Oh, January. Your detoxes, cleanses, juice fasts, diet commercials, and cellulite cream jeans are starting to get on my nerves. Just so you know I’m tuning you out, so don’t bother trying to lure me in with 6 easy payments or strict diet plans. It’s just not my thing. My approach to January – or any other month for that matter – is to eat food that makes me feel good and less of what doesn’t. But this approach doesn’t really sell, does it?
Soup, chili, and casseroles – these are the warm, comfort foods on my mind most days. Today, I’m sharing my take on maple baked beans, using hearty, chewy lentils for a fun twist. Lentils may seem boring to many, but I find them just the opposite. Their subtle flavour can blend into just about any vegan dish. Much like tofu, lentils are a great canvas for many different flavours, spices, and cuisines. I even adore them plain with a dusting of Herbamare and splash of vinegar. It’s a rather homely snack, but I’d devour the entire bowl before noticing.
Adding more fuel to my lentil loving fire – Canada is the world’s largest producer of lentils. It’s in my blood, eh? Their relative proximity, along with being a super cheap protein source, make them a regular staple in my diet. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that they are nutritional powerhouses too. One cooked cup provides around 17.86 grams of protein, 6.5 mg iron, and 15.64 grams of fibre (source) making it a stick-to-your-ribs plant food that can go the distance. Pair them with Vitamin C rich sweet potato and you’ll boost your iron absorption even more.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Maple Baked Lentils with Sweet Potato
Yield
4-6 servings
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
My spin on maple baked beans using hearty, chewy lentils! A bit of apple cider vinegar rounds out the sweetness of the dish and I encourage you to adjust the amounts to your own taste as you may like more or less pop from the vinegar. Serve this over some toasted bread, or even with a salad, and you have yourself a budget-friendly vegan meal during the peak of winter. To save on cook time, make the lentils beforehand and simply mix everything together and pop into the oven.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry green lentils
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 sweet apple, peeled and diced (I used Gala)
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced small*
- 14-oz can diced tomatoes (about 1.5 cups)
- 2.5 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp blackstrap molasses
- 2 tsp regular mustard
- 1/2-1 tsp fine grain sea salt + ground pepper, to taste
- 1-2.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar, to taste
Directions
- Rinse and drain lentils. In a large oven-safe pot or Dutch oven*, add lentils along with 4 cups of water. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low-medium and simmer for about 30 minutes, uncovered, stirring often. Add more water if necessary. Lentils are ready when they are just tender (but not mushy) and most of the water is absorbed.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Add onion, garlic, apple, sweet potato, tomatoes (with juice), maple syrup, blackstrap molasses, mustard, salt, and pepper to the pot with the lentils. Stir well to combine. Add half of the apple cider vinegar (you’ll add the rest later if desired).
- Cover with lid (or tin foil in a pinch) and bake at 375°F for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven, uncover, and stir. Bake for another 8-12 minutes, uncovered, until the sweet potato is tender. Stir in the rest of the apple cider vinegar if desired and season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.
- Serve over toasted bread or with a salad.
Tip:
If you don’t have an oven-safe pot or Dutch oven, simply transfer the mixture into a casserole dish and cover with tin foil before baking.
Dice the sweet potato small to decrease cook time.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
What are your favourite vegan comfort foods?
can’t find the lentil recipe when i click on it/ please help me learn to navigate this new confusing format thx
Hi Bonnie, I’m sorry we had a technical issue last night – the site should be back to normal now!
I’m not even finished cooking this and I already love it!
I live overseas without an oven so I made this recipe on the stove top. Instead of throwing everything into the pot and baking it, I blended the onions, garlic, molasses, syrup, apple cider vinegar, and some cooked butternut squash in a blender.
Oh man, SO GOOD.
I am just curious… the sweet potato looks so orange in the pics… is there a specific type of sweet potato that you use?
i made this in the crockpot and it was meh. Really not impressed. Just seemed blah. But I know it’s good for me so I ate it. Probably better in the oven. Lentils and some potatoes seemed crunchy still after 10 hours of cooking…
I made this recipe last night and adored it! (except that I had mommy brain when I read the temperature and tried to cook it at 325 so it took closer to an hour OOPS)
I went Vegan about 2 weeks ago and am living off your blog :)
My husband loves meat so I am simply cooking him meatless Mondays and Fish Fridays to try and reduce his intake. He enjoyed the flavor of this meal but apparently hates the texture of Lentils….WHO KNEW!?
My question is what bean would you use to get this closer to the texture of canned maple beans so I can try it on him next time?
How did you convince Erik to join you in this journey towards a vegan lifestyle? I get alot eye rolling from mine. :P
Hi Angela,
I just came across your blog and am really liking what I see :) I was wondering – what would you replace lentils with? I have IBS and my intestines are at war with various foods. I love lentils but…. my body doesn’t! I’d love to try this recipe but can’t think of what to replace the lentils with!
A
I skimmed through the comments to see if anyone had asked this yet, and didn’t see anything so..The mustard- just regular yellow mustard?
yup just regular :) although Dijon might be nice too…
Oh my gosh!!! This looks amazing…seriously- stomach is growling. I am loving maple syrup in everything lately…kind of like Elf. ;-/
All favorites of mine! And I have to be honest, beautiful grainy bread like that makes the world a better place!
Hi Angela,
This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it! I read you bought this bread a a bakery… WHICH ONE? I live in Toronto and am willing to travel for bread that looks this yummy!
Since becoming vegan, this is the first dish my husband and I didnt like. BUT, that is not to say others wont! I think I should have added more maple syrup because the apple cider vin was a little too much for my taste. Also, when Angela says that cutting the potatoes smalled to shorten cook time, she means it! Mine were diced about 1/2 in and they were still hard after the recc. cook time. I think the flavors were there, but just some feed back which I know I appreciate. I think I’ll take a whack at it again sometime.
“snobby joes” (vegan sloppy joes) are probably my favorite comfort food. I could eat them every night- especially when it’s SO cold out like it’s been lately!!
Sorry if someone already asked this- but could you use red lentils? And just cook them for a shorter amount of time?(I’m only asking because I have some in my pantry and want to make this asap!)
I can’t wait to make this! If I’m using lentils that are already fully cooked, how much should I use? Thanks!
I think 1 cup dry lentils makes about 2-2.5 cups, so I would say you’d need 4-5 cups cooked. enjoy!
I made this tonight and it was amazing! I always thought I was a good cook, but I had no idea what I was missing until my fiance and I began eating plant based. I was overrelying on cheese and other dairy products, and completely missing out on amazing flavors like these. Such a great recipe that we will certainly make again.
This is the most impressive and delicious meal I have made. This website has been very helpful in teaching me to cook vegan. Thank you!
Lol “cellulite cream jeans”! This looks scrumptious, will definitely add to my to do list! :)
Yum! These looks amazing! I’ve never mixed sweet potatos & lentils so I need to try this mix :)
I wanted to like this so much cause the pictures are so pretty and it looks delicious, but I was disappointed. I have to say I used agave sirop cause I didn’t have maple sirop.. And it turned out way to sweet. I also used half of the vinaigre put it was still to much to my taste… And jeez it took forever to cook! But on a positive note, my meat lover hubby liked it! Might have to try this again with maple and less vinaigre see if I like it better.. It did smell fantastic tho!
I realize I did not use enough lentils cause they were already cooked.. Hat might explain why it was to sweet and to much vinaiger… I use one can and should have used 2… Will have to try this again!
I made this last night and just ate it for lunch with a flax lavash wrap and chopped up cukes. It was good, maybe not great, but good and hearty and easy. My sweet potatoes did not cook in the allotted time so I had to microwave them at the office today before eating them. Feeling full and healthy!
This looks amazing and I plan on making it this week. What is “regular” mustard… The yellow stuff? I am not a fan of that kind.
yup