Casserole of Lentils, Rice, and Sausage

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked brown rice or Uncle Ben's Converted Rice
• 1 cup uncooked brown or green lentils
• 5 links Hot turkey Italian sausage or Italian sausage
• 2 small onions, chopped in 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 T plus 2 T olive oil
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1-2 dried bay leaves
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• Salt/pepper to taste
• Chopped parsley for serving, optional
• Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese for serving, optional

Directions

1. Cook the rice in a rice cooker or according to the package directions, then set it aside to cool. If you’ve got frozen rice waiting in the freezer, thaw that instead.
2. Put the lentils in a saucepan, cover them with water, and add the bay leaves. Let them simmer until they’re starting to soften, about 30 minutes.
3. While the rice and lentils are doing their thing, warm 1 T olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan. Remove the sausage from the casings, add it to the pan, and cook it until it’s deeply browned, breaking it apart as it cooks.
4. Once the sausage is browned, transfer it to a bowl and wipe the pan clean with a paper towel. Add 2 T olive oil to the pan, then stir in the chopped onions and cook them over very low heat until they’re well browned. Don’t try to hurry this along; it will take at least 20 minutes, and probably more. When the onions are browned, add the garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes.
5. Heat the oven to 350 F/180C. When the lentils are ready, drain them thoroughly, discard the bay leaf, and add the lentils to the frying pan with the onions, rice, and sausage. Season with salt/pepper to taste. Pour in 1/2 cup chicken stock, stir everything together, and transfer the mixture to a small casserole dish.
6. Cover the dish with a lid or foil and bake for 30 minutes. Take it out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. Serve warm, with chopped parsley if you’d like, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese if desired.
7. This freezes well, and you can freeze it in individual-size servings for work lunches.