making me hungry right now and would totally eat for breakfast 😉

    Reply
  17. Mary Ann @ thebeachhousekitchen says

    July 03, 2019 at 12:28 pm

    This is my kind of dish Matt! So nice and hearty and comforting! And we love our lentils!

    Reply
  18. Mimi says

    October 22, 2019 at 1:17 pm

    I love what you did here. Apples, their juice, cider, the actual apples – they’re so perfect with pork or sausages, especially this time of year. And I think you picked the best lentils to use. Le Puy really hold their shape.

    Reply
    • Matt says

      November 09, 2019 at 6:03 pm

      It is probably one of my favourite wintery dishes!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

I’m a husband, dad, bluenosers and an avid cook and picture taker and business owner. I think food is meant to be shared, and good food brings people together. about me!

Browse all recipes

Foodies100 Index of UK Food Blogs
Foodies100

Footer

  • © 2021 Harvest and Wild Condiments Ltd
  • About – Meet Matt
  • Advertising and Privacy Policy
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 Total Feasts