This meal is the perfect thing to make when you haven’t been shopping in a while and there are just a few lonely veggies in your fridge. Feel free to swap out just about anything – the type of sausage, veggies, and lentils – for whatever you have on hand.
Like most meals that come together unplanned and somewhat haphazardly, this meal turned out to be a real winner. It was perfect comfort food with its heartiness and smoky flavor…to me, it tasted like campfire food.
And since it’s an easy, one skillet meal, I think it would turn out great cooked on a campfire! Even though I haven’t been camping in what feels like forever (and I have no intention of going anytime soon unless there is a full kitchen and bathroom involved and no tents in sight, lol!), with this supper it was easy to imagine I was camping. Well, that and the s’mores we made under the broiler for dessert. :)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 14-16 oz fully-cooked smoked beef, turkey, or chicken sausage, sliced
- 4 medium-large carrots, chopped
- 3 large stalks celery (including leafy green tops), chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 oz tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups water
- 1 (15 oz) can brown lentils, rinsed and drained (see Note)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley, chives, etc.), for garnish (optional)
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat; add the sausage and brown, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a bowl and set aside for now.
- Turn the heat down to medium-high and add the carrot, celery, and onion; cook until just starting to brown, about 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato, garlic, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon, paprika, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, salt, black pepper, and water.
- Bring up to a boil, then cover the skillet and turn the heat down to a simmer; cook until the veggies are tender, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the lentils and sausage, cover the skillet, and cook 5 to 10 minutes to heat through and let the flavors blend.
- Turn off heat and add lemon juice, then taste and season with additional salt and black pepper as desired.
- Garnish with chopped fresh herbs if desired.
To Reheat: Add a splash of water, cover the skillet, and bring it to a gentle simmer on the stovetop or on the campfire.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
Nourhan @ Miss Anthropist's Kitchen says
June 27, 2011 at 5:39 amThis looks like SUCH delicious comfort food…something my grandma would make :) Thanks for sharing!
Rosa says
June 27, 2011 at 5:50 amThe kind of dish I could eat on a weekly basis. Delicious!
Cheers,
Rosa
Erica says
June 27, 2011 at 6:27 ammmmm. What is it about randomly thrown together meals that makes them so good? And Smores under the broiler? I must try this!!
Blond Duck says
June 27, 2011 at 6:41 amA perfect replacement for soup in the summer!
Barbara says
June 27, 2011 at 6:49 amI haven’t cooked a meal over a campfire since I was a Girl Scout leader!! (except for smores, they don’t count) But I’m sure loving this. You sure know how to pack flavor into a one pan dish, Faith!
marla {family fresh cooking} says
June 27, 2011 at 7:26 amFaith it is so true that some of the best meals ever are the ones that take minimal effort and are unplanned. This one pot dish looks wonderful & I would enjoy it as a breakfast too.
Carol @ There's Always Thyme to Cook says
June 27, 2011 at 8:09 amI’m with you on the camping, LOL! Looks delicious, especially with the smoky flavor! I love your blue dishes, very pretty.
Monet says
June 27, 2011 at 9:02 amAren’t lentils wonderful? This would be perfect near a campfire. And I love the blue bowls too! Thank you for sharing with me. I hope you have a wonderful week, full of love, good food, and laughter. Hugs from Austin!
alli says
June 27, 2011 at 11:08 amI love how versatile this is and how you can adapt to what you have on hand. I need to raid my pantry and make this soon.
Jessica says
June 27, 2011 at 11:47 amI love that you combined all the delicious and healthy ingredients in one skillet! This looks beautiful and so tasty.
Steve @ HPD says
June 27, 2011 at 12:15 pmYou had me at “one skillet”!!
BeadedTail says
June 27, 2011 at 12:30 pmI don’t do camping but would love to enjoy this dish though! It looks so good and so easy too!
sheila @ Elements says
June 27, 2011 at 6:41 pmThis looks wonderful, and I love recipes like this that are so versatile! And using one pot is definitely a plus! :) I haven’t been camping in a long time. The last time we went we simply weren’t prepared enough. I was totally eaten up by mosquitos and didn’t have any bug spray. An incredibly kind lady took pity on me and gave me some spray. We also didn’t bring nearly enough food. We were walking all day and were ravenous, but neither one of thought we’d be hungry while camping because we’d be relaxing and stuff. We sure were wrong. Some incredibly kind boy scouts invited us to dinner almost every night and saved us from being totally ravenous every day. There sure are so many kind people in this world! Anyway, I hear ya on wanting a full bathroom and kitchen when camping! :)
Betty @ scrambled hen fruit says
June 27, 2011 at 7:15 pmI’d love to make this and just PRETEND I was camping. :) I love lentils and sausage together anyway- they’re comfort food for sure.
Krista says
June 27, 2011 at 7:52 pmThis is exactly what I want for dinner tonight, Faith. :-) I did make lentil soup – trying to use up all my pantry staples before I leave – but didn’t have a bit of sausage!! I shall have to remedy that. :-)
Reeni says
June 27, 2011 at 8:01 pmI prefer to imagine I’m camping too! This is hearty and delicious looking – I love your camping dishes!
Nicole, RD says
June 27, 2011 at 8:33 pmFiber packed and simple…that’s my kind of meal! :) Gorgeous photos, Faith!
coco says
June 27, 2011 at 8:38 pmwhat a great comforting food! I agree, lentils are saver food grocerie-depleted kitchen! :)
Veronica says
June 27, 2011 at 10:01 pmI made a spontaneous one-pot meal tonight too, though yours is much more refined. I love the sound of the sausage with the lentils! Yuuum.
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
June 27, 2011 at 10:03 pmThis looks delicious Faith! And I’m with you about camping! There are certain things that I just need! :D
Evelyne@CheapEthnicEatz says
June 27, 2011 at 10:51 pmOne pot! love that for doing the dishes. This looks very hearty and comforting by the campfire and tent…but like me I would turn in to a hotel room after hi hi. Lentils are a perfect food indeed
pachecopatty says
June 27, 2011 at 11:22 pmI’ll go camping if I can get room service, lol!
Seriously, I love a hearty one pot dish like this one but I think I’ll enjoy it at home and leave the camping to others;-)
Priscilla - She's Cookin' says
June 27, 2011 at 11:54 pmFaith, your one skillet meal is a winner – healthy, delicious and minimal clean-up! Some of my best meals have been thrown together with what I have on hand. Unfortunately, I’m not prepared to photograph them as beautifully as you’ve done here! I’m totally with you on the camping :)
Anna Johnston says
June 28, 2011 at 2:21 amMe likey, defo a meal I could feast on often. One pot cooking is the business. I’ve been known to eat straight outta the pot too. Lol
Angie's Recipes says
June 28, 2011 at 2:55 amLove lentils and one pot meal! This looks comforting and delicious.
Jessie says
June 28, 2011 at 5:54 amOh gosh, you had me at the word “sausage”, Faith (one of my favorite foods!). I love how versatile this dish is, and how it’s so easy to create a balanced one skillet meal, even if you swap out the bean, or the veggie, or the meat/protein. I’m impressed that you threw this together with no planning!
Also, camping without a tent? Lol! I guess that would just be … staying in a rustic hotel? ;)
Blond Duck says
June 28, 2011 at 7:07 amHappy Tuesday!
MaryMoh says
June 28, 2011 at 7:10 amOoops….looks like my comment kept disappearing. Love your dish…healthy and delicious. Would be my meal in a bowl :D
Dana says
June 28, 2011 at 8:29 amThis sounds delicious and oh so comforting! Which is a good thing, because if I was camping outside in a tent with no bathroom, I would DEFINITELY need some comforting LOL!
Sanjeeta kk says
June 28, 2011 at 10:07 amLove this simple, easy ans healthy spread, Faith! And lentils in it makes it more sumptuous and filling.
Michelle says
June 28, 2011 at 10:34 amWe love lentil dishes, and this is one I’ll definitely try. It looks delicious!
Simply Life says
June 28, 2011 at 12:06 pmoh this looks like the perfect, healthy meal!
Geni says
June 28, 2011 at 12:31 pmPerfect, easy and hearty summer supper! :)
Hannah says
June 29, 2011 at 7:25 amWhile I’ve never and probably won’t ever go camping in the future, this looks like a tasty little number to whip up on a busy weekday at home all the same! There are plenty of surprisingly satisfying vegan sausages on the market these days, so it would be nice opportunity to splurge a bit and buy the good ones. Considering the leaning tower of dish I still need to clean from all of my recipe development/food styling/photography, a one pot meal sounds especially appealing!
FOODESSA says
June 30, 2011 at 4:00 pmFaith…all I can say is…when you got it…you just got it running in your ‘Foodie’ veins.
Great food always comes together when a little heart and soul goes into it…tent or no tent.
Flavourful wishes,
Claudia
Susan says
June 30, 2011 at 9:19 pmI know this dish would be very popular in our home! What a wonderful combination of ingredients.
Magic of Spice says
July 1, 2011 at 6:27 pmYou camp like I do…my oldest always tells people that his moms idea of roughing it is when she takes here chances that the hotel already has bath salts :)
This is a great one skillet dish and easy to go veggie or vegan with…love the photo as well :)
nancy at good food matters says
July 7, 2011 at 7:05 amI haven’t camped for years! But I do like the lentil-sausage combination. I also like the new look of your blog, Faith. I haven’t visited for a week, and was pleasantly surprised with your updates!