Yesterday afternoon cooled off a lot with an approaching thunderstorm. I got a great deal on Italian sausage at my grocery store, and was in the mood for something hearty and spicy.

This dish was satisfying and nutritious. My 8 year old enjoyed it as well, obviously hers wasn’t spicy. I like Texas Pete on just about everything, and this was no exception. This meal also only took about 20 minutes, which is super important on week nights.

I started by boiling some lightly salted water for my lentils. I do a 1:1 ratio of water to lentils. And in a separate med-high heated pan, I added my sausages, and covered it. I let them sear for a minute or two until one side is brown and then I flip them to the other side, add a few tbsp of water, and cover them again. I then added my bag of frozen pepper/onion tri color mixture to the top, and recover. I let this cook all the way down until the veggies are tender, and the sausage is about to pop with greasy, delicious juice.

Making the tomato gravy: In the same pan, I cut down the middle of the sausages allowing the juice to drain into the peppers and onions. I move everything to the sides leaving a clear spot in the middle where I add a slice or two of butter. When the butter is melted, I add it a couple tbsp of flour, salt and pepper. I stir this in tiny circles in the middle until the rue is cooked, and add in an entire can of diced tomatoes, juice and all. Stirring this around in the middle until well combined then tossing in the rest of the veggies and sausages. I do remove the sausages just before serving and slice them, then toss them back in. This dish was SO PRETTY before I hastily added the lentils. The lentils were mushy and creamy, but they belonged on the bottom of this colorful tomato/sausage/pepper mix. But I, not thinking ahead, just piled them all in the same pan and stirred.

I served this with bread, butter and topped with a lot of Texas Pete. It really hit the spot. This amount made enough for 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 kids. Try it out! It won’t disappoint, and without the rue mix, its gluten free!
Ingredients:

• 1 pack Italian sausage, any flavor
• 1 bag frozen tri color onions and peppers
• 1 15oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup dry lentils
• 1 cup water and salt to taste
• TEXAS PETE -as much or as little as you like

How do you like your lentils? They are one of my favorites, and I under utilize them. Help me out with some recipes!!

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