Spiced Lentil and Walnut Pockets with Creamy Cucumber Salad
By Andrea GearyPublished on July 29, 2025
Time
45 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Baharat is a warm, savory spice blend used throughout the Middle East. If you can’t find it, substitute 1½ teaspoons paprika, ¾ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves. For a vegan dish, use non-dairy yogurt. The filled pitas can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to a day before baking.
Instructions
- Combine 1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced ¼ inch thick; ¼ red onion, sliced thin; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; and ½ teaspoon table salt in medium bowl; set aside. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place rimmed baking sheet on rack.
- Meanwhile, combine 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon baharat, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper in 12-inch nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons tomato paste, ½ teaspoon pepper, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt until combined. Drain 2 cans lentils (reserving ½ cup liquid). Add lentils and reserved liquid to skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until spatula drawn through mixture leaves channel that fills in very slowly, about 5 minutes.
- Mash lentils with potato masher until about one-quarter are broken down. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is pasty but still moist, about 2 minutes. Stir in ½ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped fine, and 3 tablespoons chopped parsley. Spread into even layer and set aside to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Halve 3 pitas, spread ½ cup filling inside each half, and press gently to flatten. Brush 1½ tablespoons oil over 1 side of pitas. Line hot sheet pan with parchment paper. Place pitas oiled side down on parchment. Bake until bottoms are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Brush with 1½ tablespoons oil, flip, and continue to bake until second sides are browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and cut in half.
- Stir ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt and remaining 1 tablespoon oil into cucumber mixture and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon chopped parsley. Serve with pitas.
Time
45 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
These flavorful hot sandwiches and cooling salad are a winning weeknight combo. We started by mixing some sliced cucumbers and onions with lemon juice and salt to brighten their flavors and draw out their juices. For the sandwich filling, we bloomed baharat, a Middle-Eastern blend of warm spices, in oil with pantry-friendly garlic and onion powders. Tomato paste not only added umami but also gave the mixture extra body. Canned lentils and a small amount of their liquid provided the substance, and lightly mashing the mixture released starch that thickened the filling so it stayed inside the pitas. Walnuts lent the mixture richness and meaty texture. A quick toast in the oven browned the sandwiches and added a hint of crispness to the edges.
Before You Begin
Baharat is a warm, savory spice blend used throughout the Middle East. If you can’t find it, substitute 1½ teaspoons paprika, ¾ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves. For a vegan dish, use non-dairy yogurt. The filled pitas can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to a day before baking.
Instructions
- Combine 1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced ¼ inch thick; ¼ red onion, sliced thin; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; and ½ teaspoon table salt in medium bowl; set aside. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place rimmed baking sheet on rack.
- Meanwhile, combine 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon baharat, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper in 12-inch nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons tomato paste, ½ teaspoon pepper, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt until combined. Drain 2 cans lentils (reserving ½ cup liquid). Add lentils and reserved liquid to skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until spatula drawn through mixture leaves channel that fills in very slowly, about 5 minutes.
- Mash lentils with potato masher until about one-quarter are broken down. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is pasty but still moist, about 2 minutes. Stir in ½ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped fine, and 3 tablespoons chopped parsley. Spread into even layer and set aside to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Halve 3 pitas, spread ½ cup filling inside each half, and press gently to flatten. Brush 1½ tablespoons oil over 1 side of pitas. Line hot sheet pan with parchment paper. Place pitas oiled side down on parchment. Bake until bottoms are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Brush with 1½ tablespoons oil, flip, and continue to bake until second sides are browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and cut in half.
- Stir ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt and remaining 1 tablespoon oil into cucumber mixture and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon chopped parsley. Serve with pitas.
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