Warm Southwestern Lentil and Bean Salad  yellow_icon  Green_icon

Serves 2 • Cooking Time 4 to 5 hours on Low or 3 to 4 hours on High • Slow Cooker Size 4 to 7 Quarts

Slug Icon WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: The most important step in making a lentil salad is perfecting the cooking of the lentils so they maintain their shape and firm-tender bite. Often, the best way to perfectly cook lentils is in the oven, which heats them gently and uniformly. We found that the slow cooker acted a lot like an oven in this instance, cooking the lentils without any hands-on monitoring. Adding a little salt and lime juice to the cooking liquid (we used vegetable broth) gave us lentils that were firm yet creamy. Once we had perfectly cooked lentils, all we had left to do was to pair the healthy legumes with boldly flavored ingredients. We chose spicy chipotle chile in adobo sauce and earthy oregano and enhanced the Southwestern flavors at the end by adding corn, tomatoes, lime juice, and queso fresco. To make this dish even heartier, we added canned pinto beans to the slow cooker along with the lentils. Fresh cilantro leaves and crunchy pepitas added brightness and crunch to our hearty vegetarian entrée salad. We prefer French green lentils, or lentilles du Puy, for this recipe, but it will work with any type of lentil except red or yellow. You can serve this dish over mixed greens if desired. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

1

cup vegetable broth

1

cup canned pinto beans, rinsed

⅔

cup lentils, picked over and rinsed

3

tablespoons lime juice (2 limes)

2

garlic cloves, minced

1½

teaspoons minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce

1

teaspoon minced fresh oregano or ¼ teaspoon dried

Salt and pepper

6

ounces cherry tomatoes, halved

½

cup frozen corn, thawed

1

shallot, sliced thin

2

teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

½

cup cilantro leaves

1

ounce queso fresco, crumbled (¼ cup)

1

tablespoon raw pepitas, toasted

1. Lightly spray inside of slow cooker with vegetable oil spray. Combine broth, beans, lentils, 1 tablespoon lime juice, garlic, chipotle, oregano, and ½ teaspoon salt in slow cooker. Cover and cook until lentils are tender, 4 to 5 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high.

2. Gently stir tomatoes, corn, shallot, oil, and remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice into lentils. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with cilantro, queso fresco, and pepitas. Serve.

Per serving:
Cal 500
Fat 12g
Sat Fat 2g
Chol 5mg
Carb 78g
Protein 26g
Fiber 18g
Sodium 1250mg
*To reduce sodium level to 800mg, use low-sodium broth and low-sodium beans.