Beet & Walnut Lentil Salad
I love a good hearty salad that can fill you up and stand alone as a complete meal. This dish is a great way to pack in a lot of nutrition and flavor without a lot of hassle. Since we’ve been craving lighter meals after all the over indulging this holiday season meals like this are a welcome change. The beets and lentils are tossed with an incredibly tasty ginger and apple cider dressing that I’m confident is so good for you it will keep you healthy all winter long! This salad will fill you up but definitely won’t weigh you down. The perfect weeknight meal for a stormy winter night. Grab a fork, pour a glass of wine and get cooking.
Cheers from Tumbleweed Farm.
Beet & Walnut Lentil Salad With Ginger Dressing
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Serves: 4
Salad- 4 medium sized beets, quartered (no need to peel)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1 cup French green lentils or brown lentils
- 1 small yellow onion, peeled and halved
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
- 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated (+ additional to taste for more of a bite)
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 425F. Toss the beets with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet and roast in the oven until fork tender, about 25 minutes (times will very depending on the size of your beets). Toss the beets halfway through cooking.
- Heat a small dry skillet over medium-high heat. Add the walnuts and toast, shaking the pan often, until they're golden brown, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and when cool enough to handle, roughly chopped the walnuts.
- Rinse the lentils and discard any pebbles. Place the lentils, onion and bay leaf in a saucepan and cover with cold water by at least 1 inch. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until lentils are tender, 25-30 minutes. Add liquid as needed. Once the lentils are tender discard the onion and bay leaf. Drain off any excess liquid.
- Prepare the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together until smooth. This works best with an immersion blender or small food processor for the smoothest/creamiest texture. Taste and adjust flavors as needed.
- Toss the lentils and beets with the dressing, parsley and toasted walnuts. Season to taste with salt and pepper and enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Notes
*Use this recipe as a guide *Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary
A lovely, lovely salad and it’s clearly a perfect way to jump into a healthy new year!
What kinds of beans would be delicious in place of lentils in this dish? I don’t digest lentils that well 🙁
Can you digest split peas? You’d want to cook them aldente. Or regular frozen peas. Or black beans? Or quinoa would also work great here.
Do you think there is a good substitute for lentils that would go with the beets and dressing well in this salad? I don’t digest lentils well 🙁
I think you could try a combination of chickpeas and some quinoa (I think if you only used chickpeas it wouldn’t quite be the right texture so mixing them with some quinoa and the dressing would be a great alternative. Let me know if you try that way!
Would this recipe work if I used canned sliced beets instead of fresh ones?
Hi Beatrice,
For this particular dish I would highly recommend roasting fresh beets. However, if canned beets is all you have to work with give it a shot (just know it will result in a different kind of salad). Let me know what you end up doing! Happy cooking. xo
Excellent recipe that I have made several times now. I like to serve the salad over arugula.
So glad to hear!