A plateful of Buffalo Mozzarella Salad with lentils is a substantial meal. It’s perfect to serve as a Main Course Salad, especially in spring and summer since it is loaded with wholesome vegetables and plenty of protein from the lentils and the cheese
Preheat oven to 300F and line a large baking tin with parchment
Place the tomatoes on the tin. Deseed the peppers and slice each one into 12 lengths. Add to the baking tray
Spoon 1 tablespoon olive oil over the vegetables and season lightly with salt & pepper. Toss the vegetables very gently, to coat in the oil, then bake for 45 minutes (turning the peppers after 30 minutes to prevent them from burning)
Cook the lentils according to the instructions on the pack in a medium saucepan
Meanwhile make the dressing - combine the pesto and olive oil and season to taste (I put my ingredients into a screw cap jar and shake vigorously for 15 seconds)
When the lentils are cooked, drain, rinse briefly and put into a large mixing bowl or back into the saucepan. Add the spinach, olives and 2 tablespoon of the dressing. Use your hands to toss the salad in the dressing
When the tomatoes and peppers are cooked assemble the salad on 2 plates by layering the lentil mix and roasted peppers up. Arrange the cherry tomatoes around the edges and rip the buffalo mozzarella into pieces, scattering them on top of the salad plates
Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salads and serve with a grind of black pepper on the top of the cheese