sausage, lentil, and escarole stew

I found this in a book I got from the library, "Atkins for Life: Low-Carb Cookbook." It was really tasty and fairly easy to prepare. The kids thought it was gross. But that's nothing new, as they will scream about mac-n-cheese as of late. We served it with some nummy artisan bread (so much for the low-carb... sorry Atkins). It was yum. We definitely will make this again!

Note: I did change the recipe a tad... adding more water/broth and subtracting the fresh parsley as a garnish (I thought it was a weird tasting addition, liked it better without). Besides that, the recipe is really not mine. So thanks, Atkins, for a delicious new soup to add to our repertoire!

RECIPE: Sausage, Lentil, and Escarole Stew

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb kielbasa sausage, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp caraway seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 small red onion, diced (about 1/2 c)

4 1/2 c chicken broth

1 c dried lentils, rinsed and picked over

1/2 tsp pepper

1 head escarole, rinsed well and chopped

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over med-high heat. Add kielbasa and cook, turning occasionally, until well browned, about 10 minutes.

Add garlic, caraway, and fennel to saucepan. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, lentils, and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until lentils are tender, 40 to 45 minutes.

Add escarole, stirring until it wilts. Serve warm.