Lentil Bruschetta Dip
/My friend, Christine, told me about this recipe on our walk the other day. I was telling her about how I bought the pre-cooked, ready-to-eat Steamed Lentils from Trader Joe's and didn't know what the heck to do with them. "Emily, you have GOT to try the Lentil Bruschetta Dip. It's a thing now. It's gone viral."
Basically you mix together a package of the lentils and a container of Trader Joe's bruschetta and you've got yourself the perfect side dish for your next party or potluck (especially if you're a busy person without a ton of time to spend in the kitchen).
I went online that night and sure enough, this recipe was popping up all over the place! The original recipe is here on the Trader Joe's website.
Conveniently I was going to a party a few days later so was excited to try it out. I put my own little spin on it though. Check it out!
Lentil Bruschetta Dip
Yields enough to serve at a party or potluck
INGREDIENTS
1 package Trader Joe's steamed lentils
1 container Trader Joe's bruschetta
1 handful fresh basil
1/2-1 cup Trader Joe's crumbled feta (optional, omit to make dairy-free)
Salt and pepper to taste (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Empty the lentils into a large bowl. Break up any pieces if they're clumped together.
Drain most of the liquid from the bruschetta (you can leave it in, but the end product will be more runny) and add to the lentils. Mix together.
Take a handful of fresh basil (leaves only), rinse, and pat to dry. We're going to chiffonade the basil, which is a technique of cutting it into thin strips. Here's how: Stack about 5 leaves at a time and roll them up tightly. Then slice the leaves thinly (width-wise, not length-wise). Separate the basil strips with your fingers before adding to the lentil bruschetta mixture so they don't clump together.
Add basil to the lentil bruschetta mixture and combine.
This tastes great without the feta, so if you're not a fan of feta or don't eat cheese, you're done! Or you can do what I did and make half the batch with feta and half the batch without.
Give it a taste- if it needs more salt and pepper, go for it. I added a tiny bit of each. Keep in mind that if you added the feta or if you'll be serving this with salty chips or crackers, you can skip the salt or keep it to a minimum.
Cover and put in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours to enhance the flavor (you can even make it the night before, but if you go that route I recommend adding the basil and optional feta at the very end, just before serving, so they don't get too mushy)
Serve and enjoy!
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Serve with tortilla chips (organic if possible) or crackers (gluten-free if possible), I also heard these taste great with pita chips
Serve on cucumber slices
Serve on a bed of greens with tomatoes and cucumbers to make a salad
Use as a filling for quesadillas
These are the crackers I served them with:
Recipe adapted from Trader Joe's 1 Minute Lentil Salad