Spiced vegetable pilaf
Get four of your five-a-day in one colourful bowl. Vary the veg according to what’s in season
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Prep:10 mins
Cook:40 mins
- Serves 4
- Easy
Nutrition per serving
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kcal 375
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fat 9g
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saturates 1g
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carbs 66g
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sugars 18g
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fibre 11g
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protein 12g
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salt 0.6g
Ingredients
- 6 carrots, cut lengthways into 6-8 wedges
- 3 red onions, cut into wedges
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 4 cardamom pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 200g brown basmati rice, rinsed
- 400ml vegetable stock
- 400g can brown lentils, rinsed and drained
- 200g baby spinach
- handful toasted flaked almonds, or a few whole almonds (optional)
Method
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. In boiling water, cook carrots for 4 mins, tipping in onions for the last min of cooking. Drain and mix in a roasting tin with 4 tsp oil, the cumin and seasoning. Roast for 30 mins, while you cook the rice.
Heat remaining 2 tsp oil in a large pan. Add cardamom and cinnamon for 30 secs, then add rice and toast for 1 min. Pour over stock and 100ml water, then simmer, covered, for 25-30 mins, until rice is tender and the water absorbed. Remove cinnamon and cardamom.
Tip in lentils and fork through before topping with spinach. Put lid back on and cook over a low heat, stirring once, until spinach has wilted and lentils heated through. Fork through again before tipping the cumin roasted veg onto the top and sprinkling with almonds, if using.