The Italian tradition says that lentils invite prosperity for the new year. To help us all welcome the hope of a new year, I created a cozy balsamic lentil salad that is perfect for New Year’s, but it’s also a salad you can enjoy year-round. It’s got a nice crunch of carrot and celery, juicy sweet tomatoes, sweet onion and herbs and is simply dressed with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, then topped with creamy feta and crunchy nuts. This lentil tomato salad is a satisfying, hearty, protein and fiber rich salad that is full of flavor, texture and color.
Adapted from epicurious. I reviewed all the comments and updated the recipe to incorporate all the things the commenters found missing, plus of course incorporated my own tastes. The result is a nice warming juicy flavorful salad you can invite to your house now to welcome the new year, yet revisit next summer when the fresh garden tomatoes and herbs are plentiful.
We’re nearing the end of 2020. It’s time for a shift. For the past 3 months or more, it’s been sugar season … as we have been stressing over so many things during the pandemic, I’ve seen more and more people turning to carbs and comfort food.
Even my normally healthy eating habits have strayed … I have been indulging on toffee crunch popcorn, peanut butter fudge, honey pecan pie and my son’s birthday cake and I’m seeing the effects of it, not just on my weight (I weigh myself most every day), but also on how I’m feeling, both physically and emotionally.
As we head towards the new year, I feel the need to cleanse myself of all of this decadence and I am SO ready to let go of 2020 and all the craziness that has happened this year.
Physically, I want to continue to allow myself small indulgences, but also give my body an opportunity to clean out the junk inside, invite energizing nutrients, move my joints and muscles and feel more ALIVE.
Hello lentils. Since they resemble the shape of coins, Italians celebrate them as a symbol of prosperity for the new year. I love these little bitty beans. Not only are they cleansing in the sense of adding fiber to your diet, they have a creamy texture, comforting flavor, yet they are low in calories, super budget friendly, and they are full of protein and folate. Unlike other beans, lentils are so easy to cook as well, making them a quick meal almost anytime.
According to Healthline, studies have shown that lentils benefit gut health by improving bowel function and slowing the rate that the stomach empties, which could help with digestion and prevent spikes in blood sugar.
After all the sugar and rich foods we’ve been turning to these past few months on top of all the stress of these times, it’s time to let them go. Literally.
At the grocery store the other day, I couldn’t help but notice the elderly lady behind me. Her order consisted of prunes and many many many cans of beans. I looked at her (masked) face and saw in her eyes a misery that I (and most of us) have experienced in the past. Our digestive systems need to regularly purge the junk from our bodies … and when it gets stopped up, well, our bodies send us very clear signals that something is not right. Listen to your gut. If it’s feeling a little swelled or out of sorts, it might be time for a lentil salad.
Lentils are not only a great source of cleansing fiber and protein, but they’re also super budget friendly, so those of you who are suffering financially can count on lentils to sustain you and hopefully bring you prosperity in the new year. Spending less today always brings more for tomorrow.
For this lentil tomato salad, it’s essential to use good tomatoes. At this moment in time, I feel very very lucky. I have been (somewhat) patiently waiting for the tomatoes I harvested green from my garden (before the sudden freeze) to ripen. I set them in the garage in a box to ripen. A few of them have been ripening over the past couple months … they took their time, but suddenly here they are, right before the new year, they are all at once turning into their vibrant beautiful colors and so juicy and tasty! They are not quite as good as the summer vine-ripened tomatoes, but oh man, right now they taste SO good. I also have a pretty new knife I got for Christmas that made chopping the tomatoes so pleasant. Thanks Dad! 🙂
If you don’t have ripening garden tomatoes, use campari tomatoes or sweet juicy cherry or grape tomatoes. They are readily available at grocery stores even in winter months in the US now. For best flavor, I do recommend peeling and chopping your own garlic rather than buying the pre-peeled (or pre-chopped) version. Fresh garlic is very budget friendly and makes such a big difference in your cooking!
Good tomatoes are best enjoyed fresh, at room temperature, so this salad is best enjoyed fresh. If you need to refrigerate leftovers, allow the salad to come to room temperature for serving again.
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Balsamic Lentil Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dried lentils (brown or French lentils)
- 1 large garlic clove, peeled & chopped fine
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 of a vidalia onion (or other sweet onion), peeled and sliced thin
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or flavored olive oil from marinated feta – recipe here)
- 1 cup chopped campari, sweet cherry or fresh sweet garden tomatoes (or more, to taste)
- 1 carrot, peeled & chopped
- 1 large stalk of celery, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro or basil
- 1 teaspoon dried dill – or 1 – 2 Tablespoons snipped fresh dill
- 2 – 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
For the top: crumbled feta (best if you use marinated feta – recipe here) and chopped walnuts or sunflower seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Add 2 cups water to a saucepan, then add the lentils, garlic and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15 – 30 minutes until the lentils are tender but not mushy and still have a little bit of “chew” to them. Drain.
- Chop half of the onions into small bits. Add the olive oil to the pan and saute until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Remove from heat and stir in the remaining ingredients. Taste and add salt or pepper or additional herbs/seasonings as needed.
- Pour the salad into a serving bowl and top with crumbled feta and nuts/seeds. Enjoy! Refrigerate any leftovers in a covered container in the fridge.
Notes
- Do NOT use red lentils for this recipe as they will turn to mush. Brown lentils or French lentils will work well.
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