Italian sausages with lentils make a simple and very tasty meal. There’s no need to soak the lentils, use them straight from the pack, but wash them first. You will need to buy good quality Italian sausages, ideally the pork spicy ones with red peppers flakes.

For the wine, use a rich full bodied wine that you would drink and enjoy yourself, it does make a difference. Go for a shiraz or a Cabernet Sauvignon. If you don’t have those wines, use what you have. For those who don’t drink wine, search my wine substitute video so you can still make this. The rich glossy glaze reduced from the wine and sausages is what makes this dish truly standout.

For the lentils, buy the French green ones, also known as “Lentilles du Puy” (Puy Lentils). They are green, smaller in size and will cook faster. If you opt for the larger variety you will have to increase your lentil cooking time by approx. 20 minutes. Lentils are also an extremely healthy legume, so make them often, even without sausages.