Baked Kumara (Sweet Potato) with Lentil stuffing
Savour the goodness of Baked Kumara with Lentil Stuffing, a wholesome and satisfying dish perfect for meal prep. Sweet kumara (sweet potatoes) are stuffed with a flavourful lentil mixture, creating a nutritious balance of protein, fibre, and deliciousness. This make-ahead meal is ideal for busy weeknights, ensuring you enjoy a healthy and delicious option with minimal effort. Perfect for both lunch and dinner!
Ingredients
- 500 grams puy lentils
- 10 or so Kumara (Sweet Potatoes) smallish to medium sized is best. If you use really big ones they might be a bit tough and will take much longer to cook.
- 2 large brown onions
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 2 good tsps ground cumin
- 1 tsp gound turmeric or one or two lengths of fresh finely chopped turmeric
- 2 tsps Sriracha Chilli Sauce or more to taste
- ½ tsp gound pepper
- 1 small tsp smoked paprika
- 3 large tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp grainy mustard
- 3 good tbsp tomato paste
- finely chopped capsicum (bell pepper) and parsley to serve
Instructions
- Rinse and Soak 500 grams Puy Lentils with double the volume of water for around 4 hours.Drain and cook in fresh water 30 minutes or so until softened. Drain.
- Roast at least as many Kumara as the number of people you want to feed. I did 12 small ones which would have fed 8. Wash and put in 1one layer in a roasting dish with a little water, cover with foil and roast 180℃ for around 40 – 50 minutes until softened right through. Remove foil and cool.
- Cut kumara in half, scoop out the insides into a large bowl, and mash. Be careful not to go through the skin. Lay the empty halves cut side up in one layer in a roasting dish or the serving dish you will present them on.
- Chop two large brown onions, quite small dice and saute with water in a good heavy bottomed saucepan. Finely chop or crush 2 – 3 large cloves of garlic and add to the onion. Stir and add water to avoid drying and burning. Once well cooked, add the cumin, turmeric, Sriracha, ground pepper, and smoked paprika. Continue cooking for a few minutes and mixing well. Add a little more water if it dries out and starts catching on the bottom. Take off the heat.
- Add Nutritional yeast, mustard and Tomato Paste. Mix into the onion and spices. Tip it all into the mashed kumara. Add the drained lentils and mix well. Taste and add more of what you like. Eg. more of the ingredients above and/or chopped herbs, chutney, grated lemon or orange rind and juice, check for taste. If the mixture is looking too dry, add a little water. It has to hold together so you can pile it into the waiting kumara shells.
- Fill the kumara halves, it may be easier to hold each one and gently push the stuffing mixture into it, making sure they are well filled. Lay out in the dish.
- (At this point I had extra stuffing that just wouldn’t fit into the kumara so we ate it separately the next day.)
- You can cover your roasting or serving dish with foil and refrigerate to reheat later or the next day. If you do this, bring it out of the fridge at least an hour before going into the oven so it can come up to room temperature.
- Otherwise, loosely foil and heat in over 150℃ (300℉) for 30-40 minutes. (Sorry, these tasted good but looked a bit drab. Suggest a sprinkle of finely chopped capsicum and parsley over the top to serve.)
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!