Monday, September 22, 2014

Lentil Caprese Salad

Yum

A lentil salad with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette. It's great as a side or a light lunch.


Lentil Caprese Salad:  A lentil salad with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette. It's great as a side or a light lunch.



I got the idea for this salad from Pinterest.  The recipe I saw was for a Caprese Pasta Salad from Simply Scratch.  It looked amazing and she used little mini mozzarella pearls and orecchiette pasta.  I wanted more fiber in my salad so I decided to try using lentils and I didn't have the mozzarella pearls but I always have string cheese in the fridge so I used that instead.  I loved the salad I stored it in the fridge and had it for lunch all week.  It looks the best when it's freshly made as the basil wilts over time but it still tastes great.

Lentil Caprese Salad:  A lentil salad with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette. It's great as a side or a light lunch.

My pictures are of the salad after it sat in the fridge for a day.  The basil is not as vibrant green as it started but I made this on a rainy day so I had very little natural light in my apartment.  I don't have any fancy photo lights just some lamps and overhead lights that don't look good in pictures so I waited and took my pictures the next day when I had sunlight.

Lentil Caprese Salad:  A lentil salad with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette. It's great as a side or a light lunch.

Lentil Caprese Salad


Ingredients:

1 cup dried lentils
1 1/2 - 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 cup fresh basil, cut julienne
2-3 mozzarella string cheeses, sliced
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Lentil Caprese Salad:  A lentil salad with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette. It's great as a side or a light lunch.

Rinse lentils and pick through to remove any rocks or debris.  Bring lentils to a simmer, in a saucepan, with 2 cups of water or broth (you can add a clove of garlic to the water if you like).  Let simmer, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes or until soft.  Drain lentils and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare all of your other ingredients and then just toss everything together.  Serve immediately or store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Makes 6 servings.

A little pesto would taste great tossed into this salad.

Enjoy as a side dish or a light lunch.

Lentil Caprese Salad:  A lentil salad with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette. It's great as a side or a light lunch.



Linked to:  Two Cup, Lou Lou Girls, Teach Me, Tasty Tues, Tickle my Tastebuds, Whimsy Wed, Wonderful Wed, Yuck Stops Here, Cook, Craft, Share, Full Plate, Plant based potluck, Eat Create, Freedom Fri, Foodie Friends, Best of the Weekend, Pretty Pintastic, Sat Night Fever, Share it Sun, Merry Mon, See Ya in the Gumbo


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14 comments:

  1. Looks great! I love the simple layers of flavors and the color! Pinned. Found you on Urbanne Naturale's Linky #25 post.

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  2. Thanks for the lovely comment Jessica :)

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  3. Sounds delicious and easy to make! My kind of lunch:)

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  4. What a great way to add fiber to a delicious salad! Thanks so much for bringing this to The Yuck Stops Here this week. See you next Tuesday! HUGS

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  5. I love tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. So delicious. Thank you for sharing at Merry Monday! be sure to come back next week!

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  6. Thanks Adrian. It was easy and made a great lunch.

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  7. Hi Joy,
    I love lentils and make a big pot of them a couple of times a month. I could easily make your delectable salad with some of my lentils. What a nice change that would be from brown rice and lentils and lentil soup.Thank you so much for sharing this healthy and delicious Lentil Caprese Salad recipe at the Plant-Based Potluck Party Blog Hop! I sincerely appreciate it!

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  8. I like lentils, but only have a couple of recipes for them. Would love to have this for lunch!

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  9. Thanks Deborah. I love the link party :)

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  10. It was...or at least I enjoyed it :) Thanks for the party Bobbie.

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  11. I'm glad you like it Michelle. Thanks for stopping by.

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