Roast Heritage Tomato Salad with Sauerkraut, Green Lentils, Goats Curd and Purple Basil
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This roast heritage tomato salad with sauerkraut, braised green lentils and goats curd is the best thing you can make with end of summer tomatoes. It takes thirty minutes, uses one oven tray and one pot, and brings together caramelised tomato sweetness, earthy lentils, cool goats curd and the live, tangy crunch of Cultura Sauerkraut into something that looks restaurant-worthy and eats like summer in a bowl. It is also quietly one of the most gut-friendly meals you can put on a weeknight table.
Why heritage tomatoes are worth seeking out
Heritage (heirloom) tomatoes are at peak season in the UK from late July through September. Unlike commercial varieties bred for shelf life and uniform shape, heritage tomatoes are selected for flavour — more sugar, more acid, more complexity, and a far wider range of colours. Roasting concentrates their natural sugars and creates caramelised depth that raw tomatoes simply cannot match. It also increases lycopene bioavailability — the antioxidant becomes easier for the body to absorb once the tomatoes are cooked.
The full recipe
Ingredients — serves 2 to 4
● 500g heritage tomatoes, halved or quartered
● 200g green (Puy-style) lentils
● 100–120g Cultura Sauerkraut — cold, straight from the pouch
● 150g goats curd or soft goats cheese
● A small bunch of purple basil
● 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil · 1 tbsp red wine vinegar · 1 tsp Dijon mustard
● 1 small shallot, finely diced · 1 bay leaf · 500ml vegetable stock · sea salt · black pepper
Method
1. Heat oven to 200°C fan. Tomatoes cut side up, drizzle with 2 tbsp oil, season. Roast 20–25 minutes until caramelised and collapsing.
2. Rinse lentils, cover with stock and bay leaf, simmer 20–22 minutes. Drain.
3. Dress warm lentils with remaining oil, vinegar, mustard and shallot. Season well. Spread on a wide plate.
4. Tip tomatoes over lentils — include every drop of roasting juices.
5. Scatter Cultura Sauerkraut cold over the top. Do not rinse. Do not cook.
6. Dot with goats curd. Finish with purple basil, olive oil and cracked pepper. Eat immediately.
Why add sauerkraut to a salad?
Sauerkraut in a salad is a flavour decision first. The clean acidity of Cultura Sauerkraut does what a dressing cannot: it adds living, layered tang with depth from caraway and juniper, a crunchy texture that contrasts with the soft lentils, and a brine that seeps into warm ingredients and acts as a second seasoning. Add it cold at the end — cook it and the live lactobacillus cultures die. Added cold over warm ingredients, the cultures survive, reach your digestive system intact, and support the gut microbiome: the community of bacteria that plays a role in digestion, immunity and inflammation. Cultura ferments for a minimum of six weeks — culture count and flavour are both at their peak.
The gut health benefits of this salad
This dish delivers four gut-supportive ingredients in one plate:
● Cultura Sauerkraut — live probiotic cultures from eight weeks of lacto-fermentation support gut microbiome balance and diversity.
● Green lentils — outstanding prebiotic food. Their soluble fibre and resistant starch feed beneficial bacteria already in the gut.
● Goats curd — generally easier to digest than cow's milk dairy; its different protein structure means less digestive effort for many people.
● Heritage tomatoes — rich in lycopene, vitamin C and polyphenols, which support a healthy gut lining.
Tips and variations
● Make it vegan: replace goats curd with cashew cream or seasoned silken tofu.
● More substantial: add a soft-boiled egg, or stir rocket through the lentils.
● Shortcut: use pre-cooked Puy lentils — warm briefly in a pan before dressing.
● Storage: dressed lentils keep in the fridge for two days. Add fresh toppings each time.
More recipes using Cultura Sauerkraut
Find all our recipes at culturafood.co.uk/blogs/recipes, or follow us @culturacornwall on Instagram for seasonal ideas.