Black Lentil Caesar Salad
Fried black beluga lentils make a fantastic protein topping for a vegetarian Caesar salad! With pan fried croutons, avocado and crisp fresh Romaine lettuce, this is a hearty and filling salad with a delightful mix of textures.
Ingredients
- 2 heads Romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 cup black lentils, see notes
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- olive oil, for frying
- 1 cup torn sourdough bread or ciabatta
- optional: fresh chopped chives make a great topping!
Caesar Dressing
- 4 Tbsp greek yogurt, full fat
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, around half a lemon's yield
- 0.5 clove garlic
- 2 Tbsp grated parmesan style cheese, see notes
- 1.5 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp capers, in brine
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing by blending together all of the ingredients using a mini food processor or a hand blender in a small bowl. It's quite a small batch so it can be hard to get it blending in a full size blender – if you don't have anything small enough you may want to double the recipe.4 Tbsp greek yogurt, 0.5 clove garlic, 2 Tbsp grated parmesan style cheese, 1.5 tsp Dijon mustard, 2 tsp capers, 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Make the croutons. Heat a shallow layer of olive oil over a low-medium heat in a frying pan. Add the pieces of bread to the pan and allow them to slowly fry, until they are golden and crisp. It will take 3-5 minutes depending on your heat and you will want to toss them a few times during this process. Add a little salt and pepper to taste, especially if you are using a less flavorful bread. Don't worry if you can't get every crouton evenly toasted on each side – it will be fine. Once they are ready, remove from the heat and set aside until it's time to serve.olive oil, 1 cup torn sourdough bread or ciabatta
- Fry the lentils. Wipe out the frying pan, then add some new oil. Heat to a low-medium heat, then add the lentils. We want the lentils to be as dry as possible when they are added - drain them well and pat them dry a little.Saute for a couple of minutes, depending on whether you want the lentils fried to a crisp or still on the softer / creamier side (either works!) Once they're almost done, add the smoked paprika and garlic powder and just saute for another moment until fragrant.1 cup black lentils, 1 tsp smoked paprika, olive oil, 1 tsp garlic powder
- Assemble the salad. Add the lettuce to a bowl and toss with enough dressing to get the leaves well coated. Then add in the avocado, croutons and lentils. Drizzle more dressing over the top. Serve immediately.2 heads Romaine lettuce, 1 avocado
Notes
Black lentil quantities - For me the ideal amount is 1 cup of cooked black lentils, but cans tend to give you 1.5. It's a little awkward to save 1/2 a cup of plain lentils, so I would suggest frying them all up and seeing how many you want to include - leftovers can be saved and repurposed!