Mob’s Pesto Lentils with Lemony Leeks
Buttery lentils are stirred through with pesto and topped with charred lemony leeks in this easy vegetarian dish from Mob.
From the book
Mob 6: Tasty 6-Ingredient Meals
115 ultra-tasty and fresh recipes all using just 6 ingredients.
Fuss-free lunches and dinners, easy desserts, and crowd-pleasing feasts.
Simple, easy dishes for levelling up your weeknight cooking.
Introduction
An easy way to make something as simple as a lentil feel indulgent. We’ve cooked up our green lentils with a little butter, stirred through with some pesto and topped them with lemony leeks. Perfect as a side dish or part of a champion mezze.
Ingredients
| 500g | tinned green lentils, drained and rinsed |
| 1 | lemon, zested and juice, plus extra wedges to serve |
| 50g | salted butter |
| 1 jar | pesto |
| 4 | leeks, halved lengthways |
| 4 tbsp | olive oil |
| 50g | panko breadcrumbs |
| salt |
Method
Set a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the lentils and 50ml of water and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat and add the lemon zest, butter and two-thirds of the pesto and stir to combine. Set aside.
Set a griddle pan over a high heat and add the leeks, cut-side down. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side until charred and soft.
Set a small frying pan over a high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the breadcrumbs, toasting until golden brown. Toss with a pinch of salt.
Remove the leeks from the heat and dress generously with the lemon juice, salt and remaining olive oil.
Put the lentils onto a platter and swirl in the remaining pesto. Top with the charred leeks, sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and serve with extra lemon wedges.
