This lentil, sweet pepper, spinach, and linguica dish is a wonderful combination of ingredients and flavors.
This lentil and spinach dish is loaded with protein, fiber, and nutrients.. and it's delicious too. There's no guilt in going back for seconds.
In addition, any leftovers make fantastic soup. Two recipes in one! If you have anyone in your house who turns their nose up to leftovers, the soup will win them over. In fact, if you don't tell them, they might not even know!
Ingredients in This Lentil, Pepper, and Spinach Dish:
Lentils: Lentils are legumes, similar to beans. They are high in plant-based protein and fiber, and easy to cook due to their small size. They typically come canned or dried. I used steamed lentils from Melissa's Produce, which are fully cooked, vacuum sealed, and can be eaten right out of the package.
Long Sweet Peppers: They are newer to the market and are a great substitute for bell peppers, especially red, orange, or yellow bell peppers. They are sweet, juicy, and cruncy.
Baby Spinach: You will need one pound of baby spinach. Rest assured, the spinach will shrink quite a bit as it cooks.
Linguica Sausage: Linguica is a sausage that is seasoned and smoked, and is popular in Portugal, Brazil, and most of the former colonies of Portugal. It should be fully cooked when you purchase it.
Additional Ingredients: Butter, olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper.
To Convert the Leftovers into Soup: Four cups of chicken broth, water, and elbow macaroni or another pasta of your choice.
To Make This Dish:
First, in a large pan, heat the oil and the butter and then add the sliced sausage and minced garlic. Just heat them through.
Next, add the spinach and cook it, stirring, until it begins to wilt. Add the sweet peppers, some salt and pepper, and stir.
Finally, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lentils. Serve right away.
To Turn Leftovers into Soup:
Because the cooked spinach continues to wilt when you reheat the dish, it doesn't make the best leftovers. To make soup, first add four cups of chicken broth and one half cup of water to a saucepan and then add about five ounces of dried macaroni.
Next, cook the pasta in the broth until it reaches al dente.
Finally, add your leftover lentil and spinach dish to the broth and macaroni and cook it till it heats through. The soup actually keeps well in the refrigerator and makes great leftovers!
Recipe Variations:
You can substitute bell peppers (but not green) for the sweet long peppers.
I really love the convenience of the Melissa's steamed lentils, which my grocery store carries, but you can easily substitute your own cooked lentils or canned lentils. If you use canned, be sure to rinse them first.
For the soup, you can easily substitute vegetable stock or broth. You can also omit the pasta if you prefer.
Tip: On day one, be sure to not overcook the spinach. At first it will seem like you are adding a huge amount, but it shrinks pretty quickly.
"L" is for Lemon, Lamb, Lentils, Lavender, and More!
As part of the 2026 Alphabet Challenge, we are sharing recipes that begin with "L" or include ingredients or methods that that begin with "L”:
- Deviled Eggs with Lemon Caper Remoulade from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Easy Lamb Shoulder Roast from Food Lust People Love
- Greek Pork Chops from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Instant Pot Spicy Moroccan Lamb and Lentil Stew from A Messy Kitchen
- Lasooni Palak from Mayuri’s Jikoni
- Lemon Lavender Scones from Blogghetti
- Lemon Lush from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Lentil Pasta from Mildly Indian
- Lentils, Sweet Peppers, Spinach, and Linguica from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Low Carb 2 Ingredient Oats Bread from Sneha’s Recipe
Last year (2025) for the letter "L," I made a Lychee Martini. Cheers! For 2024 I made Barbecue Pork Lo Mein. The pork is like meat candy!
Lentils, Sweet Peppers, Spinach and Linguica (Plus Soup)
This lentil, sweet pepper, spinach, and linguica dish is a wonderful combination of ingredients and flavors.
Ingredients
- 9 ounces of cooked lentils
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 pound linguica sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound baby spinach, washed and spun dry
- 1 cup diced sweet long peppers (stems and seeds removed)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups chicken broth or stock
- 1/2 cup water
- 5 ounces dried elbow macaroni
Instructions
- In a large pan, heat the butter and the oil. Add the linguica and the garlic and cook until just heated through.
- Add the spinach and cook, stirring regularly, until the spinach begins to wilt. Add the peppers and season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Stir in the lentils and serve.
- In a four quart saucepan, bring the broth and water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions until al dente. Stir in the leftovers and heat through.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
268Fat (grams)
19 gSat. Fat (grams)
6 gCarbs (grams)
14 gFiber (grams)
5 gNet carbs
8 gSugar (grams)
2 gProtein (grams)
12 gCholesterol (grams)
37 mgRecipe adapted from Melissa's Produce. Chef Tom Fraker.
