This Creamy Lentil Stew features tender green lentils swimming in a creamy spinach broth studded with caramelized oyster mushrooms and nuggets of honey garlic sausage.
Place the sausage meat in a large enamel-coated cast iron pot and place over medium heat. Saute the sausage until the meat is cooked through, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the sausage meat with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl. Set aside. If you're not using sausage meat, simply heat a ¼ cup of olive oil until shimmering.
Add the mushrooms to the pot and let cook undisturbed for a moment or two. Once caramelized, flip the mushrooms and repeat on the opposite side. When the mushrooms have a good amount of color on all sides, remove them from the pot and set aside.
If the pot is looking a little dry at this point, feel free to add a little olive oil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the shallots with a healthy pinch of salt. Saute until softened. Stir in the leeks and, once again, saute until softened. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the lentils to the pot and toss to coat. Deglaze the pot with the white wine and pour in the vegetable stock. Add the bay leaves, herbes de Provence, and a healthy pinch of salt. Bring the mixture up to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook, uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
While the lentils are cooking, place the spinach in a food processor and blitz until it resembles mulch. With the food processor running, slowly stream in the cream. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside.
Once the lentils are tender, return the sausage and mushrooms to the pot. Stir in the red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard and add the spinach/cream puree. Bring the stew back up to temperature, then take it off of the heat. Taste and season with salt accordingly. Divide into bowls and finish with an extra splash of cream. Serve immediately.
Notes
**You can sub the sausages for 1/4 cup of olive oil if you want to keep things veg.