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This Beet Lentil Saladis a improbable aspect dish or gentle meal! Roasted beets and French lentils are mixed with leafy greens, vegan feta, and toasted hazelnuts, then tossed in a heat, flavor-packed garlic dressing. Vegan and Gluten-Free, Nut-Free Possibility.
This Beet & Lentil Salad with Garlic Dressing is a hearty dish you’ll love as a aspect, lunch, or gentle dinner. It combines the hearty, satisfying duo of French lentils and roasted beets with arugula, recent herbs, toasted nuts, and vegan feta cheese. I dressed it in an earthy, tangy garlic dressing to complete, packing each chew with mouthwatering flavors.
Desk of Contents
A Salad with Un-beet-able Flavors
I really like a “star standing” salad. You already know, like a type of salads that’s made with lovely greens, a rainbow of greens, attention-grabbing textures, and a dressing you’d assume got here from a connoisseur restaurant. My Beet and Lentil Salad is strictly that. ⭐
I selected French lentils for this salad as a result of they maintain their form and provides it a classy, nutty chew that pairs so completely with the earthy roasted beets. And the garlic dressing? It’s on a wholly totally different stage! Impressed by an Indian tadka, it flippantly fries garlic and spices earlier than combining them with maple syrup and lemon juice, then poured the dressing over the salad whereas it was nonetheless heat.
From the satisfying and healthful components to the layers of taste within the dressing, that is the vegan lentil salad of my goals.
Substances for Beet Lentil Salad
Cooked French lentils rework this salad right into a full-on primary dish. They’re my favourite for salads due to their agency texture and an earthy taste that tastes prefer it was made to be paired up with roasted beets.
If you wish to experiment, listed here are extra forms of lentils that work in salads:
- Black Lentils: the closest substitute for French lentils.
- Inexperienced/Brown Lentils: each will work, however are inclined to develop into a bit mushy after cooking.
- Canned Lentils: once more, they’ll be on the softer aspect, however they’re an excellent time-saving swap. Bear in mind to empty, rinse, and pat them dry.
Other than cooked lentils, you additionally want:
- Roasted Beets: they’re brilliant, earthy, and candy. Plus, they’re very easy to prepare dinner within the oven utilizing my Roasted Beets Information.
- Child Arugula: these peppery greens deliver an entire layer of advanced taste to this salad. If arugula isn’t your factor, use child spinach or finely chopped kale as a substitute.
- Contemporary Herbs: handfuls of recent parsley, mint leaves, and inexperienced onions add a burst of freshness.
- Heat Garlic Dressing: this heat dressing is de facto particular. Frivolously fried garlic cloves, entire seeds, and seasonings are mixed with lemon and maple syrup to enhance the earthy, peppery layers right here.
The way to Make a Beet and Lentil Salad
- Cook dinner the lentils within the vegetable broth and water till tender. Drain and put aside to chill.
- Heat the oil in a small pot. In the meantime, add the garlic, cumin, coriander, fennel, and chili flakes to a heat-safe bowl.
- Pour the recent oil over the garlic and spices. As soon as it stops scorching, stir within the maple syrup, lemon juice, and salt.
- Toss the cooked lentils and beets with the garlic dressing in a big bowl. Fold the arugula, parsley, onion, and mint into the lentil combination. Sprinkle the hazelnuts and feta on high.
- Serve the salad instantly or chill it within the fridge earlier than serving. Get pleasure from!
Caitlin’s Cooking Suggestions
- Season the lentils from the beginning. I nearly at all times prepare dinner dry lentils in vegetable broth to infuse them with savory flavors from the very starting. For much more taste, you can even add one or two bay leaves, lemon peel, and entire seeds (like cumin or coriander seeds) to the cooking broth.
- Cook dinner the lentils within the Instantaneous Pot. After I wish to save a while, I’ll prepare dinner the lentils in my Instantaneous Pot. I add the rinsed lentils to the pot with only one 3/4 cups of vegetable broth, seal it shut, and prepare dinner on handbook excessive stress for 8 minutes. To complete, I instantly launch the stress after which drain the lentils.
- Chilling the salad for 15 to twenty minutes makes a giant distinction. It could sound like a brief period of time, however WOW does it give the flavors an opportunity to mingle and deepen. Your salad will style far more advanced with somewhat endurance.
The way to Make Beet Lentil Salad for Meal Prep
When making this recipe for meal prep I wish to layer my components in these giant glass jars. This enables the heartier components to marinate within the dressing, whereas the tender greens and herbs keep crisp and recent. Simply divide all the components equally between nonetheless many jars you’d wish to prep – I normally do 3 or 4 jars for this recipe.
- Make the dressing in keeping with the recipe directions, however divide it equally between your jars as a substitute of tossing with the beets and lentils
- Add within the cooked lentils, then high with roasted beets.
- High the beets off with arugula, inexperienced onions, the herbs, and a sprinkle of feta on high.
- Seal the jars, then retailer within the fridge for as much as 5 days. Dump the jar into a big bowl to serve, combine nicely, then sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts and dig in!
The way to Retailer Lentil Salad & Serving Options
When you have leftovers, retailer them in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 5 days. Simply remember that the greens and herbs will finally wilt beneath the load of the dressing, and the beets will stain all the pieces pink (not a nasty factor essentially, simply not nice for presenting).
Need to make this salad forward of time? You possibly can roast the beets, make the dressing, and prepare dinner the lentils as much as 2 days forward of assembling the salad. Simply maintain all the pieces in separate containers within the fridge till you’re able to eat.
After I wish to eat this salad as a meal, I’ll toss it with a scoop of cooked quinoa, farro, or brown rice, or serve it with a slice of this No-Knead Complete Wheat Bread. In the event you’d desire to serve it as a aspect dish, I’d advocate pairing it with one thing gentle, like this Roasted Zucchini Sandwich or a bowl of this Hearty Cabbage Soup.
In the event you’re on the lookout for extra show-stopping vegan salads that can fill you up, you’ll additionally love this Pumpkin Couscous Salad, this Beet & Quinoa Salad, and this Chopped Italian Salad!
Substitutions and Variations
- Hazelnut Substitution: An equal quantity of chopped walnuts will work simply as nicely.
- Nut-Free Variation: Or you need to use pumpkin seeds as a substitute of hazelnuts.
- Beet Substitute: Not a fan of beets? Cube and roast candy potatoes, butternut squash, or one other root vegetable you want as a substitute.
Get pleasure from! In the event you make this recipe and resolve to share it on Fb or Instagram, don’t overlook to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I might additionally find it irresistible should you might depart a remark under with a recipe ranking! Thanks for the help 😊
For the Garlic Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove crushed or finely minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds or sub 1/4 teaspoon floor cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds optionally available; or sub 1/4 teaspoon floor coriander
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds optionally available
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed chili or chili flakes optionally available
- 2 teaspoons grade A maple syrup
- Juice and zest of 1 small lemon about 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Salad:
- 1 cup dry French lentils
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup water
- 12 ounces roasted beets, lower into 1” segments (do-it-yourself or store-bought; about 2-3 giant beets)
- 3 ounces child arugula
- 1/2 bunch parsley stems eliminated and finely chopped
- 3 inexperienced onions thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons recent mint finely chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
- 1/3 cup feta cheese I used dairy-free (optionally available)
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Cook dinner the Lentils: Rinse the lentils nicely, then add them to a pot with the vegetable broth and water. Carry to a boil over excessive warmth, then scale back the warmth to medium low and simmer for 20 to half-hour, stirring often, till the lentils are tender. Drain and put aside to chill. (Observe: lentils could be cooked and saved within the fridge as much as 2 days upfront. They will also be cooked within the instantaneous pot; see the recipe notes)
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Make the Dressing: Heat the oil in a small pot over medium warmth till it begins to shimmer. Within the meantime add the garlic, cumin, coriander, fennel, and chili flakes to a heat-safe bowl or dish. Pour the recent oil over the garlic and spices; they need to instantly begin to sizzle. Swirl the combination gently whereas it cooks; as soon as the scorching stops stir within the maple syrup, lemon juice, and salt. Put aside
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Assemble: Add the cooked lentils and beets to a big bowl and pour the dressing on high of them. Gently combine collectively, till all the pieces is evenly coated in dressing. Add the arugula, parsley, onion, and mint to the bowl and gently fold into the lentil combination. Sprinkle the hazelnuts and feta on high.
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Serve & Retailer: Serve instantly, or chill the salad within the fridge for 15 to twenty minutes if desired. Retailer any leftovers in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 5 days.
- Instantaneous Pot Lentils: You may as well prepare dinner the lentils within the instantaneous pot. Add the rinsed lentils to the pot with only one 3/4 cup of vegetable broth. Seal the pot and prepare dinner on handbook excessive stress for 8 minutes, then instantly launch the stress and drain the lentils.
- Lentil Substitutions: I like to recommend utilizing firmer dry lentils for this recipe, like French lentils or black lentils. You may as well make this recipe with inexperienced lentils, however they’re softer and will likely be somewhat extra mushy after cooking. You may as well make this recipe with canned lentils (once more, they are going to be softer) so long as you totally drain and pat dry first.
- Hazelnut Substitution: Substitute with equal components chopped walnuts, or pumpkin seeds for a nut-free choice
- Meal Prep Jar Directions: Divide the dressing between giant glass jars, then layer the lentils, beets, arugula, onion, herbs, and feta on high. Seal the jar and maintain within the fridge for as much as 5 days; dump into a big bowl and blend nicely earlier than serving, then sprinkle with hazelnuts.
Energy: 441kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 19gFats: 20gSaturated Fats: 4gPolyunsaturated Fats: 2gMonounsaturated Fats: 13gLdl cholesterol: 11mgSodium: 524mgPotassium: 549mgFiber: 20gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 1465IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 195mgIron: 6mg
