For me, the first crisp winds of fall mean two things: sweatah weathah and pressure cooker weathah. It's this time of year when I pull out my Instant Pot to make stews, beans, and soups, which all come out relatively quickly and easily thanks to the temperature-raising effects of pressure. One of my favorite pressure cooker recipes for the fall is this comforting, saucy dish in which savory sausages and earthy lentils braise together for a weeknight-friendly dinner that's ready in under 30 minutes.
Perfecting Savory Lentils and Sausage in a Pressure Cooker
Lentils are one of my favorite ingredients to cook; they're one of those simple and humble foods that, when cooked properly, transform into something remarkable. And while they are one of the faster cooking beans, they can be notoriously tricky to cook until tender and intact without accidentally turning them into a mushy sludge. But, with proper use of a pressure cooker (more on that below), pressure cooking lentils is a foolproof method for evenly cooked, not mushy legumes.
Sauté the aromatics. A lot of pressure cooker recipes will have you just dump, stir, and cook your way to a subpar recipe, all in the name of extreme ease and speed. But it’s worth taking a few minutes to use the pressure cooker’s sauté function and sweat the aromatics in a bit of oil, just as you would in a pot on the stovetop. Sautéing the aromatics—onion, apple, thyme, garlic, cumin—before adding the chicken stock and lentils develops and deepens their flavor and infuses it into the stewed lentils.
Add an apple. It’s not traditionally thought of as an aromatic ingredient, but I like to include a tart green apple like Granny Smith for a hint of fruity acidity to round out the savory flavor of the lentils. When chopped and cooked under pressure, the apple melts into the stewed beans, guaranteeing a hint of sweetness in every bite of stew.
Cook everything together. Aside from complementing each other's flavor, sausage and lentils are also a common pairing for a more practical reason: they cook at relatively the same rate. This holds true when using a pressure cooker. In this recipe, I nestle the sausages into the lentils and then cook them together under pressure. After just nine minutes at high pressure, the lentils will be saucy and tender but still intact and the sausage juicy and plump, with their flavors infused throughout.
Let sit before releasing pressure. In our deep dive into how pressure cookers work, Tim Chin explains that there are three ways for releasing pressure before opening a pressure cooker: natural release, quick release, and cold water release. Cold water release isn't really an option for electric multi-cookers like an Instant Pot, since you don't want to run water over an electronic device (it can be used on stovetop pressure cookers, however).
Quick release, as the name implies, involves opening the pressure release valve immediately after cooking to allow steam inside the pot to rapidly escape. Doing so lowers the temperature quickly, but it also means that the contents inside the pot will begin to boil vigorously—something that doesn't happen when the contents are under pressure. I found that quickly releasing the pressure created so much movement inside the pot that it caused the sausages to split open and turned the lentils from tender and intact to mushy.
Instead, it’s best to briefly naturally release some pressure before opening. A natural release with a multicooker involves simply letting the pot sit off heat for some time to allow the temperature to gradually decrease until the spring-loaded lock disengages. I found letting the pot sit and naturally release pressure for just ten minutes, before releasing the remaining pressure via the quick-release method, ensured that both the lentils and sausage remained unbroken. Since there is significant carryover cooking during the ten-minute natural release wait time, I actually intentionally undercook the sausages and lentils during the at-pressure stage so that by the time the lid is opened and it’s ready to serve, everything is properly cooked.
Finish strong. For a final hit of bright, fresh flavor, I stir in a bit of vinegar (I used apple cider, though white white wine or sherry vinegar, or even lemon juice would work), chopped parsley leaves, and a big drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
In under 30 minutes from start to finish, the efficient high heat of a pressure cooker results in spoon-tender sausage and lentils enveloped in an intensely flavored broth that clings to every lentil. It’s a perfect pressah-cookin’–sweatah-weathah recipe.
In an electric pressure cooker or multi-cooker such as an Instant Pot, heat oil using the sauté function until shimmering. Add onion and salt and cook, stirring often, until softened and beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in apple, thyme, cumin, and garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add broth, lentils, and bay leaf and stir to combine. Nestle sausage links into lentils. Lock lid in place and close pressure release valve. Select high pressure function, bring to pressure, then cook at pressure for 9 minutes. Turn off the electric pressure cooker and let sit untouched to let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Quick-release any remaining pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.
Stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer sausage to a cutting board and slice sausage on bias into 1-inch pieces. Transfer lentils to individual serving dishes or a large serving platter and top with sliced sausage. Sprinkle with fresh chives or parsley, if using, and drizzle with additional oil to serve.
Special Equipment
Electric or stovetop pressure cooker (for stovetop cooker, see notes)
Notes
If using a stovetop pressure cooker, cook the onion and aromatics as directed over medium-high heat, then proceed with recipe, bringing cooker to high pressure before cooking at high-pressure for 9 minutes; let stand before using cold-water method or quick-release method to fully depressurize.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
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