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Close-up of baked cod on lentils with carrots, tomatoes, and herbs in a ceramic dish
Dreena Grace Burthon

Baked Cod with Lentils & Steamed Veggies

Simple fish and lentils. Nothing fancy. Fills you up, doesn’t cause problems later. Good for nights when you don’t want to think about dinner too much.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: dinner
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 4 fillets cod fresh or frozen
  • 1 cup dry lentils green or brown
  • 2 cups water for cooking lentils
  • 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
  • 1 tsp salt more if needed
  • 1 tsp black pepper optional
  • 2 cloves garlic optional, minced
  • 1 lemon optional, for finishing
  • 3 cups mixed vegetables broccoli, beans, zucchini

Equipment

  • 1 Baking sheet Any size that fits the fish
  • 1 Pot For the lentils
  • 1 Steamer basket Or whatever you use for veggies
  • 1 Knife Doesn’t need to be sharp-sharp
  • 1 Cutting board Obvious, but still
  • 1 Fork For checking the fish

Method
 

  1. Rinse the lentils. Or don’t. Put them in a pot with water and salt. Turn the heat on.
  2. Once they start doing something, turn the heat down. Let them simmer. Leave them alone.
  3. Heat the oven. Medium. Nothing exact.
  4. Put the cod on a baking sheet. Oil the pan or the fish. Salt it.
  5. Put the fish in the oven. Check it after a bit. If it flakes, it’s done. If not, wait
  6. While the fish cooks, steam the vegetables. Stop before they go soft and sad.
  7. Taste the lentils. If they’re soft enough, drain any extra water. Add olive oil. Taste again.
  8. Add garlic or lemon if you want. Or don’t. Fix it if it tastes flat.
  9. Put lentils on the plate. Add the fish. Fill the rest with vegetables.
  10. Eat while it’s warm. Or pack it up and deal with it later.

Notes

This meal isn’t fragile. If something goes a little wrong, it still eats fine.
If the lentils get soft, don’t panic. They’re still good. Just don’t mash them on purpose.
If the fish dries out a bit, add lemon. Or oil. Or both. It helps more than you’d think.
Portions are flexible. Bigger plate if you’re actually hungry. Smaller if you’re not. No math required.
This tastes better the first day, but leftovers are still usable. Just don’t blast the fish in the microwave unless you like disappointment.
If it feels boring, that’s not a failure. Boring dinners that don’t cause problems are kind of the win.