This delightful chorizo salad is satisfying and very simple, consisting of 6 main ingredients easily found in any pantry. This chorizo and lentil salad is a harmonious blend of spicy chorizo, earthy lentils, and crisp red onions, all tossed together in an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing. This salad packs a punch of flavor and texture, making your taste buds dance with joy. Let's dig in!
After all that Christmas binge eating, I promised myself and my family that we would be eating healthily, at least for a while. Pheww! I feel like I can almost be rolled over.
Ingredients needed for this chorizo salad
- chorizo sausage - find a good quality sausage with no added unwanted ingredients
- lentils - I used the dry, continental version
- butternut squash - this will need to be baked
- red onion
- red pepper - will need to be cooked but fresh or pickled would be as good
- sundried tomatoes - find the ones in olive oil or simply drain off any oil otherwise
- fresh parsley - coriander or any herb you may like such as basil, oregano, thyme
- black pepper - freshly ground
- balsamic vinegar - cider is as good but more tart
- extra virgin olive oil - this is optional but I recommend using a generous drizzle 😉
Variations and Substitutions
Lentils -Â there are quite a few options out there. This recipe asks for those that cook nicely and don't become all mushy like the red split ones which I love but wouldn't be my first choice in this recipe.
Choose green or continental lentils which are the lentils I have used. Split peas or the big yellow ones will also work well here.
You can substitute the butternut squash with swede, carrots, parsnip, celeriac, aubergines, cauliflower, or a mix.
Also, if you don't fancy doing any roasting, you may use mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, kale, spring greens, cavolo Nero, or any leaves that could be used that you can easily pan-cook.
If you work in an office with people around..... you would probably want to leave out the red onion and replace this with a few leaves of lettuce or a handful of salad, maybe some chopped cucumber or fennel, whatever you prefer.
Make it vegetarian - leave the chorizo sausage out and add some nice feta crumbs or a couple of eggs for some extra goodness and protein. Have a look at this Green Lentils With Portobello Mushrooms Salad
Make it vegan - just add the vegetables and you may add some mushrooms and vegan cheese for a wonderful and still very yummy dish.
This lentils, chorizo, and sun-dried tomato salad recipe, is one of those meals that you could prepare in no time, perfect to have as a nice lunch the next day too.
Tip
Whenever you roast veggies put a few extra or if you have any leftovers is a perfect scenario for a dish like this.
Storage
Just refrigerate in an airtight container and the next day simply tuck in.
Since it sounds so good and promising let's get started....So, here it comes the recipe!
Here are some lentil recipes you may enjoyÂ
- Red lentil dhal with coconut milk and quail eggs
- 25 Most Desired Recipes to Cook or Bake This December; Something For Everyone
- Lentils and roast vegetable salad
- Green lentils and feta cheese salad
- 15 Autumnal Comfort Dishes To Enjoy This Season
Lentils, chorizo and sun-dried tomatoes
Equipment
- chopping board
- knife
- pot
Ingredients
- 250 g chorizo
- 250 g lentils (dry, continental version)
- ½ medium butternut squash (baked)
- 2 medium red onions or 1 large
- ½ large red pepper (pickled, or fresh)
- 8-10 pieces sundried tomatoes (oil drained)
- 10 sprigs parsley (or coriander) (fresh)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground) or to taste
- 2-3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1-2 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 190°C/375F.
- Wash and chop the butternut squash. Of course, you can add other veggies too if you fancy. Place in a tray and roast for 20-25 min.
- While the butternut squash is roasting, slice the chorizo and pan fry together with the sliced red pepper for about 8-10 min. Take out on paper towel or use a paper towel to remove the extra fat released by the chorizo.
- Wash the lentils thoroughly and cook them according to the pack instructions. Cook al dente as the lentils are extra nice when they're left a little crunchy.
- Peel and slice the red onion. Place on a serving plate along with the sausages and the chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
- When the butternut squash has softened, take it out and add to the onion and the sausages.
- Chop some parsley, and add the cooked and drained lentils. Grind some pepper to taste, and add some salt although I do not think there is a need for any salt as sausages are fairly salty. We did say healthier, right?
- Drizzle balsamic vinegar (add some olive oil if you wish - I love the balsamic vinegar and olive oil combination in this salad.
Notes
Nutrition
Sean says
This looks like an interesting recipe, as I have a chorizo and some sun-dried tomatoe to use up.
A couple of questions, though, please:
The recipe mentions onion (red judging by the photo), but the list of ingredients mentions no onion.
The other way around, the ingredients list calls for a red pepper, but it doesn't say in the recipe itself what you're supposed to do with it. Should it go in raw or griiled and skin removed? Or even baked with the squash?
Ramona says
Hey Sean, thank you so much for stopping by and for flagging this up to me. There was an error there with the gradients which I have now rectified. It should make perfect sense now. My apologies! Enjoy this lentil and chorizo salad, it’s very tasty indeed. Thanks again. Have a wonderful weekend!
Ramona xx
Beth says
This looks so delicious! I love chorizo so much! It is one of my all time favorite sausages! I can't wait to give this a try!
Ramona says
Hi and thank you for stopping by Beth,
Chorizo is my all time favourite sausage too. It’s soo good and flavoursome. Anything that has got chorizo in it tastes delicious. This salad is definitely a must try.
Tristin says
This is such a great summer picnic or potluck recipe! I love that it's fresh and flavorful with all sorts of nutritious ingredients.
Ramona says
Thank you so much Tristin, you’re absolutely right, it’s just a great refreshing dish that can be enjoyed in any occasion. I’m so glad you like it. ??
Nicole says
As the weather gets warmer, I crave these kind of meals with a nice piece of fresh bread. I have some puy lentils which would be perfect for this!
Ramona says
Thank you Nicole, absolutely true. Puy lentils are great indeed, I love lentils in general - they’re very healthy. ?