015 / 75 · Cold Meals for a Break
Herby Lentil and Roasted Pepper Pita Pockets
2 filled pitas, cut into 4 halves · Active 20 min · Total 1 hr 20 min
Print recipe · PDFPita pockets carry a lentil salad neatly when the filling is moist enough to hold together but dry enough to stay inside the bread. Roasted red pepper gives sweetness, feta provides a salty crumble and plenty of parsley keeps the result lively. There is no cooking when you start with canned lentils. That makes this a useful preparation to fit around a changing work schedule, with an hour allowed to chill the filling before transport.
Drain twice if necessary
Lentils straight from a can and peppers straight from a jar both carry more liquid than a pita needs. Rinse the lentils, drain them thoroughly and spread the chopped peppers on a clean towel. Do not squeeze the vegetables into a paste; just remove the liquid that would collect in the bottom of the mixing bowl. The cucumber stays crisp if it is diced small and any particularly wet central seeds are scraped away first.
Mash a little, leave most whole
A few spoonfuls of crushed lentils give the filling something to cling to. Mash them against the side of the bowl with the lemon and oil before folding in the remaining ingredients. This is a binder rather than a hummus: most of the lentils should remain whole. Stir in the feta gently so it stays in small pieces instead of disappearing into a beige dressing.
Assemble for the journey you have
For a short refrigerated journey, lettuce inside each pocket helps keep the bread from direct contact with the dressing. For a much later break, pack the chilled filling and lettuce separately and fill the pitas just before eating. Either way, use a rigid container so a lunch bag does not flatten the bread. The safe cold-storage requirements apply even though the lentils began in a shelf-stable can; opening and mixing them changes the situation.
Ingredients
- 1 can (15 oz/425 g) green or brown lentils, rinsed and thoroughly drained to yield about 1 1/3 cups (240 g)
- 3/4 cup jarred roasted red pepper, drained, patted dry and diced (120 g)
- 1/2 medium cucumber, seeded if watery and finely diced (100 g prepared weight)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (15 g)
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta (50 g)
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice (20 ml)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil (10 ml)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (1 g)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (0.5 g)
- 2 large whole-wheat pitas, about 9 inches (23 cm) across (200 g total)
- 4 lettuce leaves, washed and dried (40 g)
Set out
Sieve, Mixing bowl, Fork, Two lunch containers
Allergens
Wheat, Milk. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Put about one-quarter of the drained lentils in the mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice and olive oil; mash roughly with the fork.
- Fold in the remaining lentils, roasted pepper, cucumber, parsley, feta, cumin and black pepper. Taste before adding any extra seasoning; the feta supplies salt.
- For a packed meal, spread the filling in a shallow container, cover and refrigerate until at or below 40°F/4°C, allowing about 1 hour. Keep the dry lettuce refrigerated separately. For immediate serving, proceed directly to assembly.
- Cut each pita in half and carefully open the pockets. Line the four halves with the lettuce leaves and divide the filling between them. Pack in a rigid container and keep chilled, or carry the filling separately and assemble at the break.
Keep a backup pita separate
Filling both meals at once is convenient, but dry bread stored separately gives you more flexibility if your next break moves. Refrigerate the filling and leave the unfilled bread sealed according to its package.
Timing
About 20 minutes to assemble for immediate eating, or an estimated 80 minutes including chilling for packing. Allow longer until the filling actually reaches 40°F/4°C or below.
A useful detail
Use two genuinely large pitas, about 9 inches (23 cm) across and 100 g each. Each half takes about one-quarter of the filling; if your bread is smaller, carry some filling separately rather than forcing it in. If a lentil can yields less than 240 g drained, make up the measured amount from a second can.
Another way
- Replace feta with 1/3 cup (50 g) small cubes of firm cheese if that is what you have; the dish still contains milk.
- For a different bread, divide the filling between two large whole-wheat tortillas, leaving room to fold both ends before rolling.
Keep it well
Refrigerate the filling promptly at 40°F/4°C or below for up to 3 days; keep bread and lettuce separate for the best texture. Use assembled pitas within 1 day. Transport already chilled in an insulated bag with two cold sources and refrigerate at work. Do not leave the filled pitas at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C.