This root vegetable stew is flecked with sausage and topped with whole-wheat herbed dumplings. Turn up the heat by using hot Italian sausage or make it crowd-pleasing with sweet sausage. If you find beets or turnips with their greens still attached, the greens of one bunch should yield just enough for this dish. Otherwise use whatever dark leafy greens look fresh at the market.

Makes 6 servings, about 1 1/2 cups stew & 3 dumplings each

ACTIVE TIME: 50 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour

EASE OF PREPARATION: Moderate

Stew
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
8 ounces Italian sausage links, hot or sweet
2 pounds assorted root vegetables, peeled (see Tip) and diced
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or rosemary
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 cups chopped dark, leafy greens, such as beet, turnip or kale

Dumplings
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or rosemary
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup low-fat milk

1. To prepare stew: Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add sausages and cook until browned on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a clean cutting board. Let cool slightly and cut into 1-inch pieces.
2. If using parsnips, quarter lengthwise and remove the woody core before dicing. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until barely tender, about 4 minutes. Add root vegetables and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and sage (or rosemary) and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth and bring to a simmer, stirring often.
3. To prepare dumplings: Meanwhile, whisk whole-wheat flour, cake flour, sage (or rosemary), baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add egg and milk and stir until a stiff batter forms.
4. When the stew reaches a simmer, stir in greens and the sausage and return to a simmer. Drop the dough, about 1 tablespoon at a time, over the stew, making about 18 dumplings. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and cook undisturbed until the dumplings are puffed, the vegetables are tender and the sausage is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 403 calories; 17 g fat (5 g sat, 8 g mono); 69 mg cholesterol; 45 g carbohydrate; 16 g protein; 7 g fiber; 815 mg sodium; 744 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (150% daily value), Vitamin C (45% dv), Folate (27% dv).
2 1/2 Carbohydrate Servings
Exchanges: 2 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 high-fat meat, 1 fat

TIP: Tip: Beets, carrots and parsnips are easily peeled with a vegetable peeler, but for tougher-skinned roots like celeriac, rutabaga and turnips, removing the peel with a knife can be easier. Cut off one end of the root to create a flat surface to keep it steady on the cutting board. Follow the contour of the vegetable with your knife. If you use a vegetable peeler on the tougher roots, peel around each vegetable at least three times to ensure all the fibrous skin has been removed.

I just finished making this and am tasting a bit before dinner. I think it is fantastic!! Great recipe.I do not agree with the previous poster about the dumplings-- maybe you forgot baking soda? The dumplings are definitely on the cakey side-- not soft and doughy, but based on the ingredients I think this is to be expected. I did add an extra egg to the batter, though, because it did not appear to hold up well with just one egg. I made the stew with the following alterations/ingredients: Used sweet potatoes, turnips, rutabaga, parsnips for the root veggies Used crumbled turkey Italian sausage, not pork links, and about 4-5 cups kale Also, I added an extra egg to the batter and used a 1 T of dried thyme and 1-2 T of dried rosemary between the stew and the dough. I did not use fresh. I recommend this recipe! It is wonderful!

Katie, Corvallis, OR

The stew itself was quite good (I would give it 3 stars), but the dumplings were a complete dud (and they were what attracted me to the recipe). As hard as lead and about as tasty. Anyone have any idea what might have gone wrong with them?

Robin, Palo Alto, CA

The stew alone was tasty -- we used 1 link of sweet and 1 hot sausage, parsnips, carrot, beats, rutabaga, celaric and kale (our CSA has been prolific with the root veggies!). The dumplings, on the other hand, were simply awful. I've made dumpling/stew recipes before with much success, but these were just grainy and flat. My partner is plucking them out of the pot and disposing of them in an attempt to salvage what's left of the stew as I type.

Julie, Peekskill, NY

I loved this recipe. I used beets, parsnips, rutabaga, celeriac, carrots, and turnips. I used spicy chicken sausage instead of regular sausage. And I found the dumplings to be DELICIOUS!!!

Shannon Morehouse, Easton, PA

My husband was pleasantly surprised by the lightness and fluffiness of these dumplings. I used beets and turnips, cutting them into half-inch dice, and I found that turnips cook much faster than beets. At the end of Step 4, the dumplings and turnips were perfect, but the beets were still pretty hard.

Tina, Bellingham, WA

It was a quick and easy recipe to prepare. I used vegan sausage in place of meat sausage, it was really good. Would def recomend this recipe

Jennifer, Accord, NY

This was a major crowd pleaser, and easy on the budget. I used celery root, 2 bunches of beets with their greens, and a bunch of carrots with their greens, sage and a pound of sweet Italian sausage, fresh from the butcher. It turned out sweet and delicious. It did seem a little low on liquid, so I added about 2 cups of beef broth (I had it in the fridge -- I would have added chicken otherwise). But it was very nice and hearty just the same - I kind of like that this is a "throw whatever you have in the pantry into this and it'll work" kind of recipe. I didn't do the dumplings. Will definitely make this again.

A cook from San Fran, San Francisco, CA