Name: Spelt and Lentil Caprese Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 50 g spelt; 50 g dried green lentils; 3 tomatoes; 125 g ball of buffalo mozzarella; a few basil leaves; 1 tbsp white wine vinegar; 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; Pinch black pepper; Pinch salt

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This spelt and lentil caprese salad uses classic Italian flavours to make a delicious salad that is filling enough to be a main meal. It's also a great summer side dish that's perfect for picnics, buffets and barbecues.

Now, I love caprese salad like this one but for me it's not filling enough to eat for a meal, not even a light meal. So, I've used spelt and lentils to bulk out this classic Italian salad, turning it into a spelt and lentil caprese salad. This makes it both healthy and filling enough to stop me reaching for snacks half way through the afternoon.

The lentils and spelt definitely make this caprese salad a little more interesting too. By the way, if you're looking for recipe ideas for hearty main course salads then do check out my main meal salads recipe collection.

Not only is this spelt and lentil caprese salad a great way to turn a light salad into a more hearty one, it's also a great way of using up some of those half-eaten bags of grains, pulses and lentils that tend to lurk at the back of the cupboard.

What ingredients do you need to make this salad?

To make this grain based caprese salad you'll need:

Spelt - If you have pearled spelt it will cook a little more quickly. Another way of making it quicker to cook is by soaking it first.
Green lentils - I use dried lentils and they are fairly quick to cook. You can also use puy lentils or brown lentils.
Tomatoes - Use ripe juicy ones if you can.
Buffalo mozzarella
Basil leaves
White wine vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Seasoning - Just a pinch of black pepper and salt

Ingredients for spelt and lentil caprese salad

How to make spelt and lentil caprese salad

Do check out the full recipe card further down the page. Start by cooking the lentils and spelt according to the pack instructions. Be careful not to overcook the lentils though as you want them to hold their shape.

Mix everything together except the mozzarella. Then drizzle with a little more olive oil and extra seasoning.

Can you eat this spelt and lentil caprese salad the next day?

Yes! This grain based caprese salad keeps really well in the fridge for at least 3 days. To be honest, the flavours become even better overnight.

Just store the mozzarella separately from the salad.

Mozzarella, tomato, lentil and spelt salad in a bowl

How to cook spelt more quickly

The one problem with spelt is that it does take quite a long time to cook. However, you can pre-soak it to reduce the cooking time. I've found that if I soak the spelt for at least 2 hours, it will then cook in about 25 minutes rather than an hour.

Alternatively, if you use pearled spelt it will cook in half the time that it takes whole spelt to cook.

What's spelt like in a salad?

Spelt has a lovely chewy texture and a nutty flavour. It goes brilliantly in salads. . Now I've rediscovered spelt, I only hope that bag of spelt will not still be there next year.

How could you adapt this salad?

This spelt salad is itself a twist on a traditional caprese salad which is just basil, tomatoes and mozzarella. I've added the lentils and spelt to make it more filling and more of a main meal salad.

Instead of using the spelt and lentils you could pick any combination of grains. I think buckwheat would be great, as would farro, barley, wild rice or freekeh.

I used white wine vinegar but you could use any vinegar such as balsamic or cider vinegar.

hands holding spelt and lentil mozzarella salad

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