Italian sausage, lentils & pasta

I came up with this recipe when I had only two sausages, but four mouths to feed. It’s a great dish for stretching sausages.

I also didn’t have much time to pull it together, so reached for my fave time savers, leeks and tinned lentils, and chucked them in a pan with herbs, dried pasta and chicken stock. After a little time simmering, we got the most delicious, brothy pasta. Perfect with a layer of Parmesan & a drizzle of oil. Super quick and comforting without being heavy. Add whatever veg you have in the fridge, carrots and broccoli would be great.

ingredients

serves 4

• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra, to serve
  2 Italian sausage, broken into little nuggets
  1 tsp fennel seeds
  1 leek, sliced
  1 small fennel bulb, outer layer discarded and/or 1 celery stalk,  sliced
  3 garlic cloves, sliced
  1 Parmesan rind, optional
  A few sprigs of thyme & rosemary, chopped
  6 sage leaves, chopped
  1 bay leaf
  1 x 400g tin lentils, drained (240g total weight)
  180g small pieces of pasta
  1 litre chicken stock or boiling water
  100g cook & chopped cavolo nero, savoy cabbage, spinach leaves or defrosted frozen spinach

instructions

Warm the oil over a medium heat and gently fry the sausage until it begins to colour and release a little fat, about 5 minutes.

Add the fennel seeds and allow them to sizzle for a moment in the fat, then add the leeks, fennel and garlic and a pinch of salt and fry gently until softened but not coloured, about 10 minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients (except the greens) and a little seasoning. Make sure everything is generously covered (add more boiling water if not) and simmer for approx 15-20 minutes, stirring often, until the pasta is al dente (cooking times will vary according to your pasta).

Stir in the cooked greens (or allow spinach to wilt) and adjust the liquid to your liking. Serve with extra Parmesan and a plenty of olive oil.