Puy Lentils with Roasted Tomatoes and Basil
40 minutes · Serves 4
- 1 1/2 cups puy or beluga lentils
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1 large handful basil, torn
- to taste salt and pepper
- 01 Heat oven to 400°F (200°C). Toss the tomatoes with 2 tbsp of the oil and salt, and roast 25–30 minutes until they burst and darken.
- 02 Meanwhile, simmer the lentils in well-salted water for 20–22 minutes, until tender but still holding their shape. Drain.
- 03 Whisk the remaining oil, the vinegar, and the garlic with a good pinch of salt. Dress the lentils while they are still hot — cold lentils absorb nothing.
- 04 Fold through the tomatoes with all their roasting juices, then the basil. Taste and add more vinegar until it tastes bright rather than earthy.
Good warm, better at room temperature, and it holds three days in the fridge — which makes it the most useful thing on this site to cook on a Sunday.