Lentils with chard, dill and feta

Serve this as a side dish or a fresh and filling lunch. You can use silverbeet in place of the rainbow chard, if you like. Remember the feta will be salty, so go easy on the salt when seasoning.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 3¼ hours (slow cooker) 35 minutes (stovetop)

Ingredients:

400g puy-style lentils, rinsed

1 litre vegetable stock

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

750g rainbow chard, leaves finely shredded, stems cut into 2 cm (¾ in) dice

A handful coarsely chopped dill

2 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced

200g  feta, broken into pieces

Extra virgin olive oil and lemon wedges, to serve

Method:

In the slow cooker

1. Put the lentils, stock and garlic into the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours until the lentils are tender. Stir in the chard and cook for a further 15 minutes until wilted. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in half of each of the dill, spring onions and feta.

2. Top with the remaining dill, spring onion and feta. Serve with olive oil and lemon wedges.

On the stovetop

1. Put the lentils, stock and garlic in a large, heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes until the lentils are almost tender. Stir in the chard, cover with a lid and cook for a further 10 minutes until wilted. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in half of each of the dill, spring onions and feta.

2. Top with the remaining dill, spring onion and feta. Serve with olive oil and lemon wedges.

Whole Food Slow Cooked by Olivia Andrews (Murdoch Books, £14.99) is out now

Photograph: Steve Brown