We had planned to make this recipe as written: https://www.recipetineats.com/lentil-roasted-eggplant-salad/ But when we discovered our eggplant had gone bad and was unusable, we quickly substituted with Korean sweet potatoes and string beans. We recommend not skipping the dressing; it ties together the components really well, creating a balanced dish. This turned out to be particularly delicious, and we definitely will make it again.
Our modifications: first, we preheated the oven to 425 (not 450). At the same time, we started the lentils in a medium pot on the stovetop, then after cooking completed, we left it covered on a cool burner while preparing the other components. (When the roasted vegetables were almost ready, we briefly reheated the lentil mixture, removed the aromatics, and then lightly rinsed and drained the cooked lentils.)
Second, we washed and towel-dried 3 small-medium Korean sweet potatoes, which we cut into 1.5″ dice (skin on). We tossed in 1 Tbsp canola oil and lightly sprinkled with salt and pepper. We spread it out on a single layer on two foil-lined rimmed baking sheets. We placed on the first and third rack of our oven (the hottest regions) and roasted until browned — about 30 mins, turning once. About 10 mins into roasting, we began roasting 8 oz string beans, trimmed and cut into 2″ pieces. We tossed in 1 tsp canola oil and lightly sprinkled with salt and pepper, placed in a single layer on a foil-lined rimmed half-sheet, and then placed on the middle rack.
Third, we made the dressing exactly as written in the recipe, including the use of Dijon mustard.
Finally, we skipped the arugula and feta. We added one diced medium vine-ripened tomato (in lieu of cherry tomatoes) and 2 Tbsp julienned fresh basil (for herbal freshness) to the cooked lentils. We folded in 2/3 of the dressing. Then we tossed the remaining 1/3 of the dressing into the roasted sweet potatoes and string beans. To serve, we placed the dressed lentils in a flat bowl, then topped with the dressed roasted vegetables. This was a delicious meal with contrasting mouthfeel. (Jan. 2023)
Note: We used Camellia brand brown lentils for this recipe.
Note 2: For the lentil simmering liquid, we used 1 cup chicken broth plus 1.5 cup water. But with vegetable broth, this recipe easily could be vegetarian.
Note 3: We tried this a second time with 1 medium eggplant and 2 small Korean sweet potatoes as the roasted veg topping. We prefer the texture and flavor of the Korean sweet potato and string bean topping. (Jan. 2023)
Cooking Adventures 