Spiced vegetable pilaf

Get four of your five-a-day in one colourful bowl. Vary the veg according to what’s in season

  • Prep:10 mins
    Cook:40 mins
  • Serves 4
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 375
  • fat 9g
  • saturates 1g
  • carbs 66g
  • sugars 18g
  • fibre 11g
  • protein 12g
  • 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

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

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