Making apple cider at home is quite simple. I used to purchase the pre-mixed spices at the grocery store, but after they stopped offering them, I started making my own. It’s perfect for a shower or gathering and the slow cooker keeps it warm so visitors can eat it all night. Add spiced rum, if desired, and serve with an orange slice.
| Prep Time: | 5 mins |
| Cook Time: | 20 mins |
| Total Time: | 25 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup dried lentils
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 8 ounces fully cooked kielbasa or Polish sausage, sliced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine water, lentils and onion in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 15 minutes. Add sliced sausage, and season with cumin, salt and pepper. Simmer until lentils are tender, about 5 to 10 more minutes.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 325 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 28 g |
| Cholesterol | 37 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 10 g |
| Protein | 18 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Sodium | 522 mg |
| Sugars | 4 g |
| Fat | 16 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I make this different every time. Once as the recipe was written, once with red chili powder, this time with Cajun spices and Cajun sausage. Delicious every time
I used Keilbasa and put chunked garlic in with the lentils. Aslo used twice the amount of cumin. My family loved it – quick, easy and tasty!
I was just using this recipe as a guide an md modified it quite a bit. I cooked the onions and bratwurst sausage meat (removed casing) until everything was slightly brown. Added the lentils and a combo of chicken stock and water that totaled 3cups, and cooked in low heat for 20-ish minutes.
I was looking for something flavorful to get the kids eating lentils and this did the trick, with some modifications. I used smoked sausage (probably added more than called for) and also replaced water with chicken broth. I sauteed about 5-6 cloves garlic, onion, and a variety of vegetables (carrot, asparagus, red pepper, and squash) before adding them to the cooking lentils. I also added extra cumin, due to people saying they thought it was bland. It turned out savory, flavorful, and delicious. Even my picky eater wolfed it down, and they all loved it mixed with mashed potatoes
It is not the best lentils I have eaten. I think something other than cumin would appeal to me more. I would also add a bit of hot sauce.
I’m rating this 5 stars so others will try it with cumin! I totally doctored it up, and yes-then the 5-star rating doesn’t really reflect the recipe as written; however, I think we loved what I did BECAUSE of the cumin (which I never would have thought to add). Having 5 kids, I doubled the recipe for our needs and then tweaked as follows: instead of all the water, I substituted 1qt chicken broth + 1 c water, then added 15 oz can diced tomatoes, 1 generous cup each of chopped carrots & celery, and a 10 oz jar of tomato pesto that I bought at Aldi’s. I sauted the onion/carrot/celery in olive oil, then dumped everything else in. It was a bit on the soupy side, so next time I think I’ll omit the 1 c water. We served the sausage on the side instead of in the lentils. Everyone ate it -from adults to oldest teen to youngest toddler.
I love this easy, simple but delicious recipe, but with a few substitutions. I first saute the onion, and I use a whole onion, sauteed in a little bit of olive oil. My boys prefer a Turkey Italian Sausage that I remove from the casing and precook with the onions once they have softened and turned opaque. Trader Joes carries precooked lentils. Perfect for this working mom! Depending on what I have open, I either simmer with white wine or chicken broth. The cumin is bonus flavor for me. I enjoy it, but I know that some people don’t. This dish is still tasty without it if you have picky eaters!
As is, this recipe is quite bland. I didn’t use chicken or beef stock. Instead I used about 4 cups of water, half an onion – diced & sautéed, a few cloves of diced garlic, two cooked slices of bacon, and a ton of cumin, curry powder, old bay, salt, & pepper. I let the lentils boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes…. all in all, it came out well but how far off does the recipe used have to differ from the original recipe for it to be a whole new recipe ? lol
Easy and delicious.
You either like lintels or you don’t. There is no grey really. I needed a recipe for the polish sausage that I had out. I also needed to feed a family of five. I did not feel like fussing much with cooking so I wanted something quick and easy. This recipe is quick and easy. I doubled the recipe, and made it as written. After tasting at near completion of cooking time, I also added 1 tablespoon of Old Bay Seasoning. That gave this recipe the little added boost it needed. For me without adding the Old Bay Seasoning, it was rather bland. My family ate the meal and they too thought it was okay.
I used chicken broth in place of water, and added 2 thinly sliced carrots while the lentils and onions were cooking. I used 14oz of Andoullie sausage instead of Polish and added a can of diced tomatoes, undrained. I also added about 3/4-1tsp of garlic salt and 3/4-1tsp gram masala and then 1/2-3/4 tsp of curry powder to the seasonings. Delicious 🙂
This recipe was very good. I used chunked up spiral ham that I had left over from a previous dinner. Be careful when adding your salt, it can keep your lentils from softening. I would recommend adding the other spices when it says to and add the salt about 5 minutes before you take it off the stove. Also my lentils took a good bit longer than it says to cook and soften, closer to an hour. Will make this again!
perfect comfort food on a cold night!
This was so delicious, but instead of water I used Beef Broth. I also added a 1/2 an onion, two cloves of garlic, a couple of dashes of parsley flakes and a dash of oregano and garlic salt. YUMMY
This was delicious and easy to make! I added some potatoes to the lentils. I sauteed the onions and garlic before adding to bring out the flavor. I also cooked the sausages before adding for the last 15 minutes. I used vegetable stock and extra chili powder. Top it off with a dollop of sour cream. YUM!
Super easy and yummy. I added chicken bouillon cubes to the dish and it came out too salty. Next time I will use low sodium prepared chicken stock instead of water. This dish doesn’t look appetizing but tastes good.
I also tinkered with the recipe to produce more flavor. This recipe is a great base for adding extras. I minced 3 garlic cloves and sautéed them with the onions while the lentils were cooking. I then added a can of diced tomatoes, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and sliced smoked sausage along with the cumin, salt and pepper. For additional bulk, nutrition and taste, I also added a cup or so of cooked, shelled edamame. To brighten everything, I squeezed 1/2 a lemon into the pot at the end. So delicious, all 3 of our kids loved it!
I think as written the recipe is a little bland for most tastes. We added extra salt and some cayenne pepper seasoning to give it a flavor and it was pretty good. Thanks very much for sharing.
I have never eaten a lentil… followed this almost completely as written. used turkey smoked sausage.. AWESOME.. I did like others suggested add shredded carrots..and more onions.
This is a great quick and cheap meal! Definitely use chicken broth instead of water for better flavor. I only had ground Italian sausage so I browned it up separately first. I added some kale along with the sausage, which works really well. I also didn’t have any cumin, so I added red pepper flakes, garlic powder, oregano, and a bit of basil with the salt and pepper.
Very quick & delicious. I added a bunch of garlic, 2 cubes beef bouillon, a few veggies, and some spices.