A Midweek Hero
Some meals don’t need much explaining. Pork sausages, lentils and a zingy salsa verde, is one of those combinations that just works—comforting, savoury, and deeply satisfying.
- SERVES: 4 – 6
- PREP TIME: 5 mins
- COOKING TIME: 30 mins
- DIFFICULTY: easy
- IDEAL FOR: midweek meal, healthy
- BUDGET: £
Add a sharp, herby salsa verde and suddenly you’ve got something that feels a bit special, even on a Wednesday night when everyone’s tired and hungry.
This is the kind of food I love most: unfussy, nourishing, and adaptable. It’s not trying to be clever. It’s just good food, done well.
Pork Sausages, Lentils and a Zingy Salsa Verde
Why This Is Such a Good Midweek Meal
Midweek dinners need to tick a few boxes. They should be:
- Filling without being heavy
- Nutritious without feeling worthy
- Quick enough to make without stress
Sausages and lentils manage all three.
Lentils bring fibre, plant protein, and slow-release energy, which means this meal keeps you full and steady rather than reaching for snacks an hour later.
Pair them with good-quality pork sausages and you’ve got a balance of protein, fats, and carbs that feels genuinely sustaining.
The salsa verde is what stops it from feeling beige. It cuts through the richness of the sausages and lifts the whole dish with freshness and acidity.
One spoonful and everything wakes up.
Buying High-Welfare Pork: Why It Matters
If you’re going to keep things simple, ingredients really matter. Sausages vary wildly in quality, and this is where buying high-welfare pork makes a noticeable difference.
High-welfare sausages tend to have:
- A higher meat content
- Better flavour and texture
- Fewer fillers and additives
But it’s not just about taste. Higher welfare usually means pigs that have been reared with more space, better diets, and less stress. That shows up in the meat—firmer, juicier, and far more porky.
You don’t need the fanciest butcher in the land, just look for sausages with clear labelling, a high pork percentage, and minimal ingredients. You’ll need fewer of them to feel satisfied, which often balances out the cost.
Lentils: Not All the Same (and That’s a Good Thing)
Lentils are one of the most useful things you can have in the cupboard, but they’re not interchangeable.
- Green or Puy lentils hold their shape well and bring a slightly nutty flavour—great if you want texture alongside the sausages.
- Brown lentils are softer and more forgiving, ideal for soaking up pan juices.
- Red lentils break down quickly and are better for soups and dals than this kind of dish.
Using tinned lentils is absolutely fine midweek—just rinse them well to get rid of excess starch and salt. If you’ve cooked them from scratch, even better, but this isn’t the meal to be precious about.
A Quick, Punchy Salsa Verde (The Only “Recipe” You Need)
This is not an authentic Italian salsa verde, just a fast, fridge-friendly version that delivers big flavour with very little effort.
You’ll need:
- Parsley, mint, and basil (a good handful of each)
- 1 small clove of garlic
- A pinch of chilli flakes
- 1–2 anchovies
- A squeeze of lime
- Olive oil
Finely chop the herbs, garlic, and anchovies together (or blitz briefly if you must). Stir in the chilli flakes, lime juice, and enough olive oil to loosen it into a spoonable sauce. Taste and adjust—more lime for sharpness, more oil for richness.
That’s it. No ceremony required.
Simple Food, Thoughtfully Chosen
This is the kind of meal that reminds you healthy food doesn’t have to look like a spreadsheet. It can be comforting, rich, and deeply enjoyable—especially when you choose good ingredients and let them do the work.
Pork sausages, lentils, and salsa verde: humble, balanced, and exactly what a midweek dinner should be.
If you’re looking for some high-welfare pork, check out Freybors
Pork Sausages, Lentils and a Zingy Salsa Verde
Ingredients
- 6 high-welfare pork sausages
- 300 g lentils
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced or sliced
- chicken stock, enough to cover the lentils by approx 1 cm
- 300 g kale, chopped
- salt and pepper for seasoning
Salsa verde
- a handful each of parsely, basil, and mint
- 4 anchovies
- 2 tsp chilli flakes or fresh chilli
- 1 pinch of sea salt
- 1-2 cloves of garlic
- olive oil
- 1 lime
Instructions
Salsa verde
- Take a handful each of mint, parsley, basil and make a pile. Chop roughly.Add a pinch of sea salt, garlic, anchovies and chilli to the herbs and a dash of olive oil and chop everthing together to combine (you may want to add a dash of olive oil)Place in a bowl, add a squeeze of lime and add a good glug of olive oil, mix, check the seasoning and set aside.
- In a pan, add some olive oil and sweat off the onion and garlic. Then add your lentils and coat them in the oil, onions and garlic. (nb: make sure you check the packet on how they should be prepared i.e. did they need soaking pre-cooking?) Pour in the stock to cover the lentils by about 1 cm. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 mins or until the lentils are tender.nb: approx. 10 mins before they are down, add the kale
- In a frying pan, cook your pork sausages until golden brown.Now, make sure you've added the Kale to the lentils and when ready, serve the lentils and kale with the sausages on top and a good dollop of salsa verde
