Warm lentil salad with roast cherry tomatoes & red pepper

Name: Warm lentil salad with roast cherry tomatoes & red pepper
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 250 g 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; 400 g can Essential Lentils, drained and rinsed; 2 tbsp Essential Balsamic Vinegar; 25 g pack flat leaf parsley, leaves roughly chopped; Small handful rocket; 50 g Essential Feta, crumbled into large pieces; 25 g Essential Pitted Black Olives, drained; Few basil leaves

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.

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Vegetarian3 of your 5 a day

Serves2
CourseMain meal
Prepare20 mins
Cook25 mins
Total time45 mins

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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
1/4 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.