Sous Vide French Lentil Salad

French lentil salad spiked with diced vegetables and a vibrant red wine vinaigrette is a wonderful dish to have in your back pocket. It’s simple, versatile and is hearty enough to please even the most carnivorous eater. The only problem with lentils is that they are easy to overcook on the stove top — one minute they’re crunchy, and the next minute they’ve blown out. Cooking lentils in the Anova Precision Cooker takes away any concern, yielding tender, intact legumes every time.

You can also cook this recipe in one quart-sized canning jar. Place the water, lentils, onion, carrot, celery, thyme, bay leaf, and salt in the jar instead of a zipper lock bag in step 2. 

Author

Kate Itrich-Williams

Prep Time: 00:30

Recipe Time: 01:00

Temperature : 190F / 87.8C

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup dried lentils
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 small carrot, diced
• 1 small celery rib, diced
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 190ºF (87ºC).
2. Combine water, lentils, onion, carrot, celery, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large zipper lock bag. Seal the bag using the water immersion technique. Place the bag in the water bath and set the timer for 1 hour.
3. While lentils are cooking, make the vinaigrette: Combine the olive oil, shallot, red wine vinegar, mustard, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake the jar until the ingredients are emulsified.

Finishing Steps

1. When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Strain the lentils through a fine mesh strainer to remove any excess cooking liquid. Transfer lentils to a serving bowl and remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
2. Add the vinaigrette and stir gently to combine. Let the lentils cool to room temperature.
3. Once the lentils are cool, stir in the chopped parsley. Season with salt and red wine vinegar to taste. Serve.