Main dish

Baked Goat's Cheese with Lentils and Shallots recipe

Name: Baked Goat's Cheese with Lentils and Shallots
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil (1 tbsp for the tin, 2 tbsp for the dressing); 6 banana shallots (8 if they're small); 1 clove of garlic, skin on; zest and juice from 1 lemon; small pack of basil, chopped (about 25g); small pack of dill, chopped (about 25g); 2 x tins or pouches of black lentils (beluga or puy, roughly 500g total when drained); 150g spinach, roughly chopped; salt and black pepper (I use ½ tsp of kosher salt); 150g goat's cheese with rind; 250g cherry tomatoes

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Black lentils roasted with shallots, spinach, tomatoes, herbs and goat’s cheese, adapted from a BBC Good Food recipe.

Prep15m
Cook45m
Total1h

cheese vegetarian

Black lentils roasted with shallots, spinach, tomatoes, herbs and goat’s cheese

I recently made Esther Clark’s whole baked ricotta with lentils and roasted cherry tomatoes. It’s a great recipe but the ricotta is underwhelming (to me at least). Everything else is a keeper, though, so I’ve replaced the ricotta with goat’s cheese and added a roasted, mashed garlic clove to the dressing.

The lentils are tinned beluga; a new and exciting find. Yes, exciting. Cheaper than puy, beautiful, and with lots of bite. The reviewers on Ocado are impressed, too, and they’re a picky bunch.

We eat this dish with good bread and a side of olives. Leftovers are very welcome. They’re great mixed with a bag of salad leaves or, even better, as a filling for a jacket potato.

Notes

Dill is delicious in this dish but parsley is a good stand in if you don't have any.

Soft goat’s cheese works just as well as a mature goat’s cheese with rind. I haven’t tried feta but I bet it would taste lovely.

I’ve tweaked the quantities slightly, using smaller amounts of cheese and tomatoes and omitting the 4 tablespoons of water.

Recipe credit

Esther Clark for BBC Good Food.

Recipe

Baked Goat's Cheese with Lentils and Shallots

Prep15m
Cook45m
Total1h

Serves: 4

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil (1 tbsp for the tin, 2 tbsp for the dressing)
6 banana shallots (8 if they're small)
1 clove of garlic, skin on
zest and juice from 1 lemon
small pack of basil, chopped (about 25g)
small pack of dill, chopped (about 25g)
2 x tins or pouches of black lentils (beluga or puy, roughly 500g total when drained)
150g spinach, roughly chopped
salt and black pepper (I use ½ tsp of kosher salt)
150g goat's cheese with rind
250g cherry tomatoes

Method

Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a roasting tin (mine is 26 x 20 x 5cm).
Slice 6 banana shallots in half and place cut side down into the tin. Add 1 garlic clove (keeping its skin on to prevent burning). Roast for 15 minutes.
While the shallots cook, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the zest and juice from 1 lemon and half of the herbs (approximately 12g each of basil and dill) to a jar with a lid. Reserve a few herbs to scatter over the dish at the end.
Tip 500g of cooked black lentils into a large bowl. Add 150g of chopped spinach and the remaining basil and dill (excluding the reserved herbs). Season with salt and black pepper (I use ½ teaspoon of kosher salt).
When the shallots are ready, remove them from the tin. Keep a few to one side and mix the remainder with the lentils.
Discard the skin from the garlic clove, mash it with a fork and add to the dressing jar.
Pour the lentil and shallot mixture into the roasting tin. Place 150g of goat’s cheese into the middle. Scatter over 250g of cherry tomatoes and the reserved shallots. Shake the dressing well then pour it over the lentils. Return to the oven for 30 minutes, or until the tomatoes and cheese have some colour.
Remove from the oven, scatter over the reserved herbs and serve immediately. Leftovers will keep for up to 48 hours in the fridge.