Instant Pot Dutch Oven Lentils w/ Cauliflower & Tahini

I like to test out new products. I'm in the restaurant industry. There's very little difference between high-end consumer and low-end professional culinary products. And, quite frankly, you don't have to ask me twice if I want a fancy schmancy new red Dutch oven (this is NOT sponsored). That having been said, the Instant Pot half of the new Dutch Oven Instant Pot that I came home with after ogling it at Costco for a couple of weeks has finally piqued my curiosity. Especially since the Instant Pot as a culinary fad has been waning since at-home pressure cookers are a bit of ticking time bomb. I generally prefer slow cooking and am wary of anything explosive in the kitchen. Although this new iteration of Dutch Oven Instant Pot doesn't have that problem. It's shiny. It's red. And I haven't heard anyone talking about. I've even been asking around if anyone has heard of anything to say about it. While I'm sure that I could Google it, it's a lot more fun to get myself a new culinary gadget this season test out cauliflower lentils.

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Variations of Cauliflower Lentils

Cauliflower is entirely underrated. It can be intimidating to grab a whole head of something and tasking yourself to utilize the entire thing before it goes bad! So, I tend to use the entire head of lettuce all at once. Although there are plenty of other ways to roast other produce, like roasted butternut squash and squash seeds. Or to cook all of the produce in a single-pot, like with potatoes and carrots. Although you could easily roast any of the fruits and vegetables separately and add them in. Lentils are a great recipe to mix and match your own favorite ingredients to fit what you have on hand or your own personal culinary tastes.

Lentils w/ Kabocha Squash, Potatoes, Ginger, & Tamari

Roasted Cauliflower w/ Tahini, Cumin, & Wine

Lentils w/ Cinnamon Roasted Squash & Habaneros

Instant Pot Dutch Oven Lentils w/ Cauliflower & Tahini

These Cauliflower Lentils consist of red lentils, cauliflower, carrots, yellow onion, ginger, tahini, honey, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, allspice, and cloves. You do not need to have a Dutch Oven Instant Pot to use this! I would recommend a large rice cooker, a regular Dutch oven, or even a crock pot.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 4

Total Time 4 15

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Mediterranean, Moroccan

Servings 8 servings

Equipment

Instant Pot Dutch Oven (optional, or crock pot, Dutch oven, or rice cooker)

Ingredients

1 cauliflower chopped
3 carrots sliced
1/2 yellow onion diced
1 tbsp. ginger minced
3 tbsp. tahini
2 tbsp. honey
1½ c. red lentils
dash cumin
dash coriander
dash smoked paprika
dash allspice
dash cloves
dash salt
dash pepper

Instructions

Add all of the ingredients into an Instant Pot Dutch Oven.
I put mine on Slow Cook for 4 hours.
When the lentils is fully cooked, fluff with a spoon and serve.

Tips, Tricks, & Notes

I haven't entirely figured out what the benefits of an Instant Pot Dutch Oven over a crock pot? Because they appear very similar in function and design. It's shaped more like a giant rice cooker, but a rice cooker turns off automatically when it senses that the water has evaporated out of it. So, I would almost recommend using a rice cooker if you have one large enough to fit an entire cauliflower. You could also simply use a regular Dutch oven placed in the oven or simmered over the stovetop.
I believe that there are supposed to be ways to set the temperature and time manually. Although this is either not intuitive at all or defective on the model that I ended up with. It would let me set the time, but not the temperature. So, I might return it. But, we'll see. I'll keep you updated if I use it again.