Roasted Beet Lentil Salad with Mustard Balsamic Vinaigrette

A healthier vegan lentil salad with roasted beets, shallots, and pears, topped off with a mustard balsamic vinaigrette for a filling winter main.

Ingredients

Roasted Beets

▢ 6 medium beets quartered and peeled if needed
▢ 6 shallots peeled and quartered
▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
▢ 3 tablespoon thyme leaves only
▢ ¼ teaspoon sea salt
▢ ¼ teaspoon pepper

Salad Ingredients

▢ 300 grams (2 cups) cooked black lentils*
▢ 2 pears thinly sliced or chopped
▢ ½ pomegranate seeds
▢ 50 grams (¼ cup) nuts or seeds

Mustard Balsamic Vinaigrette

▢ 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil
▢ 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
▢ 1 teaspoon dijon or grainy mustard**
▢ ½ teaspoon maple syrup or honey
▢ ¼ teaspoon sea salt
▢ ¼ teaspoon pepper

Metric - Cups

Instructions

Roasted Beets

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the beets and shallots onto the tray and mix with the oil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until just fork soft. Place the shallots in the middle of the tray so that they cook more slowly.
6 medium beets, 6 shallots, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 3 tablespoon thyme, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper

Assemble The Salad

Cook the lentils while the beets are roasting if they're not yet cooked.
300 grams (2 cups) cooked black lentils*
Place the lentils into the base of a large bowl and top with the pears, pomegranate seeds, and nuts. Add the beets and shallots when they're ready. Top with the vinaigrette and serve warm.
2 pears, ½ pomegranate seeds, 50 grams (¼ cup) nuts or seeds

Mustard Balsamic Vinaigrette

Add all of the ingredients to a container or jar and shake until very well combined. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil, 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon dijon or grainy mustard**, ½ teaspoon maple syrup or honey, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper

Notes

• If your shallots are starting to crisp too much, or turning too dark, remove them and set aside before the beets are finished cooking.

* Cook the lentils, simply covered in plenty of water, for 15-20 minutes while the beets are roasting if they haven't been cooked ahead of time. If going from dry, it's about 150 grams / 1 cup.

** Any normal mustard will work here, just not yellow mustard for hot dogs.

Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.