Spicy Italian Sausage and Lentil Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 small pepper hot chopped
• 1 cup beluga lentils black
• 14 ounce canned tomatoes diced canned
• 8 ounce crimini mushrooms sliced
• 1  eggplant chopped
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 4 servings salt and ground pepper black to taste
• 4  mild sausage links to package directions and coin italian hot
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1  onion chopped
• 1 pinch salt 
• 2.5 cups water 

Equipment

• pot
• cutting board

Directions

1. Combine lentils, water, and salt in a large pot; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook at a simmer until the lentils are tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes.
2. While the lentils cook, heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Cook and stir onion in hot oil until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
3. Add sausage links to the pot; cook until browned completely, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Stir garlic into the onion mixture; cook and stir until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Add mushrooms, eggplant, and hot pepper to the pot; season with salt and black pepper.
5. Pour diced tomatoes over the vegetable mixture.
6. Place a cover on the pot and cook at a simmer until the sausage is no longer pink the middle, about 10 minutes.
7. Remove the sausages from the vegetable mixture to a cutting board; cut into chunks and stir into the lentils. Stir vegetable mixture into the lentils. Cover pot and cook until the vegetables are tender and the flavors blend, about 5 minutes.