Roast Beetroot & Lentil Salad
The punchy balsamic dressing is the winner in this salad. It works particularly well with lentils, which need a little flavourful encouragement and support. I often make this dressing in a jar, tripling the quantities for drizzling over fresh summer salads and barbecued summer vegetables.
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried brown or green lentils or use 400g can brown lentils
- 1 bay leaf
- olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 roasted beetroot -see above, peeled and cut into thin wedges
- handful parsley, roughly chopped
- 100 g feta
Balsamic Dressing
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- salt and pepper
- 4 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Prepare the lentils ahead of time. I highly recommend pre-soaking dried lentils for 5-6 hours before cooking to reduce their reputable gassiness. Cover with 3 times the volume of water and leave to soak. Drain well then place into a saucepan with the bay leaf, drizzle of olive oil and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes until tender. Remove from the heat, add the ½ tsp salt and leave to cool in the salted water. Alternatively, open a can of lentils and drain ready to prepare the salad.
- In a shallow salad bowl measure the vinegar, mustard and honey. Season well and use the back of a spoon to mix together. Keep stirring in this fashion as you drizzle in the olive oil to create a thick emulsified dressing.
- Add the sliced onions and toss them together to coat and soften the onions. Drain the cooked lentils then add to the salad bowl with the sliced beetroot and parsley. Toss to combine. Break the feta into shards and dot over the salad.
- This makes a great salad to serve at a barbecue or alongside a summer vegetable quiche.