Warm Puy Lentil & Poached Egg Salad with Wilted Chard
A bistro-style warm lentil salad under soft poached eggs and garlicky greens, big on fiber and iron.
Best for High-protein, iron-rich vegetarian brunch driven by legume fiber
This is the plat du jour I want on an autumn weekend: earthy Puy lentils simmered until they still have bite, dressed warm with sharp mustard-shallot vinaigrette so they drink it up, then piled with wilted chard and crowned with a poached egg that spills into everything. It leans on legumes and eggs for real protein and iron rather than white flour, and the warm dressing is the whole trick — it makes humble lentils taste like something you'd pay for. Serve it as brunch that actually holds you until dinner.
Ingredients
- 200 g Puy lentils , dried, rinsed
- 1 Bay leaf , dried
- 2 garlic cloves , 1 whole, 1 finely grated
- 200 g Rainbow chard , fresh, leaves torn, stems sliced thin
- 1 Shallot , fresh, finely diced
- 15 g Dijon mustard
- 20 ml Red wine vinegar
- 60 ml olive oil , divided
- 4 large eggs , fresh, very fresh for poaching
- 15 ml White wine vinegar , for the poaching water
- 10 g flat-leaf parsley , fresh, chopped
- 5 g fine sea salt
- 1 g black pepper , freshly ground
- 30 g walnuts , toasted, roughly chopped (optional – can be omitted)
Instructions
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1
Put the rinsed Puy lentils in a saucepan with the bay leaf and the whole garlic clove, cover with cold water by about 3 cm, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook until tender but still holding their shape — check from 20 minutes; do not add salt yet, which would toughen the skins. Drain well, then discard the bay leaf and garlic.
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2
While the lentils cook, make the warm vinaigrette: whisk the Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, grated garlic and diced shallot together, then whisk in most of the olive oil to emulsify. Season with half the salt and a good grind of pepper. Tip the hot drained lentils straight into the dressing and fold through so they absorb it while warm; taste and adjust salt.
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3
Warm the remaining olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the sliced chard stems first and cook 2 minutes, then add the torn leaves and a pinch of salt and toss just until wilted and glossy. Fold the chard through the dressed lentils along with the chopped parsley.
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4
Poach the eggs: bring a wide pan of water to a bare simmer and add the white wine vinegar. Crack each egg into a small cup, swirl the water, and slip the eggs in one at a time. Poach until the whites are set but the yolks are still soft, then lift out with a slotted spoon and rest on paper towel.
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5
Divide the warm lentils between two plates, top each with two poached eggs, scatter with the toasted walnuts if using, and finish with black pepper and a thread of olive oil. Serve immediately so the yolks run into the salad.