Name: Roasted Vegetable and Lentil Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cup dry lentils; 2 sweet potatoes; 2 carrots; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 beet (I used pre-cooked beets, see notes for how to roast beets); 1/3 cup goat cheese; 1/2 teaspoon paprika; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder; Salt; Pepper; Optional garnish: fresh parsley; 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 tablespoon maple syrup; Salt; Pepper

Your winter needs this warm, hearty and delicious salad. It’s packed with all sorts of flavors and textures and makes enough for a few people or a few meals – always a perk!

I was inspired to make this salad while scrolling through Instagram. Honestly, it’s one of my favorite places to get meal ideas from!

I saw a similar salad on the NYT cooking page and realized how great of an idea it was. Warm, roasted veggies, cooked lentils and creamy goat cheese? Count me in.

Lentils are such an unsung hero, too. They’re a type of legume that provide a decent amount of both protein and fiber – both things that help keep us feeling full.

When it comes to plant-based meals, lentils totally need to be used more. They’re pretty versatile and go with just about anything.

Because this meal gets protein from the lentils, I kept it plant-based and vegetarian and didn’t add an additional source of protein. But, if you’re feeling it, you totally can. This would be delicious with some seared salmon on the side or mixed in.

As a bonus, too, I also served this to my 1 year old! When I’m cooking these days, you better believe I’m getting as much bang for my buck out of it and making meals that the whole family can eat. Everything is cooked until it’s super soft, so this meal is really great even for young kids that are just getting the hang of chewing. (Although, of course, consult with your pediatrician or use your own judgement regarding textures and added sugar first – you can always skip the dressing for young kids).

Lastly, I also love that you can use literally any vegetable for this recipe. Other delicious options are shaved Brussels sprouts, chopped butternut squash or chopped bell peppers.

Lentils

Rinse lentils and add to a large pot of water. Cover and bring to a boil and then let simmer for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are cooked but not mushy.

Rinsing lentils is key to removing anything that we might not want in there. As you cook them, keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t get overcooked and mushy.

Sweet Potatoes and Carrots

While the lentils are cooking, peel and roughly chop the sweet potatoes and carrots. Toss with olive oil, paprika, onion powder, salt and pepper.

Place chopped sweet potato in the oven for 25 minutes. Once the sweet potatoes have been in for 10 minutes, add the carrots to the oven for the remaining 15 minutes.

Beets!

Roughly chop the beet and add the oven with the sweet potato and carrots. Turn the oven to broil and broil all the vegetables for about 3-5 minutes, until crisp but not burned. Remove from the oven and set aside.

I used the brand Love Beets, which makes pre-cooked beets – super easy! To roast beets though, wrap them in aluminum foil and roast on 400 F for about 1 hour, or until they’re soft but not dried. Peel the skin and chop them.

Prepare the Salad

In a bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper together until well combined to make the dressing.

Toss cooked lentils with roasted sweet potato, carrots, beets and dressing. Crumble goat cheese on top.

Notes

Garnish: Garnish with fresh parsley or other fresh herbs and serve.
Store lentil salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you can, store the salad without the goat cheese or dressing and then add both when you’re ready to eat or serve.

Course: Lunch, Salad