Ultimate vegan sandwich with red lentil spread

Is anyone taking part in Veganuary this year? I’m not (evidently) but I do love vegan food, and this seems as good a time as any to share this awesome vegan sandwich recipe.

The basis of this sandwich is a creamy red lentil spread. Lentils have an awful lot going for them – they’re cheap, super healthy, and really easy to cook – but unfortunately their appearance isn’t one of their main selling points, so I’m not giving you any close-ups here. But if you can picture a bowl of baby food, you can pretty much picture this red lentil spread.

It couldn’t be more straightforward – it’s literally just lentils cooked in stock until they break right down. I know it sounds a bit overly simple, but I always find that lentils (red lentils especially) really don’t need much doing to them – a bit of veggie stock is all they need to be really tasty. Of course you can add extra herbs and spices if you like, but I don’t think it’s necessary.

Instead, I topped it with this crunchy salad.

Cucumber, tomatoes, parsley, and black olives. Again – simple! It doesn’t even need any dressing – the veggies are anything but dry, and nobody likes a soggy sandwich in any case.

I used some particularly wrinkly black olives that I picked up back in November in Provence (which is in the south of France, in case you didn’t know) – apparently the wrinkliness is a speciality of the region! If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter you might have already seen some photos from my trip – if not, I’ll be sharing a few more soon.

The trip was organised by Olivence (olives + Provence, geddit?), who look after five of the top olive oil producers in France. Over the weekend, we ate soo many olives and so much amazing food prepared with French olive oil, and somehow didn’t even begin to get sick of them. I came home with a bumper haul of olives, and they were great in this simple vegan sandwich!

I used plain white bread for my vegan sandwich, but as I was eating it I decided that something a bit crustier would have been even better – the red lentil spread and simple salad would be amazing in a baguette! The recipe makes enough for about 3 sandwiches, so if you’re only cooking for yourself, you can store the leftovers in the fridge until you’re ready for the next one.

What’s your favourite vegan sandwich filling?

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Ultimate vegan sandwich with red lentil spread

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Light lunch

Servings: 3

Calories:

Author: Becca Heyes

Ingredients

For the red lentil spread:

• 120 g dried red lentils (~ 1/2 cup)
• 450 ml vegetable stock (~ 1 1/2 cups)
• Black pepper

For the simple salad:

• 4 inch chunk of cucumber, diced
• ~ 6 cherry tomatoes, diced
• ~ 10 black olives, chopped
• Small handful fresh parsley, chopped
• Salt
• Black pepper

To assemble:

• 6 slices of bread or 3 pieces of baguette
• 1 leaves handful mixed salad

Instructions

• Add the red lentils and vegetable stock to a small saucepan, and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for around 20 minutes, until the lentils are thoroughly cooked and beginning to break down. Stir thoroughly, especially towards the end of the cooking time, to ensure the lentils don't stick and to help break them up. If the liquid has all disappeared before the lentils are completely soft, just add a dash more water. Season generously with black pepper, and set aside to cool.
• To prepare the simple salad, combine the diced cucumber, tomatoes and olives in a bowl with the chopped parsley and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well.
• When the lentil spread has completely cooled, serve it with your choice of bread (I think something crusty would be best) with the simple salad and some mixed salad leaves.

Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above is for 1 sandwich.

Love a good sandwich? Try my Greek salad sandwich with black olive hummus and feta:

Note: This is not a sponsored post. I was taken to Provence in November by Olivence, but all opinions are my own.