Braised Black Lentils with Lightly Pickled Apple and Radish

5 from 1 vote

Black lentils are braised in browned butter and tangy apple cider and topped with lightly pickled apples and radishes for a healthy, high fiber meal.

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Total Time50

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American, French

Keyword: black lentils, gluten free, healthy eating, legumes, lentils, meatless, vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 335kcal

Melt butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until butter is fragrant and golden brown. Add 3/4 of the sliced shallots, and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Stir in apple cider, mustard, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a boil and continue to cook until the cider is almost all reduced, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in the lentils and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and cover. Simmer until lentils are tender, 25-30 minutes.
While the lentils are cooking, stir together 1 Tablespoon of the apple cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt until the salt is dissolved. Add the radishes, apples and remaining sliced shallots and toss well.
If there is still lots of liquid remaining when the lentils are cooked, increase heat to medium high, and cook until liquid is reduced, about 3 minutes. When the lentils are done, remove from heat and stir in the remaining 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar. Serve warm lentils topped with the apple radish mixture and crumbled goat cheese. Serve over a bed of mixed leafy greens if desired.

Instead of hard apple cider, you could use an equal portion of apple juice, white wine, or 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar plus 1/3 cup water.