Sausage and Lentil Casserole, Slow Cooker Style

Sausage and Lentil Casserole, Slow Cooker Style
Note – This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy via these, I may earn a small fee. This has absolutely no effect on the price you pay. As an eBay and Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

I love lentils and beans, and happily – unlike a lot of my other favourite foods – they’re really healthy too. It was a chilly, wet autumn day and this combination seemed just right. Hence the invention of this easy sausage and lentil casserole, slow cooker style.

So I’ve tried to tick the kiddy boxes with this stew, which means a rich, Italian-style tomatoey sauce that’s also quite sweet. A little like her favourite tomato ketchup, which she is in love with. Any recipes based on that kind of flavour seem to go down a storm! Slow cooked lentils are soft and yielding, and thus more pleasing to the young palate. I have stated green lentils, but you could make a red lentil and sausage casserole or use Puy lentils or brown lentils if you like.

I’ve added some herbs, but to impart a subtle hint of flavour rather than an obvious hit. To make this lentil and sausage stew more child-friendly, I’ve not used garlic or pepper, but of course do feel free to add those if you prefer.

How do you make sausage casserole in the slow cooker? Well if your slow cooker pot can be used on the hob, then this is a one pot recipe. Otherwise use a frying pan or saucepan to cook the onion, carrot and sausages, then slice them up before slow cooking. Other than that, there is very little prep time involved in making this.

This slow cooker sausage casserole serves 4

Ingredients for sausage and lentil casserole made in the slow cooker

  • Olive oil, for frying
  • Red onion, 1, chopped
  • Carrot, 1, chopped finely
  • Sausages, 8-12 depending on size
  • Dried green lentils, 300g
  • Passata, 1 carton
  • Button mushrooms, a few, sliced
  • Tomato puree, 1 tbsp
  • Brown sugar, 1 tsp
  • Chicken stock, 1 pot or cube
  • Bay leaf, 1 (fresh or dried)
  • Thyme; fresh, a few sprigs; or dried 1/2 tsp
  • Rosemary; fresh, a few needles, chopped; or dried 1/2 tsp

Equipment

How to make sausage and lentil stew in the slow cooker

  • Heat a dash of olive oil in the slow cooker pot or a saucepan and add the onion, carrot and whole sausages. Fry on a medium heat, stirring often, for a few minutes until they start to brown.
  • Cut up the sausages. You can do this in the pan, but only if you’re careful and it isn’t the non-stick type. Otherwise, remove to slice before returning to the crock pot.
  • Add all the other ingredients, stir well, then cook on Low for about 5-6 hours.

Serve this sausage casserole with lentils alongside pasta, rice, mash or crusty bread.

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Note – This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy via these, I may earn a small fee. This has absolutely no effect on the price you pay. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

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Filed Under: Slow Cooker, Stew