Mediterranean Lentil Pita Pockets
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I’ve been on a lentil kick lately, as well as a “let’s spice up dinner” kick. Today, I’m sharing one of the lentil recipes I recently made for dinner that had my husband saying, “I would eat that every week!”. These Mediterranean Lentil Pita Pockets are REALLY tasty, refreshing, bursting with flavor, and very quick to prepare! They are perfect for busy weekday nights!
I use my favorite cooked lentils for this recipe – the pre-cooked steamed lentils from Trader Joe’s. They taste amazing and it saves me so much time to have them already cooked. You can also buy pre-cooked lentils in a can at many grocery stores or you can try these pre-cooked lentils (though I have not tried them before!).
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Prep in Advance!
One of the things I love about this recipe is that you can prep it in advance. In fact, the flavors stand out even more once it’s had a little more time to marinate. If you are going to prepare it in advance, I would recommend prepping the lentil mixture either the day before you are going to eat it or the morning of. Prepping the lentil mixture on a Sunday would make for a very easy Meatless Monday dinner! When you are ready to serve it, just scoop the mixture into some warm pita pockets with some hummus and you’re good to go! The lentils can be served cold, at room temperature, or warm – whichever you prefer.
Turn it into a Mediterranean Lentil Bowl
I have heard that it can be hard to find gluten-free pita pockets, so if you eat a gluten-free diet or prefer to eat this dish without the pita, turn it into a Mediterranean Lentil Bowl. Just throw the lentil mixture in a bowl and top it with hummus and any other preferred toppings! It is delicious this way, too!
Deconstruct the Mediterranean Lentil Pita Pockets for your Toddler
My three-year-old is a picky eater and would not eat the lentil mixture once it was all combined. He loves the lentils by themselves though. So if you have a little one that is picky like my son, you could try deconstructing the recipe by separating each ingredient out on their plate. For this, I would just omit the raw red onions (unless your toddler is in to eating plain raw red onions!). Deconstructing the pita pockets will just take a little bit of forward-thinking because you will need to set aside each ingredient before you assemble the recipe.
Serving Suggestion
These Mediterranean Lentil Pita Pockets are delicious when served with homemade french fries! We like to put the french fries IN the pockets! You can also top the lentil pockets with fresh cherry tomatoes, green onions, and tzatziki sauce.
More Quick Dinner Recipes
Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Rigatoni
Easy Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna
Easy 25-Minute Vegan Chili (Cook-Off Winner!)
Lentil Walnut Meat Grilled Burritos
Mediterranean Lentil Pita Pockets
Ingredients
- 3 whole wheat pita pockets, sliced in half
- 17.6 ounces pre-cooked lentils, (I use Trader Joe’s – if making them at home, use 2 cups cooked lentils)
- ½ cup red onion finely diced
- 1 cup cucumber finely diced, (I like to use Persian cucumbers)
- ½ cup pitted green olives
- 1 cup feta
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, (only use 1 tablespoon if you don’t like things too tangy)
- 6 tablespoons hummus
- Salt and pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Place cooked lentils in a large bowl. If using the Trader Joe’s lentils, break up the block of lentils with your hands.
- Finely chop the red onion, cucumber, and green olives and add them to the lentils.
- Add the feta and lemon juice to the mixture and stir to combine.
- Warm pita bread up in a toaster oven or microwave.
- Slice pitas in half and carefully open them up to form pockets.
- Spread about one tablespoon of hummus in each pita pocket.
- Fill each pita pocket with the lentil mixture and top with any additional toppings!