Name: Roasted Broccoli and Sweet Potato Lentil Bowls
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 large sweet potato (halved and very thinly sliced (5 mm / 1/5 in.)); 1 head of broccoli (cut into large florets); 1 small onion (halved and thinly sliced); 4 large cloves of garlic (skin on); 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil oil; 1/2 teaspoon ground sumac*; 1/2 teaspoon cumin; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (to taste); 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes (to taste); 150 grams cooked brown (black, or green lentils); Nuts and pomegranate seeds (for topping (optional)); 4 cloves roasted garlic (skin removed); 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; Juice of a lemon (~3 tablespoons); 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup; 1/4 teaspoon sea salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

A long-time favourite lentil bowl, this simple dinner is made up of cooked lentils mixed with roasted broccoli, sweet potato, and onion. Cloves of garlic are roasted alongside the other vegetables, skin on, to make a sweet roasted garlic vinaigrette for topping.

This is a great low effort meal, ideal for weeknights or after work. If you cook and refrigerate or freeze lentils in advance (I recommend it – a jar of frozen lentils is a lifesaver), it’s as easy as roasting a pan of veg.

The lemony garlic vinaigrette steals the show here. Roasting garlic in single cloves is must faster and you still get that great flavour, without using up a whole head. You can use this trick in other recipes like my Moroccan roasted vegetable salad.

Ingredients

Brown Lentils: or green, or black – as long as they hold their texture after cooking. Salt the lentil cooking water for a better overall flavour, like you would for pasta or rice.
Sweet Potato: be sure to cut to the recommended size to avoid the broccoli charring before the sweet potato is cooked.
Broccoli: regular (Calabrese) broccoli or purple sprouting, if you have it in late winter.
Onion: red is my preference, but any type of onion (or shallot) will work here.
Garlic: roasted, skin on, for a sweet roasted garlic addition to the lentil bowl.
Olive Oil: for roasting the vegetables and for the vinaigrette.
Spices: sumac, cumin, hot pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
Lemon: this is a lemon vinaigrette, but you could sub a splash of apple cider or white wine vinegar.

Method

This is very simple – if you have cooked lentils already on hand, it’s as easy as roasting some vegetables and whipping up a dressing.

Vegetables on a baking sheet before cooking. — Add the vegetables to a pan with the oil and spices.

Roasted broccoli, sweet potato, red onion, and garlic on a sheet tray. — Add the vegetables to a pan with the oil and spices.

Notes and Substitutions

If you don’t have sweet potato on hand, carrots or pumpkin make a good substitution. Both tend to take a bit longer to cook, so you may want to add them to the oven slightly in advance of the broccoli.

Try mixing some hardy greens in with the vegetables right after they come out of the oven. If you like kale chips, you can also cook kale alongside the other veg right in the tray and it’ll crisp right up.

Change up the spices based on your preference. Coriander is excellent here. If you don’t have sumac, simply add the zest of the lemon to substitute.

The size for the sweet potato slices is quite specific because otherwise they cook too slowly compared to the broccoli. Large pieces of broccoli and small slices of sweet potato are needed here.

Top with any seeds or nuts you like. Pomegranate adds a bit of sweetness, but dates, raisins, or dried cranberries are all good too.

More Lentil Recipes

Lentil and Greens Patties
Lentil and Potato Stew
Rice, Lentil, and Butternut Squash Soup
Lentil Bolognese

More Bowl Food

Summer Harvest Burrito Bowl
Moroccan Chickpea, Sweet Potato, and Quinoa Bowls
Summer Greek Chickpea Salad
Winter Goodness Bowl

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