Honey Roasted Carrot Lentil Salad

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Enter your newest salad obsession, my Honey Roasted Carrot Lentil Salad. Think tender roasted carrots smothered in a hot honey and spice mixture, brown lentils, fresh arugula, thinly sliced red onion and crumbled goats cheese, all drizzled in a herby yogurt dressing. 

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Contents:

Whether you’re making my carrot lentil salad recipe as a main course, side dish or satisfying lunch, this hearty lentil salad will hit the spot! And if you love this salad then you need to try my other salad recipes including my Crispy Lentil and Beetroot Salad, Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad recipe, my Roasted Sweet Potato Goat’s Cheese Salad or my Autumn Roasted Vegetable Salad. For more salad inspiration check out my post on 30+ Healthy Vegetable Salad Recipes. Or for more healthy vegetarian recipes you might like to try my Warm Mediterranean Bowls or my Crispy Tofu Bowls. 

What’s to Love About This Recipe

• hearty salad – this filling lentil and carrot salad is filled with nutritious ingredients that will keep you fuller for longer including lentils and roasted carrots, goats cheese. Root vegetables like carrots are a great source of complex carbohydrates, which fill you up and give you sustained energy. It is hearty enough to serve as a main dish as it contains lentils, which is one of the best sources of vegetarian protein. 
• healthy – this is one of those healthy recipes that you will make again and again because it tastes amazing! It’s a great way of getting extra vegetables into your diet. This recipe is Mediterranean style, which is one of the best diets in my opinion. 
• great to meal prep – make this salad ahead of time for a work lunch that will make your coworkers jealous!

Ingredients Notes & Substitutions

This easy recipe is made using simple easy to find ingredients, with most ingredients being available from your local farmer’s market and all being available from your local grocery store. Find below a list of all of the ingredients you will need along with possible swaps and ingredient notes. The full list of ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. 

• carrots – I’ve used large carrots and sliced them into 1 centimetre thick pieces, cut on the diagonal. I’ve used large carrots but you could also use baby carrots and roast them whole if desired. Carrots are the main ingredient in this salad but if you wanted to experiment with other root vegetables then you could try parsnips or sweet potatoes.  
• extra virgin olive oil – extra virgin olive oil is my go-to oil to use for cooking as it is filled with healthy fats and antioxidants. It can also be heated to high temperatures without going rancid.   
• honey – I’ve used a raw honey for this recipe. You could also use manuka honey or pure maple syrup.  
• spices – this recipe calls for ground cumin, sweet paprika and ground dried coriander.  
• sea salt flakes – if using fine ground sea salt then you will need to use about half what the recipe calls for. The recipe calls for a teaspoon of salt but if using finely ground sea salt then use half a teaspoon.   
• cracked black pepper – I recommend using ground black pepper to taste. 
• fresh baby arugula – if you’re not a fan of arugula (rocket) then you could also use baby spinach or mixed lettuce leaves.  
• goats chèvre – goats chèvre is a soft goats feta. I always buy a marinated goats feta as it is softer and more flavoursome.  
• red onion – I use a mandolin to slice the red onion into uniform thin slices. If you don’t have a mandolin then you can use a sharp knife.  
• brown lentils – if you don’t have brown lentils you could also use french green lentils (puy lentils), cooked until al dente. Red lentils are not suited to this recipe. I have used brown cooked lentils from a tin for this recipe.  
• currants – you could also use dried cranberries in this recipe, however the currants work best.  
• fresh cilantro – also known as coriander.  

​Herb Yogurt Dressing

• fresh lemon juice – use freshly squeezed lemon juice and strain out the seeds and pulp. 
• unsweetened coconut yoghurt – if you’re not dairy intolerant then you can use Greek yoghurt or natural yoghurt. Just make sure it is unsweetened. 
• fresh parsley – I recommend using flat leaf parsley (continental parsley). 
• sea salt flakes – again, if using fine ground sea salt then use about half what the recipe has called for. 
• mayonnaise 

​How to Make Honey Roasted Carrot Lentil Salad 

See how to make this easy carrot lentil salad recipe following my step-by-step instructions below. 

Firstly, add the honey, olive oil, cumin, paprika, ground dried coriander, sea salt and pepper to a medium saucepan or small saucepan. Bring to a low heat and whisk together until well combined. It’s important to do this over a lower heat so as not to burn the mixture. When the mixture starts bubbling, remove from the heat. 

Next, coat the base of a large baking dish with olive oil. You could also use a large sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Add the carrots to the dish or lined baking sheet and pour the honey mixture over the carrots.

Stir to combine and then spread the carrots out evenly before placing into the oven to bake for 50 minutes. After 50 minutes, toss the carrots and shake the dish to spread the carrots out evenly again and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes. Once baked, remove from the oven and set aside to cool. 

To make the salad dressing, add the mayonnaise, yoghurt, lemon juice, salt and parsley to a small bowl. Whisk until well combined and smooth. 

To assemble the salad, layer the arugula across the base of a large serving platter. Top with three quarters of the lentils as well as most of the thinly sliced red onion. Next, drizzle the dressing over the top and then top with the roasted carrots, more thinly sliced red onion and the remaining lentils. Now tear the coriander and spread over the top of the salad. Finally, crumble the goats cheese over the top of the salad and then serve. 

Storage 

This salad is still fresh the next day, however I recommend if meal prepping to divide all of the components of the salad between 4 airtight containers and reserving the dressing to dress just before serving/eating. 

Tips 

To reduce food waste I recommend holding onto the carrot tops and using to make a vegetable stock or chicken broth.