Simple Summer Swiss Chard and Lentil Bake

I bought a package of cooked lentils from Trader Joe’s a couple months ago when it wasn’t so hot out and never really got around to using them. Normally you don’t think of lentils as a summer food, but with the expiration date quickly approaching I knew it was time to get the creative juices flowing and come up with a recipe.

Since the weather in DC has been ridiculously hot, I wanted something fairly light with lots of summer vegetables so I came up with a dish you could make year round. You can actually eat this dish hot or cold, and it can be transformed from comfort food to a light healthy summer dish.

Simple Summer Swiss Chard and Lentil Bake
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 1 C diced red onion
• 1 large bunch swiss chard (preferably organic) chopped into 1 inch strips
• 1 C cherry tomatoes halved
• 1 box Trader Joe’s cooked lentils
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Sautee onions over medium heat in a large pot until translucent. Add in swiss chard and cook down until slightly wilted. In a separate pot heat up lentils until warm, then add them to the pot with the swiss chard and the onions. Add in tomatoes and cook over low heat covered for about ten minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. After lentils are plated sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese.

I love the combination of flavors here. It’s earthy yet extremely fresh at the same time. The tomatoes add a nice bit of acid and crispness to the dish while the Parmesan adds a nutty characteristic. I enjoyed the leftovers even more after all the flavors had a chance to really merry overnight. And the best part of all is the entire cooking time was about 30 minutes. Can’t beat that!

Tagged as: 30 minutes meals, lentils, summer meals, Swiss Chard