Why This Recipe Works

A garden’s worth of vegetables star in this summery meal splashed with timeless flavors. When in season, the fennel, potatoes, zucchini, and tomatoes in this vegetable bake all have a fresh sweetness that benefits from the savor of a cumin rub. Leaving the core in the fennel ensures that the pretty wedges stay intact and are easy to flip. Lentils round out the roasted vegetables, and using canned lentils makes things easy. Near the end of roasting, we sprinkle the vegetables with feta for a salty, briny flavor; it softens and browns appealingly over the dish. The finishing touch is a drizzle of an herbaceous oil.

Before You Begin

Use small potatoes measuring 1 to 2 inches in diameter.

Instructions

for the herb oil

Pulse ½ cup fresh parsley leaves, ¼ cup fresh dill, ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 minced garlic clove in food processor until coarsely chopped, about 10 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer to bowl and season with salt to taste; set aside until ready to serve.

for the roasted vegetables

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Toss 8 ounces quartered Yukon Gold potatoes; 1 large fennel bulb, halved, and cut through core into ½-inch-thick wedges; 1 tablespoon oil; ¾ teaspoon cumin; ½ teaspoon table salt; and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Arrange vegetables cut side down on rimmed baking sheet and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Roast until vegetables are beginning to brown and are nearly tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove foil and flip fennel wedges. Toss 2 zucchini, cut ½ inch thick on bias; 8 ounces cherry tomatoes; 2 thinly sliced shallots; 1 rinsed can lentils, drained well; remaining 1 tablespoon oil; remaining ¼ teaspoon salt; and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Scatter evenly over top of vegetables on sheet, then sprinkle with 1 cup crumbled feta. Roast until tomatoes blister, feta starts to soften and brown slightly, and vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Drizzle with reserved herb oil and serve.