- Prep-time: / Ready In:
- Makes 16 cups
- Serving size: ¼ of recipe
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A creamy lentil mixture combines with mild spinach and tangy dried apricots in this salad flavored with allspice and cinnamon. When shopping for lentils, head to the bulk bins, where turnover is higher and lentils are likely to be fresher than prepackaged options.
Ingredients
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1½ cups dry red or brown lentils
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 15-oz. can no-salt-added garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
- ¼ cup sliced scallions (green onions)
- 6 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 to 6 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 cups fresh baby spinach
- ⅔ cup thinly sliced dried apricots
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped pistachios
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan bring broth, lentils, and garlic to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until lentils are tender (3 to 5 minutes for red lentils or 15 to 20 minutes for brown lentils). Transfer lentils to a bowl. Drain garbanzo beans, reserving liquid (aquafaba). Add beans and scallions to lentils.
- In a small bowl stir together 6 tablespoons of the aquafaba, the lemon juice, mint, allspice, and cinnamon. Pour over lentil mixture; stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill 1 to 8 hours.
- To serve, let lentil mixture stand at room temperature 25 to 30 minutes. Arrange spinach on a large platter or in a serving bowl. Spoon lentil mixture over spinach. Sprinkle with apricots and pistachios. If desired, top with additional mint.
Nutritional Information:
Per serving (¼ of recipe): 513 calories, 90 g carbohydrates, 27 g protein, 6 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 319 mg sodium, 17 g fiber, 18 g sugar
Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.
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Comments (6)
(5 from 3 votes)I made this as instructed EXCEPT I used walnuts instead of pistachios. It's really flavorful! I would make the spiced lentils more regularly as a salad topper, and the apricots added a bright contrast to the flavor of the lentils. I would like to know a substitute for the aquafaba, as I'm wary of using it repeatedly because of conflicting reports on its nutrition/toxicity.
I'm wary of using aquafaba, as it reportedly contains toxins in addition to its nutrient benefits. Can you address the differing reports?
How much is a serving? Is the listed calories per serving or the total recipe?
The nutritional information is per serving.
Will definitely try and give feed back.
This was delicious and easy to make. The flavors were amazing. I'm not adventurous so this was a big leap out of my comfort zone and I am so glad I tried it! It is on my rotation now!