Baked Roots & Lentils
Hi I’m Evangeline! Welcome to my blog. I am mom and lover of all things health and wellness. By profession- a Registered Massage Therapist and Yoga & Ayurveda consultant. I started this blog back in the early days of Covid19 as a way to stay in touch with my clients, and it’s grown into a space to share what I love most. Here you’ll find health tips and nourishing recipes I make for my family, sprinkled with Ayurveda and Yoga wisdom. My hope is that these posts inspire you to care for yourself in small, joyful ways and feel a little more balanced in everyday life.
All together now… (😀got that Beatles song in mind.) For this recipe, everything is baked all together- root vegetables and lentils in one simple dish. I’m not entirely sure what first inspired this all-in-one meal. Likely created during a gathering for the sake of time- something simple, colourful, and nourishing, without compromising on flavour. What I do know is that it has become a go-to for gatherings, especially in the fall and winter when there’s such a variety of root vegetables to choose from. Over the years, I’ve used many different legumes, including red lentils, split mung beans, split black gram, beluga lentils, and French lentils. I recommend soaking split lentils for 10–15 minutes before baking, and soaking whole lentils overnight to soften the husk. Family and friends always love this dish- it’s healthy, comforting, perfect for holiday gatherings, and during the colder months of the year.
Baked Roots & Lentils
Yields: 5-6 main servings or 7-9 servings as a side dish
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 50-60 minutes
Baking Temperature: 350°F/177°C
INGREDIENTS
¾ cup split mung beans
2 Tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 tsp olive oil for coating the lentils/beans
3 carrots
2 celery stalks
3 sweet potatoes - I used 1 of each Japanese, garnet and purple
½ head cauliflower
1 handful of Brussels sprouts
1 turnip
1 zucchini
1 Chinese watermelon radish (optional)
1 beet (optional)
2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary or 1 Tablespoon dried
2 Tablespoons fresh thyme or 1 Tablespoon dried
2 fresh sage leaves
2 tsps ground fennel
1 tsp coriander
½ tsp cumin
¼ tsp turmeric
1 tsp of natural salt
Ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350F.
Soak lentils while prepping the vegetables, and rinse well. If using whole and not split lentils, soak overnight and rinse well the next day. After rinsing, place in a bowl and add 1 tsp of olive oil to coat them. Set aside.
Peel and cut the vegetables, in chunky pieces, about the same size. Cut zucchini in rounds about ½ inch thick so they don’t go soggy.
Drizzle the bottom of the dish with olive oil. Place all ingredients in a casserole dish, sprinkle all the herbs, spices, olive oil, salt and pepper, and combine all together- hands work best here.
Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes, covered.
Serve fresh out of the oven drizzled with a bit of olive oil and fresh ground pepper.
Enjoy!
