Name: Roasted Sweet Potato Dinner with Mushrooms, Lentils, and Feta-Tahini Sauce | Epicurious
Cook time: 40 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 6 small sweet potatoes (garnet yams), halved lengthwise; 7 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling; 1 tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more; 1 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided; 1/2 cup black or green lentils; 1/2 lb. maitake mushrooms, trimmed, torn into pieces; 6 oz. feta, crumbled (about 1 cup); 1/4 cup tahini; 1 small garlic clove, crushed; 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, divided; 1 bunch dill, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups), divided; 2 scallions, finely chopped

Photo of Roasted Sweet Potatoes Mushrooms and Lentils

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Erika Joyce

Active Time
40 minutes
Total Time
40 minutes

Featuring sweet potatoes and mushrooms roasted to crispy-edged perfection, plus a whipped feta-tahini sauce with lots of dill, this easy, comforting vegetarian dinner is perfect for fall. Use whatever kind of lentil you like best for the salad—we prefer black beluga lentils because of how well they hold their caviar-like shape.

Ingredients

4 servings

6 small sweet potatoes (garnet yams), halved lengthwise

7 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling

1 tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more

1 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided

1/2 cup black or green lentils

1/2 lb. maitake mushrooms, trimmed, torn into pieces

6 oz. feta, crumbled (about 1 cup)

1/4 cup tahini

1 small garlic clove, crushed

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, divided

1 bunch dill, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups), divided

2 scallions, finely chopped

Step 1
Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss potatoes, 1 Tbsp. oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper on a rimmed baking sheet. Arrange potatoes cut side down in an even layer and roast until beginning to soften and golden brown on the cut sides, 15–20 minutes.
Step 2
While potatoes roast, cook lentils in a medium pot of simmering salted water until lentils are tender but still retain their shape, 15–20 minutes. Drain and transfer to a medium bowl.
Step 3
Toss mushrooms, 1 Tbsp. oil, and 1/2 tsp. pepper in another medium bowl. Arrange around potatoes on hot baking sheet and continue to roast until mushrooms are browned and crisped and potatoes are well browned on cut sides, 12–15 minutes.
Step 4
Meanwhile, pulse feta, tahini, garlic, 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, half of the dill, 3 Tbsp. oil, and 1/4 cup water in a food processor until a smooth sauce forms. Add more water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, and pulse to combine until sauce is just thin enough to pour.
Step 5
Add scallions and remaining dill, 2 Tbsp. oil, 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper to bowl with lentils and stir to combine. Stir in roasted mushrooms.
Step 6
Divide feta sauce among plates. Top with potato halves. Spoon lentil salad over and drizzle with oil.

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Reviews (45)

I came upon this recipe on Thanksgiving morning. I didn't have all the ingredients, so I had to make a few changes, but the result was delicious. I had: no feta, I used Blue cheese instead. No fresh dill , so powder. No scallions, so red onion. No maitake mushrooms, so dried shiitake. I forgot to add salt, pepper, oil and water. Finally, I added dried cranberries, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cardamom. So, maybe this isn't a review of this recipe, but it inspired what i made!
- jrh0
- Asheville, NC
- 11/25/2022
This was absolutely delicious. I did have to substitute mushrooms (a combo of cremini and baby bella's) The mushrooms took MUCH longer to "crisp" cooked longer but never crisped. I was afraid to go further as the potatoes were more than done. The sauce was delicious, the lentil salad was good but would have been better with a crisp element...overall it was a wonderful flavor combination
- Laurie
- Elmira, NY
- 5/18/2022
Easy and delicious
- Val
- Montreal
- 5/7/2022
This dish is what sold my family on including more vegetarian meals into our weeknight rotation. Incredibly easy to make, unbelievably tasty and satisfying for even my picky eater. This is a repeat recipe.
- Anonymous
- CA
- 4/12/2022
Delicious! Making it again tomorrow night because we loved it so much.
- Eleanor Ott
- Olympia, WA
- 2/3/2022
I loathe mushrooms but love everything else in this recipe - do you guys think it could work without them??
- agallivan
- Austin, TX
- 8/9/2021
This was plate-scraping fantastic! The combo seemed unusual but the reviews made me give it a shot. I made it the first time exactly as written and had it for yummy lunch leftovers the next day. The flavors are vibrant and the meal is filling. Second time I made it I didn't have enough dill so I supplemented with some parsley. I bumped the temp on the oven a little (about 15 degrees) and the mushrooms got crispy that time. This is in permanent rotation.
- awshucks
- Savannah, GA
- 4/18/2021
OK, this is tasty! I followed the recipe as written, with a few minor changes -- crimini mushrooms and reduced salt. The flavor combination is delicious! Plus the whole dish comes together very quickly. Give this one a try.
- eokeefe
- 3/20/2021
Omg the feta sauce.. drool! Used Bulgarian feta for its creamier texture and stopped short of making it pourable. It had a beautiful, light, almost whipped texture that clung very nicely to the vegetables (and would make an excellent veggie dip or addition to a lox spread). Other than that my only adjustments were lemon, juice of one in the feta, juice of half in the lentils, and two cloves garlic. Used a separate sheet for the mushrooms too, can’t imagine them crisping well with how crowded they’d be with the potatoes.
- pawelyd
- Chicago
- 1/27/2021
The recipe sounded good and tasted even better! It is the sort of meal worthy of a gourmet vegetarian restaurant, both for its beauty on the plate and the complexity of the flavors. And, it was super-easy to make! When coronavirus stops being a concern, we'll make this dish for company!
- TalkingTrout
- Massachusetts
- 12/27/2020
This lived up to all the great reviews. I made a lot of substitutions, because I didn't have all the ingredients: white button mushrooms instead of maitake; goat cheese instead of feta (and only half the amount, because that's all I had); and fresh parsley instead of dill. It was still wonderful. It's a keeper!
- sometimes_cook
- West Linn, OR
- 12/18/2020
This was delicious and so different. I ate it without meat, but sliced up some chicken breasts for my family.
- lisadorenwendt
- Wilmette, IL
- 12/7/2020
Amazingly delicious and very easy. Made as is except couldn’t find maitakes so used trumpets and used french green lentils. My yams took longer to cook so next time I would cook separately from the mushrooms. Don’t peel the yams, they are perfect with the skin on. Yummy!
- ritajoyholmberg6443
- Vancouver, BC, Canada
- 11/17/2020
Do you peel the yams?
- itribe918723
- Humboldt County CA.
- 11/9/2020
Followed this recipe with one exception: cut dill in half. It turned out perfectly! My non-vegetarian partner and I both enjoyed it and were full with the suggested serving size. The sauce is delicious! Def going into the rotation.
- sleepiejeane
- New York, NY
- 11/3/2020