Tomato Basil Lentils with Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables
I haven’t been to Tuscany yet, but in my imagination it tastes like this dish. Mediterranean vegetables roasted with your favorite extra virgin olive oil until mouthwateringly tender and layered on a bed of savory, summery, tomato basil infused red lentils.
The creamy texture of red lentils reminds me a little of risotto. But this variation is, of course, grain-free, dairy free, and higher in protein. And a pop of fresh basil and a little sweet corn really make the dish taste like everything good about summer.
Then, to top it off, we load those creamy tomato basil lentils up with an utterly melt-in-your-mouth mix of roasted vegetables. A hint of thyme gives them a bit of fragrance.
This dish tastes like dining on the patio–a little Italian-inspired indulgence you can enjoy without feeling the slightest bit weighed down.
Tomato Basil Red Lentils with Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables
Begin by preheating the oven to 450 F and spreading parchment paper over a baking sheet.
Next, wash and cut your vegetables–chopping the zucchini, carrots, and peppers into large chunks (about 1 inch). The veggies will shrivel in the oven so having large chunks will give them more presence on the plate. For the Asparagus, just snap off the large hard ends (To do this. hold the asparagus stalk in the middle and at the large end and then bend until part of the end snaps off. This will leave you with only the most edible tender parts of the stalk. Discard the hard ends).
Toss the veggies with 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil, 10 sprigs thyme, and 2 teaspoons flakey (smoked if you have it) salt. The most important veggies to coat here are the zucchini. If other vegetables aren’t perfectly coated (or you could even omit the olive oil completely for the peppers if you’d like to minimize your use of oil), its not a big deal. Place the tray in the oven, and allow the vegetables to roast for 40-60 minutes or until very tender with crisped edges.
While the vegetables are roasting, place the red lentils with 5 cups of water and vegetable bullion in a large pot and bring to a rolling boil. Then, reduce the heat and allow the lentils to simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the tomato concentrate, cherry tomatoes, garlic, and half the fresh basil (reserving half to add near the end of cooking). Allow to simmer another 10-20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the lentils from sticking to the bottom of the pot. As the lentils are being cooked in the liquid they will be served in and will not be drained of liquid, they will have a tendency to stick to the pan as they cook. Frequent stirring helps to prevent this.
Once the lentils are thick and very creamy, stir in half of the remainder of the fresh basil (keeping the last bit for use as a garnish) and remove the lentils from the heat. Add salt and cracked pepper to taste.
To serve, plate the lentils, and top with the roasted mixed vegetables. Garnish with the remaining fresh basil. And then eat it outside (or, you know, by a window) 🙂
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Servings 4
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 394
- % Daily Value *
- Cholesterol 0mg
- Potassium 1367mg40%
- Total Carbohydrate 68g23%
- Dietary Fiber 33g132%
- Sugars 8g
- Protein 28g57%
- Vitamin A 49%
- Vitamin C 38%
- Calcium 26%
- Iron 44%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Ingredients
Directions
Begin by preheating the oven to 450 F and spreading parchment paper over a baking sheet.
Next, wash and cut your vegetables–chopping the zucchini, carrots, and peppers into large chunks (about 1 inch). The veggies will shrivel in the oven so having large chunks will give them more presence on the plate. For the Asparagus, just snap off the large hard ends (To do this. hold the asparagus stalk in the middle and at the large end and then bend until part of the end snaps off. This will leave you with only the most edible tender parts of the stalk. Discard the hard ends).
Toss the veggies with 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil, 10 sprigs thyme, and 2 teaspoons flakey (smoked if you have it) salt. The most important veggies to coat here are the zucchini. If other vegetables aren’t perfectly coated (or you could even omit the olive oil completely for the peppers if you’d like to minimize your use of oil), its not a big deal. Place the tray in the oven, and allow the vegetables to roast for 40-60 minutes or until very tender with crisped edges.
While the vegetables are roasting, place the red lentils with 5 cups of water and vegetable bullion in a large pot and bring to a rolling boil. Then, reduce the heat and allow the lentils to simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the tomato concentrate, cherry tomatoes, garlic, and half the fresh basil (reserving half to add near the end of cooking). Allow to simmer another 10-20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the lentils from sticking to the bottom of the pot. As the lentils are being cooked in the liquid they will be served in and will not be drained of liquid, they will have a tendency to stick to the pan as they cook. Frequent stirring helps to prevent this.
Once the lentils are thick and very creamy, stir in half of the remainder of the fresh basil (keeping the last bit for use as a garnish) and remove the lentils from the heat. Add salt and cracked pepper to taste.
To serve, plate the lentils, and top with the roasted mixed vegetables. Garnish with the remaining fresh basil. And then eat it outside (or, you know, by a window) 🙂
Tomato Basil Lentils
with
Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables
Serves 4
Total Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Ingredients
for the roasted mediterranean vegetables…
- 2 large zucchini and/or summer squash, sliced lengthwise and chopped into 1 inch chunks
- 2 red or yellow bell peppers (I like to use two of each for extra color), roughly chopped into large chunks
- 400 grams carrots (about 4 medium), chopped into 1 inch chunks
- 200 grams asparagus (measured after hard ends have been trimmed)
- 2 teaspoons smoked sea salt (or substitute any coarse or flakey sea salt)
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme (or substitute 1 Tablespoon dry thyme)
- 1-2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
for the tomato basil lentil “risotto”…
- 400 grams dry red lentils
- 5 cups water
- 400 grams cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 vegetable bullion cubes
- 1 teaspoon high quality garlic granules (I like Simply Organics)
- 2 teaspoons herbs de provence (or substitute equal parts thyme, rosemary, and oregano)
- 1/4 cup tomato paste concentrate
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
- salt to taste
Preparation
- Begin by preheating the oven to 450 F and spreading parchment paper over a baking sheet.
- Next, wash and cut your vegetables–chopping the zucchini, carrots, and peppers into large chunks (about 1 inch). The veggies will shrivel in the oven so having large chunks will give them more presence on the plate. For the Asparagus, just snap off the large hard ends (To do this. hold the asparagus stalk in the middle and at the large end and then bend until part of the end snaps off. This will leave you with only the most edible tender parts of the stalk. Discard the hard ends).
- Toss the veggies with 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil, 10 sprigs thyme, and 2 teaspoons flakey (smoked if you have it) salt. The most important veggies to coat here are the zucchini. If other vegetables aren’t perfectly coated (or you could even omit the olive oil completely for the peppers if you’d like to minimize your use of oil), its not a big deal. Place the tray in the oven, and allow the vegetables to roast for 40-60 minutes or until very tender with crisped edges.
- While the vegetables are roasting, place the red lentils with 5 cups of water and vegetable bullion in a large pot and bring to a rolling boil. Then, reduce the heat and allow the lentils to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the tomato concentrate, cherry tomatoes, garlic, and half the fresh basil (reserving half to add near the end of cooking). Allow to simmer another 10-20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the lentils from sticking to the bottom of the pot. As the lentils are being cooked in the liquid they will be served in and will not be drained of liquid, they will have a tendency to stick to the pan as they cook. Frequent stirring helps to prevent this.
- Once the lentils are thick and very creamy, stir in half of the remainder of the fresh basil (keeping the last bit for use as a garnish) and remove the lentils from the heat. Add salt and cracked pepper to taste.
- To serve, plate the lentils, and top with the roasted mixed vegetables. Garnish with the remaining fresh basil. And then eat it outside (or, you know, by a window) 🙂
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