I had never made this dish before but it just sounded so healthy and tasty that I couldn’t resist! If you wanted to make this a vegetarian version, you could use vegetable broth and omit the bacon, adding liquid smoke instead for the hickory flavor.

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Herb-Scented Lentils with Sausage and Goat Cheese Recipe
I had never made this dish before but it just sounded so healthy and tasty that I couldn’t resist! If you wanted to make this a vegetarian version, you could use vegetable broth and omit the bacon, adding liquid smoke instead for the hickory flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 2/3 cups finely chopped celery
- 2/3 cup finely chopped carrots
- 2 bay leaves,
- 12-14 oz green or orange lentils
- 4 slicies smoked bacon or bacon ends
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
- 6 oz crumbled goat cheese
- 1 lb spinach and collard greens
- 2 cloves chopped garlic
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add carrot, celery, onion, 1/2 of the garlic, red pepper flakes, bacon and bay leaves. Saute until soft about 8 minutes.
- Add lentils and stir together. Remove bacon after it is crisp and chop finely then add back into the pan.
- Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and allow to simmer until lentils are tender – about 40 minutes. Discard bay leaves and season with salt and pepper. Then add Mascarpone and stir into lentils until blended.
Greens:
- in another saute pan, add 1 tbsp olive oil along with garlic – saute on high for 1 minute until garlic is softening. Add 1 tbsp water and greens to the pan – tossing with tongs until greens are softened but not soggy
- Ladle your lentils into bowls, top with greens, and crumble goat cheese over the top.