My Beetroot & Crispy Lentil Salad is no ordinary beet salad. With fresh greens, perfectly tender, sweet and earthy beetroot, super thin slices of flavoursome red onion, creamy goat’s cheese and roasted, cumin brown lentils, all drizzled in a Greek Yogurt Dressing, this is the salad of my dreams.
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Whether you’re meal prepping this beetroot salad for levelled up work lunches or your serving this at a gathering, this salad ticks all of the boxes! Flavour, heartiness, protein, healthy fats and loads of nutrients, my beetroot & lentil salad has it all. If you love this lentil salad recipe then I highly recommend you also try my Honey Roasted Carrot & Lentil Salad. For more beetroot salad recipes you might like to try my Beetroot Salad with Goat’s Cheese & Honey Candied Walnuts or my Roasted Pumpkin, Beetroot and Feta Salad.
What’s to Love About My Beetroot and Lentil Salad
- allergy friendly – this recipe is nut free, egg free and gluten free.
- serve as the main course or side dish – serve topped with your favourite protein for a delicious lunch or light meal or as a side dish to a spread of salads, sides & proteins at your next dinner party.
- filled with nutritious ingredients – with protein from the lentils, healthy fats from the extra virgin olive oil, complex carbohydrates from the beets as well as a tonne of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals, this salad is well balanced and highly nutritious.
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
This beetroot and lentil salad uses simple ingredients that are easily sourced from your local grocery store. The full list of ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- boiled beets – this recipe requires boiled beetroots and not pickled or preserved beets. Some grocery stores sell boiled beetroots in the fresh produce section, which is what I used. If you can’t find already boiled beets, buy fresh beetroot and use the instructions from my Beetroot Salad with Goat’s Cheese & Honey Candied Walnuts for boiling them.
- mixed lettuce leaves – I used mixed lettuce leaves for this recipe but you could also use fresh arugula, baby spinach or beet greens.
- red onion – also known as Spanish onion. I recommend using a mandolin to get super thin, uniform slices.
- marinated goat cheese – also known as goat’s chèvre. I prefer to use marinated goat’s cheese as it is much more creamy and flavoursome. You could also use a creamy feta like Danish or Persian feta cheese. Personally I love using goat’s cheese as I find it easier to digest than dairy.
Crispy Lentils
- brown lentils – use tinned brown lentils for convenience. If you can’t find tinned then you can buy dried brown lentils and boil them yourself following the pack instructions.
- extra-virgin olive oil – olive oil will always be my go-to oil to use in most recipes as it is full of health benefits and so adaptable for both sweet and savory recipes. In this recipe, olive oil is used in the dressing and to coat the lentils before baking. Always choose an extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil. You could also use avocado oil in this recipe.
- ground cumin – cumin is used to season the lentils before baking and adds a deep, bold flavor, which pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the beets.
- sea salt flakes – if using finely ground sea salt then use around half of what is called for in the recipe.
Yogurt Dressing
- Greek yogurt – for a dairy free dressing, use an unsweetened, natural coconut yogurt instead of Greek yogurt. Or a dairy free Greek yogurt.
- lemon juice – I always recommend using fresh lemon juice as it is so much tastier than bottled lemon juice.
- fresh mint – fresh mint is used for the yogurt dressing. Other fresh herbs you could use are fresh parsley or marjoram.
- dried oregano
- garlic cloves
- olive oil
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How to Make Beetroot and Lentil Salad
As I mentioned before, this recipe is a lot quicker to throw together if you buy already boiled beetroots. There is a bit of time added if you are boiling raw beets. Follow my step-by-step instructions below for best results.
First, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Add the drained and rinsed canned brown lentils to a large baking dish or roasting tin along with the ground cumin, olive oil and sea salt. Toss to combine and then spread the lentil mixture out evenly over the base of the baking dish. Place into the oven to bake for 40 minutes.
While the lentils are baking, make the salad dressing. Add the yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, garlic and oregano to a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
Slice the boiled beetroots into wedges or large chunks.
To assemble the salad, on a large platter, salad bowl or large serving bowl, layer the lettuce leaves, thinly sliced red onion, crumbled goat’s cheese, dressing, lentils and beetroot wedges. I love to do a few layers like this so that all of the elements are spread evenly throughout the salad.
Top with fresh mint before serving if desired.
Storage
This salad stores well in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Beetroot and Lentil Salad
Equipment
- Large Baking Dish
- Whisk
- Sharp knife
- Chopping Board
- Mandolin optional
Ingredients
- 500 grams beetroot, boiled and peeled
- 120 grams mixed lettuce leaves
- 110 grams soft marinated goat’s cheese
- ½ red onion, finely sliced into rounds
Crispy Lentils
- 400 grams canned brown lentils, drained & rinsed
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
Yoghurt Dressing
- ½ cup Greek yoghurt , or unsweetened natural coconut yoghurt
- 45 mL lemon juice, approx juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt flakes
- small handful fresh mint, finely chopped
- 1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (392F).
- Add the drained and rinsed brown lentils, ground cumin, sea salt flakes and olive oil to a large baking dish. Toss to coat evenly and then spread the lentils out evenly across the base of the dish. Place into the oven to bake for 40 minutes. Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, make the yogurt dressing by adding the yogurt, olive oil, dried oregano, minced garlic, lemon juice, chopped fresh mint and salt to a medium sized bowl. Whisk carefully until smooth and creamy.
- Slice the boiled beetroots into wedges.
- To assemble the salad, layer about half of the leafy greens onto a large serving platter. Top with half of the thinly sliced red onion, half of the crispy lentils and half of the beetroot wedges. Crumble half of the goats cheese over the salad and drizzle half of the yogurt dressing over the salad. Now repeat this process with the remaining ingredients. Serve straight away or refrigerate until ready to serve.
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