Linsenbraten mit Zwiebelsauce und Rosenkohl (lentil roast with onion sauce and Brussels sprouts)
A vegetarian Sunday roast, brown lentils soaked overnight and cooked down with vegetables and oats into a loaf firm enough to slice, served with a deeply caramelised onion sauce and roasted Brussels sprouts. Caramelising the onions low and slow for the sauce, rather than rushing them at high heat, is what gives it real sweetness and colour instead of a pale, sharp bite.
Prep45 min
Cook90 min
Rest480 min
Servings4
Christoph's lentil roast with onion sauce, the onions caramelised low and slow rather than rushed.
Ingredients
Written for a 1.5 L loaf tin
Units
Temperature
Servings
Lentil loaf
- 250 g brown lentils, soaked overnight in plenty of water rounded
- 200 g carrot, finely grated rounded
- 100 g onion, finely chopped rounded
- 100 g rolled oats rounded
- 30 ml olive oil rounded
- 15 g tomato paste rounded
- 10 g dried thyme rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
- to taste freshly ground black pepper rounded
Onion sauce
- 400 g onion, thinly sliced rounded
- 30 g vegan butter or oil rounded
- 10 g sugar rounded
- 400 ml vegetable broth rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
Brussels sprouts
- 500 g Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved rounded
- 30 ml olive oil rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Drain the soaked lentils and cook in fresh water for 20 minutes, until tender. Drain well and mash roughly with a fork, leaving some texture.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan). Combine the mashed lentils, grated carrot, onion, oats, olive oil, tomato paste, thyme, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
- Press the mixture firmly into a lined loaf tin. Bake for 50 minutes, until firm and pulling slightly away from the sides.
- For the sauce, melt the vegan butter in a pan over low heat. Add the sliced onions and sugar, and cook very slowly, stirring occasionally, for 45 to 50 minutes, until deeply caramelised and a rich brown.
- Add the broth to the caramelised onions and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt.
- Toss the Brussels sprouts with olive oil and salt. Roast at 200°C (fan) for 25 minutes, until tender and browned at the edges.
- Let the loaf rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with the onion sauce and roasted Brussels sprouts.
Notes
- Caramelise the onions low and slow, not rushed. True caramelisation needs 45 minutes or more over gentle heat; onions browned quickly at high heat scorch and turn bitter instead of developing real sweetness.
- Soak the lentils overnight without skipping it. Unsoaked brown lentils take much longer to cook and hold more water, which can leave the loaf too wet to slice cleanly.
- Let the loaf rest before slicing. It firms up further as it cools slightly, and cutting it too soon risks it falling apart.
- The loaf keeps for 3 days in the fridge and slices well cold for sandwiches; the sauce reheats gently on the stove.
Ingredient substitutions
- Rolled oats can be swapped for breadcrumbs.
- Brown lentils work best for texture here; green lentils are a reasonable substitute, red lentils are not, since they turn to mush.
- Roasted carrots or a simple potato mash can replace the Brussels sprouts if unavailable.
From Christoph Mayer