Roasted Beet & Lentil Salad
Sweet roasted beets over puy lentils with a mustard dressing — an earthy, high-fiber salad that eats like a meal.
Ingredients
- 400 g Beets
- 180 g Puy lentils
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
- ¾ tsp Salt
- ½ Red onion (optional)
- 1 tbsp Red wine vinegar (optional)
- 40 g Walnuts (optional)
- 60 g Arugula (optional)
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
- Peel and wedge the beets, toss them with a little of the oil and salt, and wrap them in foil on a tray.
- Roast the beets until tender to a knife, about 35 minutes.
- Meanwhile, simmer the lentils in salted water until tender but holding shape, about 20 minutes; drain.
- Whisk the mustard, vinegar, and remaining oil into a dressing and shave the red onion thinly.
- Toss the lentils, beets, and arugula with the dressing and scatter the walnuts over.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Roasted Beet & Lentil Salad
Roasted Beet & Lentil Salad belongs to the Mediterranean tradition of turning humble pulses and roots into a plate substantial enough to stand as a meal. Its backbone is Puy lentils, the small slate-green French variety prized for holding their shape rather than collapsing into mush, which gives the salad a firm, almost meaty bite. Roasting the beets in foil concentrates their earthy sweetness and softens their raw mineral edge, so the finished dish plays that caramelized sugar against the peppery lift of arugula. A sharp mustard-and-red-wine-vinegar dressing cuts through the whole thing, keeping it bright rather than heavy.
What defines this version is the contrast of textures and temperatures built into every forkful: tender warm beets, chewy lentils, crunchy toasted walnuts, and thin ribbons of raw red onion for a faint bite. It reads as vegan and high-fiber without ever feeling like a compromise, which makes it a natural lunch on its own or a side alongside grilled fish or roast chicken. Because the lentils and beets both keep well, it holds up as a make-ahead salad that only improves as the dressing soaks in. Serve it slightly warm or at room temperature, when the beets' sweetness is most pronounced.
Roasted Beet & Lentil Salad: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Roasted Beet & Lentil Salad?
A serving has about 405 calories — 17.4g protein, 51.9g carbs, 15g fat, 11.2g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Roasted Beet & Lentil Salad gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Roasted Beet & Lentil Salad has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
How long does Roasted Beet & Lentil Salad take to make?
About 50 minutes start to finish, but only around 10 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Roasted Beet & Lentil Salad?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out red onion, red wine vinegar, walnuts — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Roasted Beet & Lentil Salad make?
This recipe makes 3 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.