Jacqueline Casey 
I cannot cook lentils. I’ve tried many times with varying degrees of unsuccessfulness, most of the time resulting in a mushy mess. Then I discovered pre-cooked and pre-steamed lentils. Not only does it guarantee the perfect cooked lentil, but it also means recipes like this are ready in just 20 minutes. I love lentils too, because they are part of the legume family, they are a great naturally gluten-free option. They are low in fat and high in protein. This recipe is perfect for a light dinner and will feed 4, but is also a great side-dish/appetizer and can serve 6-8. The mild and earthly lentils get lots of flavor from the baby spinach sautéed in garlic and then the salty and seasoned soppressata.
Options, Substitutions and Tips!
- If unlike me, you are able to cook/steam lentils, you could also use uncooked lentils and cook them or steam them prior and then follow along with the recipe (and maybe also tell me what I am doing wrong?).
- In many of my recipes I give the option of substituting garlic powder for garlic cloves, but because there are so few ingredients in this recipe, I recommend using fresh garlic for sautéing the spinach in.
- I also recommend using fresh spinach instead of a frozen chopped spinach or canned spinach. You could substitute regular spinach for baby spinach.
- What is soppressata? Soppressata is an Italian dried pork sausage. It is similar to a Hard Salami. For this recipe you could use Sopressata or any dry Italian Salami, or even Chorizo, but you will want to use the cured meat that comes in a log shape so you are able to cut it in small cubes (not one of the thinly sliced options that you would use for a sandwich).
- Taste a bit before seasoning with salt. I found because the sopressata gave off so much of a salty flavor, it did not need any additional salt or seasoning, so I recommend trying a bite with all the components and then seasoning just a little at a time.
- I prefer this dish hot or warm, but like most lentil dishes, you could serve also serve this room temperature or cold.
Lentils with Spinach & Soppressata
Spinach is sautéed in fresh garlic then mixed with Lentils and Soppressata. This is a great fast (only 20 minutes!) light main dish or a side dish with lots of flavor.
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 6 oz. Baby Spinach
- 1 lb. Steamed or Cooked Lentils
- 6 oz. Soppressata ((Italian Dry Salami) )
- ¼ tsp Salt ((optional))
Chop 3 cloves of garlic. Heat olive oil in large pan or wok then add garlic and sauté on medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
Add baby spinach and stir to coat with olive oil and garlic. Cook just until spinach begins to wilt about 2-3 minutes.
Add cooked lentils and stir to mix with spinach. Occasionally stir lentils until they are heated, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, dice soppressata into small-sized cubes.
Add soppressata and stir to mix into lentils and spinach. Optional-add a little bit of salt to season (but taste prior to adding any additional seasoning).
