Roasted Vegetables and Black Lentils with Tahini Dressing is a filling, high fiber meal that is vegan and gluten free, and full of flavorful spices.
What are black lentils?
Have you tried black lentils yet? If you haven't, you really should. I love them (if you can't tell), and this is my third black lentil recipe on the blog. What makes them different than other lentils (like red or brown), is they don't soften and break down as much when cooking. Like French (green) lentils, they keep their shape, and are still nice and firm when you eat them. Not mush.
If you're really not sure what to do with lentils, let me give you some inspiration with this recipe for Roasted Vegetables with Black Lentils and Tahini Dressing. You can also see below for my other links to more black lentil recipes.
Since this recipe meets the requirements for a lot of different special diets (gluten free, vegan, dairy free, soy free, nut free) it is perfect for a dinner party. You could serve it as a side dish with some roasted meat, or as a delicious meatless main course.
The recipe calls for asparagus and brussels sprouts, but if you don't have one, or one is not in season, just substitute an equal portion of the other (eg. instead of using 4 ounces of each brussels sprouts and asparagus, just use a total of 8 ounces brussels sprouts). Or you can easily substitute an equal amount of broccoli.
Want more black lentil recipes?
Roasted Veggies with Black Lentils and Tahini Dressing Nutrition Notes:
The nutrition info in the recipe includes one serving (⅙ of the recipe) of the roasted veggies, lentils, and dressing. This dish is high in fiber.
Roasted Vegetables with Black Lentils and Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry black lentils
- kosher salt
- 1 cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
- 3 medium carrots, peeled, and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 4 ounces brussels sprouts, trimmed, and halved or quartered if large (see note)
- 4 ounces apsaragus, tough ends removed and cut into 1 inch pieces (see note)
- 8 cloves garlic, peeled and halved if large
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- pinch cayenne pepper
Tahini Dressing
- 2 Tablespoons tahini
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- pinch cayenne
- water, as needed, to thin
Instructions
- Add 1 cup black lentils and ½ teaspoon salt to a small saucepan. Add just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer until tender (about 20 minutes). (Make sure to watch the water level of the lentils while they cook - continue to add small amounts to ensure that the lentils remain covered, but you want to avoid adding too much as it will cause them to lose their color).
- Move oven rack to lower middle position and heat to 425°F. Toss together the cauliflower, carrots, brussels sprouts, asparagus, garlic, olive oil, cumin, smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, cinnamon, coriander, and cayenne in a large bowl. Spread the vegetable mixture on a large baking sheet and cook until softened and golden brown, about 25-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
- Transfer the roasted vegetables to a large serving bowl. Top with the cooked lentils.
Tahini Dressing
- Whisk together the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne. If the dressing is too thick for your taste, add water in very small amounts until you get the consistency you like.
- Pour the dressing over the lentils and vegetables. Toss, if desired. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer: I try my best to make sure the nutrition information I provide is accurate to provide you with the best information possible. However, due to ingredient discrepancies and other factors, the above nutrition information should be considered an estimation only.
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