[RECIPE] Sausage & Lentil Quick Hotpot (405 cals)

When your head says spring but the weather says brrrrrr, try this bright but comforting puy lentil and sausage quick hotpot.

It’s a funny time of year. One minute it’s all daffodils and tulips and cheerily-vibrant stems of rhubarb. The next moment, you foolishly step outside minus coat and scarf and the biting cold is still swiping round your ears as if we’ve entered a permanent Narnia-style Age of Winter.

I don’t know about you but I’ve pretty much exhausted my soup repertoire by now, even with a few encouraging spring veg creeping into season to pep things up a bit.

Although the chilly weather calls for comfort food and cosy warmth, I’m ready for something with a bit more bite and a flash of colour. Which is where my sausage and puy lentil stew charges into its own, like a one-pot spring saviour.

The peppery little French lentils are the perfect partner for generously-flavoured sausages, while throwing in chopped tomatoes adds a summery burst of colour that we all need to see us through the dregs of winter.

Hang on in there, friends. Summer is just around the corner.

SAUSAGES & PUY LENTIL HOTPOT

405 cals

Serves 2 • Ready in 8 minutes

2 tsp olive oil
100g (3½oz) mushrooms, washed and sliced
2 spring (green) onions, trimmed and chopped
2 good quality cooked pork sausages, sliced
4 med tomatoes, roughly chopped
250g (9oz) cooked puy lentils
Few drops worcestershire sauce

• Heat the oil on a high heat in a wide saucepan. Toss in the mushrooms and stir-fry until just cooked and tender. Add the spring (green) onions and sausages and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until warmed. Still on a high heat, add the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes.
• Finally add the puy lentils and worcestershire sauce and stir through until warmed. Season with a little salt and pepper and serve immediately.