Lentil and sweet potato sourdough skillet is a healthy, hearty, flavorful, budget-friendly one pot meal, perfect meal for your next Meatless Monday!
Springtime in Montana is fickle. One day it is 70 degrees, and the next you wake up to 8 inches of wet, heavy snow. Snowy days, be they winter, fall, spring, or (God, forbid it!) summer, call for hearty, warm comfort food. This lentil and sweet potato sourdough skillet warmed my family during our most recent April snow storm.
My sister shared this strawberry spinach salad, and together this meal felt like a representation of our volatile April weather in Montana: a fresh, spring salad to go with our warm comfort food. I thought it was poetic anyway.
Lentil and sweet potato sourdough skillet combines heart-healthy, protein-packed lentils with sweet potatoes, peas, tomatoes, and a biscuit-like sourdough crust which came from the blog Farmhouse on Boone. You can find Lisa’s sourdough skillet recipe here.
Why Should I Eat Lentils?
Lentils don’t seem like the most exciting food, but they offer many health benefits.
- Lentils are a great plant-based source of protein while also being low in sodium, therefore they are considered a heart healthy food.
- Lentils are a good source of fiber, which can help manage cholesterol and diabetes, and… you know how else fiber helps a body with “waste management.”
- Lentils are also a good source of potassium, folate, and iron.
Process for Making Lentil and Sweet Potato Sourdough Skillet
Preheat oven to 400° and preheat a deep, oven-safe frying pan or cast iron skillet.
Sauté the aromatics. Then add sweet potatoes and sauté for a few more minutes so they start to soften.
Add tomatoes, water and bouillon (or broth), and herbs. Bring to a boil.
Add lentils and frozen peas. Cover, lower heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the sweet potatoes are soft. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar and add salt to taste.
While the filling is simmering, mix together the sourdough crust topping mixture. Spread it over the top, then bake for 25 minutes at 400°.
What Substitutions Can I Make for Lentil and Sweet Potato Sourdough Skillet?
The great thing about this meal is that it is so easy to make substitutions based on what ingredients you have.
*The red lentils can be substituted for any other type, but you may need to adjust the time the filling simmers based on what time you use.
*Sweet potatoes are delicious, but we don’t always have them on hand. Regular potatoes can be used instead! The flavor profile will be a little different, but still delicious.
*The apple cider vinegar could be omitted, but it adds a depth of flavor I love.
Ingredients for Lentil and Sweet Potato Sourdough Skillet
Filling Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 large sweet potato, cubed
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 can water
- ½-1 Tbsp Beef Better Than Bouillon
- 1 cup red lentils, rinsed
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ½ tsp dried Oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp dried rosemary
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½-1 tsp salt, to taste
- 1-2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Sourdough Crust Topping
- 1½ cups of fed sourdough starter
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 3 Tbsp butter, melted
- 2 tsp baking powder
Instructions for Lentil and Sweet Potato Sourdough Skillet
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Preheat deep, oven-safe frying pan or large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Add olive oil to hot pan. Add onions and cook about 3 minutes. When onions are translucent, add minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add sweet potatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
- Pour can of tomatoes and 1 can of water into the pan, and stir in Better Than Bouillon, oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, and pepper. Bring to a boil.
- Add red lentils and frozen peas, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- While the filling is cooking, in a separate bowl mix together the fed sourdough starter, eggs, butter, salt, dried basil, and baking powder.
- When the lentils have absorbed the liquid and the sweet potatoes are soft, remove from heat, stir in apple cider vinegar and salt to taste. Spread the sourdough mixture over the lentil filling.
- Bake for 25 minutes at 400°.
- Carefully remove hot pan from oven and enjoy!
Lentil and Sweet Potato Sourdough Skillet
Lentil and sweet potato sourdough skillet is a healthy, hearty, flavorful, budget-friendly, one pot, meatless meal.
Ingredients
Filling Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 large sweet potato, cubed
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 can water
- ½-1 Tbsp Beef Better Than Bouillon
- 1 cup red lentils, rinsed
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ½ tsp dried Oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp dried rosemary
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½-1 tsp salt, to taste
- 1-2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Sourdough Crust Topping
- 1½ cups of fed sourdough starter
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 3 Tbsp butter, melted
- 2 tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Preheat deep, oven-safe frying pan or large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Add olive oil to hot pan. Add onions and cook about 3 minutes. When onions are translucent, add minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add sweet potatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
- Pour can of tomatoes and 1 can of water into the pan, and stir in Better Than Bouillon, oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, and pepper. Bring to a boil.
- Add red lentils and frozen peas, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- While the filling is cooking, in a separate bowl mix together the fed sourdough starter, eggs, butter, salt, dried basil, and baking powder.
- When the lentils have absorbed the liquid and the sweet potatoes are soft, remove from heat, stir in apple cider vinegar and salt to taste. Spread the sourdough mixture over the lentil filling.
- Bake for 25 minutes at 400°.
- Carefully remove hot pan from oven and enjoy!
Notes
*Feel free to try whatever kind of lentils you have!
*You can substitute any kind of broth, stock, bouillon for 1 can of water/ 1/2-1 Tbsp Beef Better Than Bouillon.
*If using fresh herbs, double the amount called for (dried herbs are more potent than fresh)
Now it is time to get your hands dirty. Happy eating, Friends!
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