A bowl of this deliciously savoury Lentil Eintopf (a German lentil and sausage stew) will warm your insides any time of year! Hearty and filling, it's loaded with lentils, bratwurst, veggies, potatoes and onions. Mop up the tasty juices with a slice of crusty bread and serve it with a cold German beer! (Skip to recipe.)
Don't you just love it when the tantalizing aroma of a savoury dish bubbling away on the stove brings family members sniffing into the kitchen? Mmmmm. Something smells good! What's for supper?
And don't you just love it when that savoury dish is full of flavour and good nutrition to boot?
This simple vegetable, sausage, and lentil Eintopf is a robust and satisfying stew combining the goodness of vegetables with the healthy fiber, protein and minerals of lentils. The smoked bratwurst adds delectable flavour typical of hearty German country food, and the subtle sweet 'n sour tang adds just the right piquant twist to enhance the earthy lentil flavour. It reminds me so much of my mom's home cooking.
This Lentil Eintopf is typical of the Thüringen area of Germany - the region that brings us Thüringer Bratwurst, blown-glass Christmas ornaments, and is the home of Bach, Martin Luther and Goethe. Thüringen is known as the 'Christmas State' and it is in this region of Germany that many Christmas traditions originate. The food in this cultural heart of Germany is as delicious and varied as any to be found in that country.
Of course, you can use any kind of bratwurst, or even other sausages, in this recipe, though preferrably a smoked variety, for the extra layer of flavour the smokiness imparts.
I love how Canadian lentils can be the star of a German-inspired dish - it epitomizes the cultural diversity of our Canadian identity. Settlers and immigrants from all over the world have brought us recipes from their homelands and shared them to become part of our culinary fabric. Canada is the largest producer of lentils in the world - our big sunshiny skies and rich prairie soil provide ideal growing conditions for this super healthy little legume.
We're still covered deep in winter snow here in northern Alberta - so even while the rest of the country is thinking light spring meals, I'm loving the comfort of a warm lentil and sausage stew. It's good any time of year.
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Kitchen Frau Notes: Lentils normally don't need to be soaked before cooking, as long as they are cooked in plain water. However, salt and acids will toughen lentils if they are added before the lentils are fully cooked. In order to cook the lentils in broth in this recipe, soaking the lentils first helps them stay tender. During soaking they swell up and absorb the unsalted water, thus buffering them from the salt in the broth.
For this Lentil Eintopf, I like to use the large flat green lentils if I can find them. I think they look more attractive here, but other varieties of lentils would work just as well.
If you can't find smoked bratwurst, use any kind of smoked sausage for this recipe (even 'smokies') or use an equal amount of cubed smoked ham.
Germans would use sugar beet syrup (a thick, dark syrup) to sweeten this dish, but I use honey.
German-Style Sweet & Sour Lentil Stew
(Linsen Eintopf)
- 1½ cups (300gms) green or brown lentils
- 6 cups (1.5litres) low-sodium beef or chicken broth
- 2 large carrots
- 2 large stalks celery (or 1 cup grated or finely diced celeriac/celery root)
- 2 large potatoes
- 1 sprig fresh thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 3 or 4 links of smoked bratwurst or other smoked sausage (gluten-free if necessary)
- 2 medium onions, sliced into rings
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Rinse the lentils in a seive, then soak them, covered by several inches of water, for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.
Drain the soaked lentils,
and combine them with the broth in a large pot or dutch oven. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the lentils are just tender, but not mushy. Test by tasting or squishing one between thumb and finger to see how soft it is.
While the lentils are cooking, peel and grate or finely dice the carrots. Finely dice the celery (or shred or dice the celeriac). You should have about 1 generous heaping cup of each.
Peel and dice the potatoes into ½ inch (1 cm) cubes.
Add the vegetables to the lentils. Season with the salt, pepper and thyme.
Bring the vegetables back to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes more, making sure all the vegetables are submerged under the simmering broth.
While the vegetables are simmering, heat a skillet with the oil. Slice the sausage into coins, then saute them in the oil until browned on one side. Turn the slices over to brown the other side. Remove the sausages slices to a plate, leaving the fat from the sausages in the skillet.
Add the sliced onions to the skillet and saute them until some of the edges caramelize and turn a deep brown. Add a few tablespoons water to the skillet to loosen the browned bits from the sausages, and continue cooking the onions until they are golden brown and the water has evaporated.
When the vegetables are tender, add the honey and red wine vinegar to the stew, stirring gently to distribute it. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if it needs it. Add the sausages and onions to the pot, and stir once more, gently so you don't break up the lentils. Remove the thyme sprigs if you see them surface.
Ladle into flat bowls to serve. Lentil Eintopf goes wonderfully with a crusty chunk of bread and a cold German beer (or for gluten-free, a slice of gluten-free bread and a chilled glass of Sekt).
Makes 4 hearty servings. (The leftovers are wonderful to pack for lunch the next day and reheat in the microwave, to make your coworkers drool.)
Guten Appetit!
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WENDY STADNICK
Well you have done it again..........This stew is soooo full of flavour.Very nice,Im going to make this for sure.Thanks for sharing.loved it.
Margaret
You are so kind! Thank you very much - I am glad to share, and thrilled when people like my food! Have a great weekend.
Aaron Freeman
I followed the recipe, but I prepared it differently... I cooked this in an Instant Pot! And, it came out sublime! I didn't have the beet syrup, so I substituted brown sugar. I substituted white vinegar for the red wine vinegar. Also used kielbasa in lieu of bratwurst (kielbasa is a German sausage, or at least it was, since Poland was part of Germany...).
Margaret
That sounds wonderful! Thanks so much for your feedback on how the changes worked and how it turned out in the Instant Pot - really great to know! 😀
Tammy
What a yummy looking dish! I can't believe how much snow you guys still have! I mowed our lawn yesterday and spent a couple of hours weeding this week. Enjoy the extended hibernation :0)
Margaret
Thanks, Tammy! That is one way to put a positive spin on this endless winter. I'll just have to appreciate that I'm not out there toiling in the weeds yet!
Linda Johnson
Your "food" photography is always a great addition to the recipes. This sounds like a perfect recipe for the Vegreville/Mundare area of good old Alberta - they could even use their very own Mundare sausage! Your brainwave to combine "immigrant food" with "Canadian" grown ingredients is a testament to the powers of your "cooking" mindset and excellent food preparation skills.
Margaret
Aw, thanks so much Linda. That means a lot. And, yes, this area of Alberta is a hotbed of Ukrainians and Germans - who all love their sausage! Mundare sausage would be excellent in this recipe, too. I'll have to make another batch - Raymond ate up all of the last one!
Elsa Geier
I made the lentil Eintopf tonight for dinner it was a hit.
My German husband said it tasted just like at home.
We loved it!
Wonderful recipe Margaret
Margaret
Thank you, that is the best kind of praise! I am so flattered to hear that - it absolutely makes my day! Have a great weekend!
Christine
What a yummy, warming and comforting soup to have on these cold winter days!
Margaret
There's something about a hearty soup or stew that just tastes like comfort in a bowl, isn't it? Thanks!
Alice
Thanks for this recipe I made it for dinner tonight it was really nice everyone enjoyed it (33degrees here today too probably a bit too wintry for today!)
Margaret
So glad to hear that. I love stews on a cold day, too. Something about filling our bellies with a comforting warm bowl of savory meat and veggies is very satisfying, isn't it?