SAUSAGE & FENNEL MEATBALLS WITH LENTILS

Sausage & fennel meatballs with lentils image

Sausage and mash with a healthier twist - roll your bangers into patties and serve with parsley pulses

Provided by Jane Hornby

Time 1h5m

Number Of Ingredients 13

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Ingredients

450g pack low-fat sausage
1 tsp fennel seed , crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion , finely chopped
2 medium carrots , finely chopped
1 fennel bulb , trimmed and finely sliced
2 garlic cloves , crushed
100ml full-bodied red wine
200g puy lentils
1 tbsp tomato purée
850ml hot chicken or beef stock
juice ½ lemon
handful parsley , chopped, to serve

Steps:

Squeeze the meat from the sausages into a large bowl. Add the fennel seeds and mix well with your hands. Shape the meat into 16 walnut-sized balls.
Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Fry the meatballs for 5 mins, turning regularly, until golden but not completely cooked through. Remove to a plate.
Add the rest of the oil to the pan, tip in the onion, carrots and fennel, cover and let the veg sweat over a gentle heat for 10 mins until softened. Stir now and then.
Uncover the vegetables, turn up the heat and let them start to colour here and there. Stir in the garlic, sizzle for 1 min, then splash in the wine and let it reduce by half. Stir in the lentils, tomato purée and stock. Cover and simmer for 25 mins or until the lentils are almost tender. Add the sausageballs, plus a splash of water if the pan is looking a little dry. Cover and simmer for a further 10 mins until the meat is cooked through. Squeeze over the lemon juice, season to taste and scatter with parsley to serve.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 459 calories, Fat 16 grams fat, SaturatedFat 5 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 39 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 9 grams sugar, Fiber 13 grams fiber, Protein 35 grams protein, Sodium 3.1 milligram of sodium