Soft Lentils with Roasted Tomatoes and Caramelized Onions

By Hklbrries

Note: Both the tomatoes and the lentils can be prepared ahead of time. (Instructions included within recipe body).


Vegetarians take note: It sounds complicated "but this dish is actually a snap to make," promises Mollie Katzen, author of "Vegetable Heaven."

All the components for her soft lentils dish can be prepared ahead of time with almost no effort. Katzen says, "then you just combine everything and bake it. The results are heavenly."

Trust her. The 1997 hardback version of "Vegetable Heaven" was chosen as best vegetarian cookbook of the year by the International Cookbook Review. The book is a collection of some 200 recipes, including this lentil main dish, for every part of the meal from appetizers to desserts. Katzen also wrote the best-selling "The Moosewood Cookbook" (1977) and is host of a television cooking series.

Serve the lentil dish with any kind of plain grain or pasta or simply with bread and a salad.

Ingredients

• Oil or spray for the pan
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 cups minced onion
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup minced roasted tomatoes (see note) or 1 cup diced canned tomatoes
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 8 cups well-cooked lentils (see note)
• Black pepper, to taste
• Pitted, sliced green olives (optional garnish)

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly oil or oil-spray a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish or a large oval gratin pan.

Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven, then add the butter and let it melt into the oil. Stir in the onion and salt, and cook, covered, over low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring often. The onions should be very soft and golden. Add the tomatoes, cover, and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the sugar, vinegar, lentils and pepper, and stir well. Transfer to the prepared baking pan, cover tightly with foil, and bake for about 45 minutes, or until heated through.

Serve hot, topped with a scattering of sliced green onions, if desired.

For the tomatoes: Roast about 6 plum or 3 large beefsteak tomatoes; peel, seed and mince them, then measure out 1 cup to use in this dish. If you are short on time you can substitute the canned tomatoes.

For the lentils: To get 8 cups of cooked lentils for the recipe, begin with 4 cups dried. Red lentils cook more quickly and are a prettier color than the green or French varieties, but you can use any kind for this dish and it will come out fine. Rinse them well, place in a pot with 10 cups of water, bring to a boil, then simmer until very soft (20 minutes for red lentils; 30 to 40 minutes for green or French). After you measure the 8 cups needed for this recipe, you will probably have some left over. You can add the extra lentils to a vegetable soup, a salad or some cooked grains.