Warm lentil salad with roast cherry tomatoes & red pepper
Elly Curshen's leftovers recipe is centered around Essential lentils, a true hero of the storecupboard – nutritious, versatile, and good value. Swap rocket for baby spinach if you like, and seared halloumi would be a great alternative to feta.
- Serves2
- CourseMain meal
- Prepare20 mins
- Cook25 mins
- Total time45 mins
Ingredients
- 250g Essential Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 Essential Red Pepper, cut into 2-3cm strips
- 3 tbsp Essential Olive Oil, plus more to serve
- 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 400g can Essential Lentils, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp Essential Balsamic Vinegar
- ¼ x 25g pack flat leaf parsley, leaves roughly chopped
- Small handful rocket
- 50g Essential Feta, crumbled into large pieces
- 25g Essential Pitted Black Olives, drained
- Few basil leaves
Method
Preheat the oven to 220ºC, gas mark 7. Put the cherry tomatoes and pepper strips onto a large baking tray – all the vegetables should be in a single layer. Drizzle with 1 tbsp oil, season well and toss to coat. Roast for 25 minutes, or until starting to char. Scatter the pumpkin seeds over a small roasting tin and toast for a few minutes on the shelf below, or use a dry frying pan.
Tip the lentils into a cold pan. Add the balsamic vinegar and the remaining 2 tbsp oil. Mix and leave to one side while the vegetables roast. When the tomatoes and pepper are nearly done, put the pan of dressed lentils over a low heat and gently heat through for a couple of minutes.
Remove from the heat. Add the parsley, season well, stir and spread out on a platter. Start to layer the other salad elements on top – add ½ the roasted peppers and tomatoes, then ½ the rocket. Repeat. Top with the feta, pumpkin seeds and olives. Finish with the basil leaves, then drizzle with a little extra olive oil and a grind of black pepper.
Cook’s tip
For a packed lunch, use cavolo nero or kale instead of rocket, finely shredded and added to the lentils in the pan so it softens a little. Tear the basil and mix together, for a nice combination with every forkful.
Nutritional
Typical values per serving when made using specific products in recipe
Energy | 2,305kJ/ 554kcals |
|---|---|
Fat | 35g |
Saturated Fat | 8.6g |
Carbohydrates | 38g |
Sugars | 21g |
Fibre | 9.6g |
Protein | 17g |
Salt | 1g |