smittenkitchen
Braised Leeks and Lentils with Arugula and Yogurt
A dream of a spring lentil dish with braised leeks and accented with a garlicky lemon yogurt sauce and a bright arugula salad.
👥 4 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 1h👤 deb📖 smittenkitchen
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●oven
- ●knife
- ●pan
- ●stove
- ●skillet
- ●baking dish
- ●bowl
- ●whisk
- ●peeler
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Heat your oven: To 350°F (175°C).
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Prepare your leeks: Leeks are notoriously sandy. First, lop off any parts of each leek that are darker than light green. Trim the root ends. Peel back layers of your leek until you no longer have visible dirt that cannot be rinsed. Thoroughly rinse off any remaining dirt or grit. Wipe down your counter and knife (lots of dirt and grit there), and then slice the white and pale green parts into 1-inch rings.
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On the stove: In a large (3 to 4 quarts) ovenproof pan with a lid (I’m using
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) — or, if you don’t have one, just use a wide, deep skillet for the stovetop part and transfer it to a baking dish for the braising part — heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add leek slices and season lightly with salt and pepper; cook until browned underneath, about 4 to ⏱️ 5 minutes, then flip each leek and cook until browned underneath on the second side, 3 to ⏱️ 4 minutes. Sprinkle pan with sliced garlic, then dried lentils. Gently pour in broth, using it to “rinse” any lentils off the tops of leeks and into the pan so they cook evenly. Scatter with lemon zest and scallions, and season as needed with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cover pan with a lid. Transfer to the oven.
Olive oil(710 ml) vegetable broth (my go-to here)3 cups(230 grams) plain, unsweetened yogurt1 cup
5
In the oven: Cook leeks and lentils together for 40 to ⏱️ 45 minutes, or until leeks are soft and lentils are tender. [Different lentil varieties might need more or less time.] There will be a little liquid broth in the pan.
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While the leeks and lentils cook:
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In a small bowl, combine plain yogurt with 1 tablespoon of juice from the lemon, 1 minced or microplaned clove of garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.
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In a large bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons lemon juice with 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss arugula with dressing; it’s more than it needs and most will land at the bottom of the bowl. Don’t worry, we’ll use it too.
Olive oil(710 ml) vegetable broth (my go-to here)3 cups(230 grams) plain, unsweetened yogurt1 cup
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To finish: Take the braised leeks and lentils out of the oven. You can finish the dish right in your pan — dolloping it with the yogurt sauce and scattering the arugula on top. Pour the remaining dressing over the dish to give the leeks and lentils extra zip. Or, you can arrange this on a plate to your taste — shown here with the yogurt swooshed across the plate, a piece of toasted sourdough, and everything else piled on top.
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More things you could add/zhuzh this up with:
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Toasted hazelnuts, thinly sliced fennel, and/or parmesan shaved with a vegetable peeler in the salad. I was tempted to add some cumin to the lentils and yogurt, perhaps some sumac on the salad, but resisted to keep it simple. You could definitely give the lentils some heat with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon mild or regular red pepper flakes with the broth. And this is fantastic with a
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poached egg
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on top; it’s been my lunch all week.
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This is tagged
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gluten-free
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, so of course, if you’re using toast, yours should be too.
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