Lentils with spring greens & watercress walnut pesto

Feb 27 2023

Make a flavourful veggie main of lentils with spring greens and a watercress walnut pesto. It’s a healthy supper, delivering four of your 5-a-day

Ingredients

300
g green lentils (puy or speckled)
2
tbsp olive oil
2
carrots, trimmed and roughly chopped
4
small banana shallots or 2 small onions, cut into quarters
1
vegetable stock cube
100
g tomato purée
300
g spring greens or hispi cabbage, core removed, cut into rough 3-5cm sections
150
g watercress
150
g walnuts
50
g vegetarian hard cheese (cow’s or sheep’s milk), grated
150
g extra virgin olive oil
1
-2 lemons, juiced and zested

Step 1
Make the pesto by combining all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulsing until a course sauce is formed. This is more than you may need. Will keep covered in the fridge beneath a thin layer of olive oil for up to a week.
Step 2
Put the lentils in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil over a medium heat and cook for 20 mins until almost tender.
Step 3
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium-low heat and cook the carrots and shallots for 15-20 mins until they’re starting to caramelise and soften. Drain the lentils and add to the carrots and shallots. Crumble in the stock cube. Add the tomato purée, give everything a good stir and pour in 500ml water.
Step 4
Once bubbling, cook for 10 mins or until tender and saucy. (Top up with water as needed.) Stir through the spring greens to wilt for 2-3 mins (you will still want some texture). Serve with the pesto.