Lunch: Lentil Bruschetta

To reduce the carbohydrates in this recipe, serve the bruschetta in Belgian endive leaves instead of baguette. This will also make the recipe gluten-free.

Ingredients

½ cup dry brown lentils
2 cups hot water
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced
½ cup diced red onion
½ English (seedless or hothouse) cucumber, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup reduced fat, crumbled feta cheese
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1, 1-pound multigrain baguette, sliced into 28 slices, about ¼ inch thick
Cooking spray

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium sauce pan, combine lentils and hot water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
While the lentils are cooking, combine tomatoes, red bell pepper, red onion, cucumber, garlic, cilantro, red wine vinegar, olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, feta cheese and ground black pepper. Stir to incorporate and set aside.
Arrange sliced baguette pieces on a large baking sheet. Spray the tops of the bread slices lightly with cooking spray. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. (See note in step 6).
When the lentils are done cooking, drain and rinse them under cold water. Shake the colander to get rid of all of the water on the lentils, then add them to the bruschetta mixture and stir to incorporate.
To serve, either add the bruschetta mixture to a serving bowl and arrange the toasted baguette around the bowl for self-serve bruschetta, or top each toasted baguette slice with 2 heaping tablespoons of bruschetta mixture. Note: If you plan to serve the bruschetta on the baguette, you may want to toast the bread a little longer to avoid sogginess.

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