I just love lentils so much. They are so versatile, incredibly nutritious and ridiculously cheap too! This salad has been my latest favourite way of cooking and using Puy lentils. It’s the most perfect late summer dish and it’s bursting with delicious flavours! The creamy pesto it’s the perfect dressing to bring the roasted veggies and the lentils together. You can either enjoy it warm or cold and it’s perfect for packed lunches too!

Ingredients:

Serves 2-3 people

1 red onion – peeled and cut into quarters 

300gr of cherry tomatoes 

1 sweet pepper – deseeded and roughly chopped 

1 courgette – sliced 

Around 400gr of cooked lentils – I have used Puy lentils, you can use tinned ones too!

2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil 

A pinch of salt and pepper 

For the pesto:

A generous handful of fresh basil + extra for decorating

1 garlic clove 

2 tbsp of pine nuts (you can also use cashews)

The juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp of nutritional yeast (optional)

2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil 

Salt to taste 

Add the red onion, cherry tomatoes, pepper an courgette to a large baking tray. Drizzle with the oil a pinch of salt and pepper and roast in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes until the veggies are soft.

In the meantime make the pesto. Simply place all the ingredients into a food processor and blitz until fairly smooth and creamy. If you find the pesto too thick add a dash of water or more oil.

Remove the veggies from the oven and tip in the cooked lentils so they will marinate with all the delicious roasting juices. Mix everything well and drizzle the pesto on top. Serve either while still warm or cold with some extra basil leaves. Enjoy!