Lentil and Feta Bake Recipe

I just had to share this lentil and feta bake recipe with you as not only is is a mashup of great flavours but also of great cuisines. There is a little bit of Greece, Morocco and Spain in this dish but my-oh-my do they work well together.

This great side or main dish goes well with any grilled meats, fish or vegetables, you can serve it either hot, warm or cold and it will even keep your veggie friends happy (vegans too – just lose the feta).

As you can see this really is a do it all, go anywhere recipe and perfect for the unpredictable British weather. Have it as a side with your next BBQ or if the weather gets a bit rough we make it in the oven so no sweat go eat inside.

Just give this a go as I know you are going to absolutely love it and it’s so simple you will be making it over and over again…

Serves 2-4 as a side dish

Ingredients

1 x 400g Can of Green Lentils
1 x 200g Pack of Feta
5 x Cherry Tomatoes
1 x Medium Red Onion
2 x Cloves Garlic
1 x Level TSP Cumin Powder
1 x Heaped TSP Ras el Hanout
½ x TSP Paprika (Regular, smoked or hot)
1 x TBSP Chopped Fresh Mint
1 x Squeeze Fresh Lemon Juice
Salt
White pepper
Olive Oil

To start quarter the red onion and medium slice it. Add a good glug of olive oil (don’t be shy!) to a frying pan with the chopped onion and cook until soft on a low heat, about 10 minutes or so.

Whilst frying the onion thoroughly drain the can of lentils and get an oven dish out and ready.

Once the onions are soft, crush your garlic into the pan and stir well, keeping on a low heat until the smell of garlic changes from sharp to savoury.

Now add the cumin, paprika and ras el hanout to the pan and keep stirring. After about a minute add the lentils and stir vigorously making sure you get all the flavours from bottom of the pan using the excess moisture from the lentils, then transfer to the oven dish.

At this point stir in the chopped mint.

This is the time to taste, as different brands of canned lentils have very different salt levels.

Add a pinch of salt (if you feel it needs it) and a good pinch of white pepper.

Give it a good mix and taste again. If you think it needs more spices for your palate feel free to add them, just be sure to go a little at a time!

Once you are happy with flavour, dice your feta cheese and half your cherry tomatoes (place skin side up) and arrange on the top. Give a final drizzle of olive oil.

At this point you can cover and put in the fridge for at least a day or two.

If cooking straight away (or when you’re ready to cook it) give it a good squeeze of lemon juice and pop it in a preheated oven uncovered at 180C (350F or Gas Mark 4) for about 30 minutes or until the feta has browned on the top.

Now serve it, set it aside or just look at how delicious it is!

Amazing what you can do with a can of lentils isn’t it? 😉

I would love to know how you got on with this dish, so please remember to tell me in the comments below.

Happy cooking!

Michael Robinson

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The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator