It’s been a little quiet around here, so apologies for the radio silence (or sizzle, in the case of recipes). You see, I’ve been off on a quest of sorts – not so much finding myself, but making plans for what it is I’m doing. Laying what will hopefully be some exciting foundations for change.
In any case, I hope this delicious lentil one-pot will make up for my absence. It’s the simple, fuss-free, quick and very tasty meal that you need when time (or inclination) is short; but you don’t want to compromise on what goes on your plate. Although simple, this recipe still manages to pack in a hearty helping of Mediterranean flavour, and peppery lentil goodness.
I love one-pot meals. I love how you can just throw the ingredients together and forget about them until you’re hungry, at which point all you need to do is scoop a big spoonful of hearty, healthy but delicious food into a bowl, and tuck in.
For even more efficiency, you can cook your vegan sausages in the same pot as the lentils, but I prefer to grill or fry them with just a tiny drop of oil. Either way, you still only have two things to wash up afterwards…
But back to the main event. This lentil dish is:
- really, really healthy and hearty;
- full of earthy flavours, lifted with the lightness of fennel seeds, fresh basil and sun-dried tomatoes;
- so easy to make;
- fuss-free; and
- perfect for any occasion (you can even make it in advance).
Really, this is a great meal for when you don’t want to cook, but don’t want to give in to a take-away, or a sad sandwich. This is a lunch, dinner or unexpected guest saviour.
If you’re not a fennel fan (I know many are not), then I would suggest using coriander seeds instead. You could also play around with fresh herbs – coriander, parsley or even tarragon would work just as well. We’ve enjoyed the dish with tofu bacon (much like this recipe using tempeh), and cauliflower steaks, instead of sausages.
Since I started tinkering with this recipe, we’ve eaten it every week – it has become one of our regular dinner-time guests. I think as soon as you make it yourself, you’ll realise why.
I hope you love it, and have a great weekend.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 white onion, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 200g dried puy lentils, rinsed
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 8 sun-dried tomatoes (I like the dehydrated ones)
- 700ml water
- A bunch of fresh basil
- To serve
- Black pepper
- 4 vegan sausages
- 1 fennel bulb (optional)
- Heat the oil in a large pot or cast iron casserole dish, on the hob.
- Add the onion, garlic and celery and cook on a medium heat for about 10 minutes, until softened.
- Stir in the lentils, fennel seeds, thyme, tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes and water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 40 minutes, or until the water has evaporated (or near enough).
- Jut before serving, roughly chop the basil, stalks included, and stir through.
- Serve with sausages, lots of black pepper and some pan-seared fennel.
I’m all for one pot/one pan meals and love lentils, so this definitely gets my thimbs up! ????????☺️
Thanks so much! Glad to have your thumbs up 🙂