Lentil stuffed sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes form their own serving bowls for a tomato and brown lentil filling. The flesh should be soft enough to mix with the sauce as you eat, while the skin holds the meal together. A lemon-tahini drizzle adds a sharp, creamy finish without another pan on the stove.

Coordinate the oven and saucepan

Choose potatoes of similar thickness, since a long thin potato can finish before a short, broad one of the same weight. Prick the skins and leave space between the potatoes on the tray. Judge doneness by the thickest part: a knife should slide through easily, with no firm center resisting it.

Start the lentils while the potatoes roast. They cook separately from the tomatoes, so you can stop when they are tender and drain away excess water before making the filling. The final simmer in the tomato mixture should coat the lentils and soften the onion further. It should leave a filling that can be spooned into the potatoes without a puddle forming underneath.

If the sauce is still loose, keep it at a gentle uncovered simmer for a little longer. If it begins to stick, add a small splash of water and stir along the bottom. The aim is moist lentils that stay where you put them.

Mix a smooth tahini sauce

Stir the tahini jar thoroughly before measuring. Oil separated at the top and dry paste at the bottom will give inconsistent results if they are measured separately. Whisk in the lemon and the measured water until the sauce is smooth enough to drizzle.

Tahini can become thick as the lemon first meets it. Keep whisking and add the water gradually, scraping the sides of the bowl so no dense paste remains. The finished sauce should fall from a spoon rather than sit on the potato in a lump.

Tahini contains sesame. The yogurt alternative in the card needs to be plain and plant-based; a sweetened vanilla product will change the flavor considerably. Check its own allergen label, too. Either substitution changes the recipe’s nutrition and cost estimates.

Store the components separately

For three planned meals, portion the potatoes and lentils before refrigerating them promptly. Keep the sauce in its own small container so you can warm the filling without heating the dressing repeatedly. Use the leftovers within the card’s three-day limit.

Reheat a split potato with its lentils until hot through the center, then add the sauce. The thick potato is the part most likely to lag behind the surface when warming. Health Canada’s leftover guidance gives a reheating target of 74°C / 165°F.