This hearty vegan pumpkin and potato bake with lentils is a great fall recipe and a wonderful way to use up all that pumpkin after Halloween! Plus it’s a wonderful comfort meal when the days start getting colder
(Serves 4-6)
You’ll need:
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and sliced (900g)
3 cups pumpkin, chopped into 1-inch cubes (400 g)
1 heaping cup dry lentils – we used a mix of red and brown ones (200 g)
2 cups of vegetable broth or water (480 ml)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced (we just used a few teaspoons of the store-bought minced garlic)
1 batch of vegan cheese sauce*
2/3 cup vegan cream cheese (150g)
Spice mix: 1/2 tablespoon onion powder, 1/2tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, sea salt & pepper to taste, and fresh or dried thyme to taste (optional)
Fresh herbs to garnish (we used parsley and thyme)
Fried onion rings to garnish (optional)
Here’s how:
- Rinse lentils under running water. You could soak the lentils for about 10-15 minutes in lukewarm water (this step is optional). Drain the water afterwards.
- Meanwhile, peel and slice potatoes about 0.25 inches thick (0,6 cm). Cook in salted water for 12 minutes or until fork tender, but not too soft.
- Chop the pumpkin, onion, and garlic.
- Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a pot, stir in the onion and fry for about 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Add garlic, all spices, the lentils, the pumpkin and 2 cups of vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 15 minutes or until there is no water left in the pot.
- Preheat oven to 390 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- While the lentils and pumpkin cook, you can prepare the vegan cheese sauce* (or use store-bought vegan cheese sauce instead). Next, add the vegan cream cheese to the vegan cheese sauce and stir with a whisk.
- Add a layer of the cooked potato slices into a greased baking dish.
- Then add the cooked lentil and pumpkin mixture.
- Now pour about half of the vegan cheese sauce/cream cheese mixture on top.
- Add potato slices, then the lentil mixture and finish with the rest of the cheese sauce on top.
- Cook in the oven for about 25 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh herbs before serving and enjoy!
*We used the cheese sauce recipe from Ela Vegan and it worked really well, along with being simple and quick to make.
You can get the recipe here
