Warm lentil salad gratin with goat cheese from the oven
Classic lentil salad is often served as a quick, cold meal. But if you mix the legumes with fresh vegetables and briefly bake it in the oven, you create a lentil salad gratin with goat cheese that is truly delightful. The heat transforms the simple side dish into a wonderfully warming gratin.
- 300g Puy lentils (green lentils)
- 750 ml vegetable broth
- 1 Lorbeerblatt
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 red onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 stalks of celery
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp mustard (preferably Dijon mustard)
- 1 TL Honig
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- Salt
- black pepper
- 150 g Cherry tomatoes
- 50 g Rocket
- 200g goat cheese log
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 1 tbsp olive oil (for drizzling)
- Rinse the Puy lentils and place them in a pot. Pour in vegetable stock, add a bay leaf and a crushed garlic clove, and cook over medium heat for about 20–25 minutes, until the lentils are tender but still have a slight bite. Drain them and discard the bay leaf and garlic.
- Dice the red onion, red bell pepper, and celery. Finely chop the second clove of garlic.
- In a large bowl, combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, honey, dried thyme, and dried rosemary to make a dressing. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Place the still-warm lentils in the bowl and thoroughly mix in the dressing. Add diced onion, bell pepper, celery, and chopped garlic, and stir everything together.
- Halve the cherry tomatoes and gently fold them into the lentil salad along with the arugula.
- Fill the lentil salad into an ovenproof dish. Slice the goat cheese log and distribute the slices evenly over the surface.
- Sprinkle pine nuts over the cheese and drizzle everything with olive oil.
- Place the dish under the preheated oven grill (approx. 200 °C) and bake the salad for 8–10 minutes, until the goat cheese is golden brown and slightly melted.
Why this lentil salad gratin with goat cheese is so special
For dishes where texture plays a crucial role, Puy lentils are your best choice. These small, dark green legumes originate from the Auvergne region of France and offer an unbeatable advantage: they don't turn to mush but retain a pleasantly firm texture even after cooking. To ensure they develop flavor from the start, cook them directly in a rich vegetable broth. A bay leaf and a crushed garlic clove in the cooking water provide a delicate, aromatic base. The most important step comes immediately after draining. The lentils must be tossed with the vinaigrette while still hot. In this warm state, they are particularly receptive and soak up the mixture of olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, honey, and fresh thyme and rosemary like a sponge. This way, every single lentil is intensely seasoned.
The vinaigrette forms the flavor backbone of the entire gratin. A good Dijon mustard provides a gentle spiciness, while a touch of honey balances the herbaceous notes. The red wine vinegar contributes a pronounced acidity, which later provides a much-needed counterpoint to the rich goat cheese. For the necessary freshness and a crisp contrast to the soft lentils, finely dice red onions, bell peppers, and celery. Make sure the vegetables are cut into uniform pieces so that all the components are well distributed in the salad. Only at the very end, before transferring the mixture to the baking dish, gently fold in halved cherry tomatoes and fresh arugula. Be careful not to overmix. The delicate arugula leaves should only wilt slightly, and the tomatoes should retain their shape so they can caramelize perfectly in the oven.
Once the prepared salad has rested in an ovenproof dish, the transformation into a gratin begins. Generously cover the surface with slices of goat cheese and scatter the pine nuts in between. A final drizzle of olive oil over the cheese helps it brown perfectly under the heat. Place the dish in the oven preheated to about 200 degrees Celsius (390 degrees Fahrenheit). Ideally, use the broiler setting if your oven has one. After eight to ten minutes, the goat cheese will begin to bubble around the edges and take on an appetizing golden-brown color. At the same time, the pine nuts will toast from the direct heat, releasing their full, nutty aroma. Serve the gratin immediately while the cheese inside is still wonderfully soft and creamy.
