Tomato-Lentil Salad With Spicy Tahini

Tomato-Lentil Salad With Spicy Tahini

This satisfying, sweet and spicy tomato salad is vegan, no-cook and rich in fiber and protein to boot. Tomato chunks and cooked lentils marinate in lemon juice, olive oil and salt, which seasons the lentils and concentrates the tomato flavor. A heap of sweet basil is stirred in — think of it as the salad’s leafy green — and a swirl of two-ingredient tahini-chile sauce adds pockets of heat, nuttiness and creaminess. Feel free to expand the salad (feta, cucumbers and sliced toasted almonds would all be welcome) or serve with grilled protein, salad greens, flatbread or toast. If you’re heat-averse, try this balsamic tahini sauce instead.

Yield: 4 servings

2 (15-ounce) cans lentils, drained, rinsed and shaken dry (or 3 cups cooked green or black lentils from 1 ½ cups dry lentils)

1 ½ pounds ripe tomatoes (or 2 pints cherry tomatoes), cut into bite-size pieces

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)

Salt

¼ cup stirred tahini

1 tablespoon chile crisp, harissa or another chile paste, plus more to taste

1 ½ loosely packed cups basil leaves, torn 

Toasted sesame seeds, for serving 

In a large bowl, combine the lentils, tomatoes, oil, lemon juice and a big pinch of salt. Stir to combine. In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the tahini and chili crisp. Add cold water until pourable, then taste and add more chile crisp and salt until the sauce is a little too spicy. (It will be tamed by the lentils.)

Stir the basil gently into the salad. Serve the salad drizzled with the tahini sauce and showered with sesame seeds. Season to taste with salt.