Lentil salad with feta or goat cheese

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 150 g lentils (mountain lentils or beluga lentils)
• lots of water
• 1 small leek
• 1 large carrot(s)
• some celery (approx. 50 g)
• ½ zucchini
• 3 tomatoes
• 100 g feta cheese (e.g. Bulgarian) or crumbly goat roll
• ½ bunch parsley
• possibly arugula
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar, white or red, to taste
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp mustard
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 55 minutes

delicious vegetarian main course or wonderful side dish

Wash the lentils and cook them in plenty of water without salt (so they still have a bite). In the meantime, chop the vegetables finely. Drain the lentils and let them drain well in a sieve. In a large pan, sauté the leeks, carrots, and celery in a little olive oil until the leeks are translucent. Then add the zucchini and sauté for another 5 minutes over medium heat. Sprinkle with brown sugar and let it caramelize (if you prefer a sweet and sour flavor, you can use 2 teaspoons). Reduce the heat to low. Add the lentils to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and add 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Turn off the heat and stir briefly to transfer everything to a salad bowl. Add the diced tomatoes and crumble the cheese over them (the lentil mixture should still be warm so the cheese melts slightly). Add the chopped parsley. Now make a vinaigrette with 3 tablespoons each of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and the mustard, and drizzle it over the salad. Season again with salt and pepper. If desired, sprinkle with freshly chopped arugula before serving. It tastes great freshly prepared (while still warm) or left to marinate the next day as a main course or side dish (in this case, reduce the quantity).