SUPER SLOW COOKED VEGGIE SAUSAGES AND LENTILS

So it's now mid January, it's raining everyday and it's just too grim to step outside the house. What you need is a bit of comfort food to cheer you up and this is where my slow cooker veggie sausage and green lentil dish comes in. The best part about this recipe is that it takes minimal effort to prepare and then you simply have to let your slow cooker do all the work for you. As with all slow cooked meals though, that low and slow cooking just ramps up the flavor to create something truly scrumptious to get you through these winter months.

Carnivores do not despair! If you wish to use pork sausages and bacon then feel free to do so in the same way as you would with the veggie versions below. If you are going veggie then use your favorite brand of veggie sausages and bacon too. I used Tesco's Lincolnshire style sausages and their frozen bacon rashers in this and they worked a treat.

Now, there not many herbs and spices in this recipe to flavor your lentils. Other than the help from the fresh parsley and the bacon flavor, you will need to pack as much yumminess into your lentils by using a really good quality of stock and wine. This is the perfect recipe to use a homemade stock, one that you have tinkered about with and flavored with your favorite vegetables and herbs. If you do want to use a ready made stock then try and use the best possible quality of one you can find. Same with the wine. No smart price wine please, use a wine that you would be happy to drink straight out of the bottle otherwise how can you expect to like it with your lentils? 

Four portions await with the recipe below, perfect for a family meal or for dinner and a take to work lunch for two. Get everything ready the day before up to the slow cooker stage and you can wack this on before you head to work for the day so it's ready for when you get home in the evening. Stress free cooking; what more could you ask for!

Slow Cooked Veggie

300ml Vegetable Stock

250ml White Wine

8 Veggie Sausages

300g Green Lentils

1 Peeled And Diced Red Onion

1 Peeled And Diced Carrot

1 Chopped Celery Stalk

1 Chopped Green Chili

8 Rashers Veggie Bacon

Salt And Pepper To Season

Handfull Of Chopped Parsley

1. Begin by pouring the stock and the wine into your slow cooker along with your sausages. Rinse the lentils and then add them in too. Turn your slow cooker onto high.
2. In an oiled pan on a medium heat, chuck in the onion, carrot, celery and chili and fry everything until the onions are soft. 
3. Chop the veggie bacon into small squares and add to the pan. Fry for around five minutes before transferring the contents of the pan to the slow cooker. 
4. Turn the slow cooker down to low and leave for around 8 hours until the lentils are cooked but with a bit of bite to them and the carrots are cooked through properly. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir through the chopped parsley to serve.

Dish out hearty portions of your lentils into big bowls and serve with pieces of warm bread for mopping up every last little lentil and sauce. Make sure everyone gets some of those sausages too which should of now soaked up all the flavor from the stock and be proper plump and juicy. There is just something so comforting about this dish; it's one to make when its cold and blustery outside and you just need a little hug in a bowl to make you feel all warm and toasty inside. There is just something about a slow cooked meal that does that to you; it's the ultimate in delicious comfort food!