Sausage and Lentils with Fried Sage
Sausage and Lentils with Fried Sage is a meal I’d always find comforting and frying the sage really adds flavor here! And this recipe has a lot of sausage and not too many lentils, so a moderate sized serving only has ten net carbs!
PIN Sausage and Lentils with Fried Sage to try it later.
My love for lentils is pretty obvious on this site, and this recipe for Sausage and Lentils with Fried Sage is definitely something I’d enjoy eating any time of year. And this year I have sage growing in my windowsill over the winter, score!
The sausage and lentils recipe was inspired by one I spotted in The Silver Spoon (affiliate link), a classic Italian cookbook that I think every serious cook should own. The addition of fried sage was my idea after seeing it on restaurant menus, and the fried sage was a wonderful addition to this dish, if I do say so myself.
Sage is something that will grow abundantly for most of the year, and when you fry it the sage flavor intensifies just a bit as the leaves are transformed into crispy morsels of sage-flavored goodness. But if you like Italian Sausage and Lentils but don’t have fresh sage, this dish would still be very good without the sage. I hope everyone who’s a fan of Italian sausage and likes lentils will try this recipe!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- hot turkey Italian Sausage
- dried lentils
- celery
- carrot
- onion
- Better than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base (affiliate link), or your favorite brand
- Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- fresh sage leaves (optional but recommended)
- garlic cloves
What sausage did I use for this sausage and lentils dish?
I used links of turkey Italian sausage for this recipe, but pork sausage will also be good. You can use hot or mild Italian sausage, whichever your family prefers.
Want to make Sausage and Lentils even lower in carbs?
Lentils do have some carbs but they also have fiber and this recipe has quite a bit of sausage too, so it’s only 10 net carbs per serving. You can use a bit more sausage and fewer lentils if you want a version that’s even lower in carbs.
How to Make Sausage and Lentils with Fried Sage:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- I picked a generous amount of sage from my garden, but if you have to buy sage you can use less.
- The lentils are simmered with a few vegetables and some Better than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base (affiliate link) for extra flavor.
- Meanwhile, brown the sausages well, until they’re nicely browned on all sides. Then let sausages cool enough to handle, slice them, and brown again so the cut sides are also nicely browned. Don’t rush the browning, because that creates flavor.
- When you’re ready to fry the sage, garlic is heated in oil to flavor it (in the same pan), and then the sage is fried for just a minute or two. Check the photo above for how the fried sage looked after it had cooled a bit and been chopped.
- Here is where the photo-taking got sidetracked when we got busy and forgot to take a photo of the cooked lentils and sausages mixed together in the pan with half the fried sage. You’ll have to use your imagination for that.
- Serve the dish with some fried sage sprinkled on top.
Make it a Carb-Conscious Meal:
This Sausage and Lentils with Fried Sage would be delicious with Ottolenghi’s Perfect Lettuce Salad or No-Mayo Vinegar Coleslaw on the side for a tasty meal.
More Tasty Recipes with Lentils:
- Curried Lentils
- Vegetarian Lentil Soup with Spinach
- Mujadarra (Middle Eastern Lentils and Rice)
- Sausage Lentil Soup with Spinach
- Lentil Salad with Green Olives
Sausage and Lentils with Fried Sage
This classic dish of Sausage and Lentils with Fried Sage is a meal I’d always find comforting.
Ingredients
- one 19.5 oz. package hot turkey Italian Sausage
- 2 cups dried lentils
- 1 piece celery, cut in 3 inch pieces
- 1 whole carrot, cut in 3 inch pieces
- 1 small onion, cut in half
- generous T chicken flavor base (optional, see notes)
- 1 T + 2 T olive oil (or more, depending on your pan)
- 30 fresh sage leaves (more or less, depending on what you have)
- 4 large garlic cloves
Instructions
- Put lentils, celery, carrot, onion, and chicken flavor base (if using) in large pot, cover with water and start to simmer.
- Let lentils cook until they are quite tender. Cooking time will depend on how fresh the lentils are, but probably about 45 minutes.
- While lentils are cooking, brown sausage well in 1 T olive oil in large frying pan.
- Let sausages cool enough to handle, and cut in diagonal slices about 1 inch thick.
- Put back in pan and brown cut sides of sausage very well. Don’t rush the browning step, it may take as long as 20 minutes.
- When lentils are tender, drain well and remove carrot, celery and onion and discard.
- Put 2 T olive oil in frying pan that sausages were browned in, add garlic and saute until barely starting to color (don’t let it get very brown or it will be bitter). Remove garlic and discard.
- Add sage leaves to hot oil and cook just until crisp, not more than a minute or two.
- Remove sage and chop with knife.
- Add cooked lentils and sausages with half the sage back to pan, and saute 3-5 minutes in seasoned olive oil.
- Remove to serving platter, sprinkle over rest of fried sage and serve hot.
Notes
I use Jenni-O Hot Turkey Italian Sausage which is gluten-free. I use Better than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base (affiliate link).
Recipe adapted from The Silver Spoon. (affiliate link)
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 321Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 90mgSodium 657mgCarbohydrates 16gFiber 6gSugar 2gProtein 30g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Lentils are usually high in carbs for a traditional low-carb diet plan, but this recipe has a lot of sausage and not too many lentils so a moderate serving only has ten net carbs. Sausage and Lentils with Fried Sage is suitable for the original South Beach Diet, but it’s important to use lower-fat turkey Italian sausage if you’re making this for South Beach.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Bowl Meals to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This sausage and lentils recipe from The Silver Spoon was first posted in 2006. It was last updated with more information in 2024.
27 Comments on “Sausage and Lentils with Fried Sage”
I'm working hard at updating my old photos too!!!
Pam it's an endless job, but worth it!
I made this tonight and substituted Kale for the sage since I didn't have it on hand but had all the other ingredients. It was alright, but the Kale was a bit too bitter in this. Next time I am definitely doing sage.
Elizabeth I'm betting you will love it with the fried sage. It is so flavorful!
We adore sausage and lentils! But we'd never thought of adding fried sage to them. How brilliant.
And we just happen to have sage galore in the garden right now too. I can't wait to try your recipe, Kalyn!
JoJo, hope you like it.
It's on the stove now! Smells wonderful.
Swimchick, glad you and the husband enjoyed it. BTW, red lentils are meant more for soup or dal, where the lentils are supposed to dissolve in the dish so they aren't really a substitute for the lentils used in this recipe. I probably need to be more specific about that!
I did this yesterday for dinner, because I had leftovers for my children in case they 'would say no to it' – so they at least tried it, because of sausage & lentils…
I used red lentils, because that's what I had on hand.
My husband gave it a thumbs up, my kids put it on the don't do it ever again list. I liked it, though my lentils ended up very mushy, but still I will do it again.
Thanks for all these interesting dishes, you try for us. I also made the salad, you suggested and it was a big hit.
By the way, my husband had at least two servings!
JP, hope you enjoy it.
NUTZ! I should know better than to read stuff like this on an empty stomach. I love Italian Sausage and always keep several packages in fridge and freezer…..which is where I'm headed now! Thanks!
Chigiy, that doesn't sound very South Beach friendly, but if your husband cooked it I would definitely eat some! Fried Sage is so good!
Alice, I am especially fond of turkey Italian sausage.
I like all kind of food which has sausage as a ingredient. I usually store it in the refrigerator all time.
I love sage. My husband makes pasta with sage butter sauce (I guess that's not very South Beach) He makes it perfect. When I try to fry sage, I burn it. whaaa. The combo of sage lentils and sausage sounds definitely worth making. Thank you.
Nichole, so glad you like it!
This looks SO amazing. I love sausage and lentil soup, so this variation is right up my alley! Fried sage is very tasty as well.
Oh Kelly, I hate it when things like that happen. I did love the fried sage in this one.
CJ, hope you enjoy it!
Lydia, thanks. I am having fun comparing the old and new photos!
Oh, this is my kind of dish. And I love seeing those old photos; your new photos really make the recipe come to life.
Fantastico! I've had a hankering for lentils and have all the ingredients on hand. I'm starting to harvest and preserve/dry/freeze my herbs. This will be perfect!
Fried sage is quite the taste treat and it sounds great in this recipe. Didn't get to make your lentil recipe last night because the bag of lentils I had had torn and they were all over my pantry drawer : (. I've got a grocery list tonight, though. Will keep you posted.
My God that looks delicious!!!
Looks delicious. I love ANYTHING with sausage! My sage plants are just starting to grow. I hope I’ll get enough leaves for frying. I’ve never tried fried sage. Sounds wonderful.
Great recipe! My sage is springing up also, and I love using it in recipes! Also, this is user friendly for a household that does South Beach and Atkins. Hubby can eat as is, I remove the carrots and lentils for my portion.
Thanks for posting this bc I was having trouble with cut up sausage in my recipes. I had cooked them up and cut them right before adding it to the rest of dish and then I did not get that yummy brown or I cooked it some more and the whole dish got too oily as the re-cooking in the complete dish leached too much oil out. Thanks for this!!
you read my mind on the sausage and lentils thing – i’ve been craving this dish for two weeks & just got the stuff to make it. the fried sage is a great idea and just takes it over the top. thanks!
I’m going to make it too. It looks wonderful and those are all foods and herbs that I love. Great dish—as always!
Oh my goodness I simply MUST make this! Sage has got to be one of my most favorite things on the planet, and combined with sausage? YES YES and YES!