Spicy Lentils with Turkey Sausage

Ingredients
½ medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 leeks, trimmed and chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 cup brown lentils
3 ½ to 4 cups reduced sodium vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
½ tsp. dried thyme leaves
½ tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper or to taste
1 pound smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces

Cooking Directions

Spray a Dutch oven with nonstick spray coating. Heat pan over medium high heat. Add chopped vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are tender, about 1 to 4 minutes. Stir in lentils, 3 ½ cups stock and seasonings. Cover and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low and cook 45-50 minutes or until lentils are just tender. If the mixture becomes too thick, stir in remaining ½ cup of stock. Stir in sausage. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until lentils are tender. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Notes

Makes 6 servings

Count each serving as 3 proteins.