Prep the vegetables – dice the onion and red pepper.

In another medium pot or saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of neutral oil on medium high heat, then add the diced onion and red pepper. Add a big pinch of salt and give this a stir. Let cook for 5-6 minutes, or until soft. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

As the vegetables are cooking down, mince the garlic and prep the chard. Wash the chard, then strip the leaves from the stems. You can dice the stems and add this to the vegetables cooking, or you can discard. Set aside the leaves to prep in a few minutes.

Once the vegetables are soft, add in the garlic, tomato paste, vodka, and red pepper flake. Give everything a stir and let cook until you smell the garlic, about 1 minute. Add in the diced tomatoes, lentils, water, and another big pinch of salt. Let cook for 15 minutes on medium high heat, or until the lentils are soft. Once soft taste and adjust seasoning with more salt.

As the lentils are cooking, finish the chard prep. Roll the leaves, then slice the chard into 1/2” wide pieces. This doesn’t need to be perfect – you can rip pieces with your hands if you prefer. This would also be a great time to cook your pasta – bring a pot up to a boil, salt the water, and cook the short pasta according to package instructions. I like to use rigatoni pasta. When cooked, drain and rinse.

Once the lentils are soft, add this mixture to a blender along with the butter and 1/2 cup of water (you can also immersion blend if you prefer) and blend until smooth. Keep this mixture in the blender as you finish the remaining ingredients.

Give your sauce pan a quick rinse. Heat this pan on medium high heat, then add the sausage. Break into pieces and begin to let this brown – about 2-3 minutes. Add the chard to to sausage and a pinch of salt, and let the chard cook down until tender, about another 4-5 minutes. Add the blended sauce back into the pan, add the heavy cream, taste adjust seasoning as desired, and serve with the pasta.