Warm Kale and Lentil Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette Recipe

This Warm Kale and Lentil Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette was a mishap. Well, by the time we ate it, it was a hit, but its journey to the table was a near disaster.

See, I was all set to make a crisp, cold kale and bean salad recipe I’d seen on Pinterest. It was an easy recipe and I was busy, so I waited till the last minute before putting it together.

As I washed the kale and whisked the dressing, the Copywriters’ Kitchen crew began snapping about the late dinner hour. And it was about this moment that I realized I had no beans.

Oh, I had beans all right: pintos, chickpeas, cranberry beans, lentils of every color. But they were dried.

What a scratch-cook fail. Smug little me, I make a point of always having extra beans on hand: When I cook them, I simmer a whole pound and store leftovers in one- and two-cup containers.

Not this time.

In a last ditch effort to salvage dinner, I quick cooked split lentils–if you cover them tightly and keep them on a high simmer, split lentils cook in ten minutes.

I didn’t bother to cool the lentils. I drained and dumped them hot right onto the kale. Then I tossed the greens with Parmesan cheese and Honey Mustard Vinaigrette.

The results were spectacular: The lentils wilted the kale, turning it a dark green. The cheese softened and released its oily, tangy goodness. And the vinaigrette bound the whole mess together in a sweet-sour, gummy jumble that made a fantastic, rib-sticking main course salad.

Later, I wondered if my hunger had prejudiced me unduly in favor of this salad. So I made it again when we were less famished, the next day. What can I say? We’re having it again tonight…

Warm Kale and Lentil Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette Recipe

1/2 cup dried red split lentils
6-8 cups of kale, washed and torn into bite-size pieces
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
2-3 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, coarsely grated
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. In a saucepan, bring two cups of salted water to boil.
2. Wash the lentils well and pour them into the boiling water. Cover pan, bring lentils to a boil, then lower heat to keep the lentils on a high simmer. Cook lentils until just tender—10-12 minutes.
3. In the meantime, wash and tear up the kale. Place in a salad bowl.
4. In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, mustard, vinegar, honey, minced shallots and salt and pepper to taste.
5. When lentils are cooked, drain them and dump them over the kale. Pour the vinaigrette over the kale, sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the greens and toss, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 6