Ingredients

  • 1 cup green lentils, rinsed and sorted through for any stones
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 2 sausage links (in this case I used mushroom and fig chicken sausages from Whole Foods meat counter)
  • 2 slices of thick cut bacon, diced into small chunks
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 medium carrot, diced
  • salt, pepper, Bologna salt blend, oregano
  • 1/2 Napa cabbage, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • chili pepper flakes (optional or to taste, depending on how spicy you might like)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
  • parmesan or romano cheese for garnish

Directions

  1. Cook the bacon in a skillet until the pieces are small, brown and crispy. Drain on a paper towel over a small bowl and set aside.
  2. Remove the sausage from its casing and saute in the bacon fat for a few minutes. Set aside in a bowl.
  3. Brown the onions for about 5 minutes in the bacon and sausage fat.
  4. Add the carrots to the onions. Sprinkle with a teeny bit each of salt, pepper, oregano, and Bologna herbal salt blend.
  5. Add the lentils to the skillet and stir.
  6. Add the chicken stock, stir, put the lid on the pan tilted and simmer for about 20 minutes.
  7. Remove lid and simmer for another 10 minutes to allow the lentils to soak up most of the stock.
  8. While that’s simmering, heat the olive oil or butter in another skillet. Add the cabbage and saute for a few minutes. Add the garlic, chili pepper flakes, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Saute for another 10 minutes.
  9. Add sausage and bacon back to the lentils and stir. Serve atop or aside the cabbage.
  10. Grate a little parmesan or romano cheese on top to finish it off.
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