Green Lentil Pasta Salad

Green Lentil Pasta Salad

Makes 2 entrees or 4 appetizers

Ingredients

• 1/2 c (70g) uncooked green lentils

• 4oz (113g) uncooked pasta of choice

• 10 (100g) cherry tomatoes

• (28g) Handful of baby spinach

• 3tbsp (28g) gorgonzola crumbles (sub feta if you aren’t down with gorgonzola)

• 2tbsp (20g) oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

• 2tbsp (20g) kalamata olives

• 1tbsp pomegranate vinegar

• 1tbsp chopped parsley

• 1/2tbsp finely chopped chives

• 1tsp extra virgin olive oil

• Salt and pepper to taste (freshly ground sea salt and pepper really elevate the flavors here)

Directions

1. Bring 1c of salted water to a boil in a small saucepan. Once water is boiling, add the lentils, cover pan, and lower to a simmer for 30 minutes.

2. Once lentils are cooked through, drain off any excess liquid, spread them in a thin layer on a plate, and place in the freezer to cool.

3. Cook your pasta according to instructions on the package. If you plan on keeping leftovers, err on the side of an al dente cook.

4. While pasta is cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients:

   • Quarter cherry tomatoes

   • Roughly chop the kalamata olives

   • Roughly chop the spinach

   • Microwave the sun dried tomatoes just long enough for the oil to liquify and drain off excess oil. Roughly chop the sun dried tomatoes.

   • Chop parsley and chives.

5. Add cherry tomatoes, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, parsley, chives, vinegar, and a few cranks of salt and pepper to a large bowl and mix well.

6. Once the pasta has cooked, drain it and put it back in the pot with some ice cubes to cool it.

7. When the pasta has cooled, drain off any extra liquid then add both the pasta and lentils to the rest of the ingredients.

8. Stir until well-combined then add in the gorgonzola and give it a light stir to evenly distribute the crumbles.

9. Add additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Notes:

• This salad has great flavor immediately after making, but will also keep well in the fridge for a few days.

• If you plan on keeping it for leftovers, I highly recommend omitting the spinach from the whole recipe and adding it fresh to the pasta salad as you eat it. I found that after a day or two the spinach in that was mixed in got a little too soggy for my tastes.