Lentil Pasta Salad
This lentil pasta salad is a serious crowd pleaser... it's so good, it's pre-pasta-rous! Loaded with 3 of your 5-a-day, this dish is as nutritious as it is delicious. Store any leftovers in the fridge for an epic packed lunch the next day. Don't make a fu-silli mistake, try this gorgeous pasta salad now!
Serves
Ingredients
For the salad
<item-todo-done>1 tbsp dried oregano<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 tbsp dried thyme<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>400g lentil pasta<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 clove garlic cloves<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 courgettes - cut into 1cm cubes<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 red onion<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 red bell pepper<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 yellow bell pepper chopped<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 green bell pepper chopped<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 fennel bulb<item-todo-done>
For the dressing
<item-todo-done>1 tbsp sun-dried tomato pesto<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 tbsp olive oil<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 x 180g jar of sun-dried tomatoes<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> Juice of 1 lemon<item-todo-done>
For the toppings
<item-todo-done>1 tbsp vegetable oil<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 tbsp maple syrup<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 block of plant-based halloumi<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> Juice of 1 lemon<item-todo-done>
To serve
<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>
Before you start
Preheat oven to 180ºC fan | Large roasting dish | Griddle pan | Saucepan | Powerful blender
To cook the pasta
- Start by bringing a pan of water to the boil then pour in the pasta and season with a pinch of salt, allow to cook as per the instructions on the packet
- Once the pasta is cooked drain and leave to cool
Roast the veg
- Dice the courgette, red onion, peppers and fennel into chunks similar in size and tip into a large roasting dish
- Finely chop the garlic and add to the dish along with the dried thyme and oregano
- Finish with a generous glug of olive oil, salt and pepper and two wheels of lemon
- Mix everything together and roast for 20 - 25 minutes until the veg has softened
For the toppings
- Start by slicing the plant based halloumi into six equal chunks
- Then place a griddle pan over a high heat
- Add the halloumi into the pan and after 2-3 minutes flip over to bar mark the other side
- Once the halloumi is done place on a dish and drizzle with maple syrup
For the dressing
- Blend all of the ingredients for the dressing in a food processor and season with salt and pepper to taste
Time to serve
- Mix the lentil pasta with the roasted vegetables and sun dried tomato dressing
- Tip into a large serving dish and top with the halloumi a scattering of rocket and serve