Warm lentil salad with roasted carrots and feta

By Nikola · Precision Nutrition L1 · Sources checked 5 November 2026

Green and brown lentils keep their shape when cooked, which makes them the right choice for a salad you eat while it is still warm. Here they meet cumin-roasted carrots, a lemon and garlic dressing, salty feta and a good handful of parsley. It is a full meal on its own, ready in 45 minutes, and it travels well to work the next day.

Difficulty: Easy · Diet: Vegetarian, gluten-free

Warm lentil salad with roasted carrots and feta

Green or brown lentils tossed warm in a lemon and garlic dressing with cumin-roasted carrots, feta and parsley. A full vegetarian meal in 45 minutes.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Salads

Servings 4 servings

Calories 444 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 200 g dried green or brown lentils 1 cup
• 500 g carrots about 6 medium, peeled
• 1 small red onion 80 g, thinly sliced
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 54 g: 2 for the carrots, 2 for the dressing
• 1 tsp ground cumin 2 g
• 2 tbsp lemon juice 30 g
• 1 small clove garlic 3 g, grated
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard optional
• 1/2 tsp fine salt 3 g, divided
• 1 bay leaf
• 120 g feta
• 20 g flat-leaf parsley a small bunch, chopped
• 60 g baby spinach 2 handfuls
• Black pepper

Instructions

 

• Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Cut the carrots into batons or 1 cm thick diagonal slices. Toss them on a lined tray with 2 tbsp olive oil, the cumin and half the salt. Roast for 25-30 minutes, turning once, until tender and browned at the edges.
• Meanwhile, rinse the lentils and pick out any small stones. Put them in a pot with the bay leaf and 1 litre of cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until tender but still holding their shape. Drain well and remove the bay leaf.
• While everything cooks, put the sliced onion in a large bowl with the lemon juice and a pinch of the salt. Ten minutes in the lemon takes away the raw bite.
• Add the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, the garlic, mustard, the rest of the salt and some pepper to the onions and whisk.
• Tip the hot, drained lentils into the bowl and toss. Warm lentils soak up the dressing much better than cold ones.
• Fold in the roasted carrots, the spinach (it wilts slightly in the heat) and the parsley. Crumble the feta over the top and serve warm.

Keyword autumn, carrots, cumin, feta, gluten-free, green lentils, lentils, meal prep, packed lunch, salad, vegetarian, warm salad, winter

Nutrition per serving

Per serving, 1/4 of the salad, calculated from USDA FoodData Central for each ingredient.

Data: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Lentils, raw (FDC 172420); Carrots, raw (FDC 170393); Onions, raw (FDC 170000); Oil, olive, salad or cooking (FDC 171413); Spices, cumin seed (FDC 170923); Lemon juice, raw (FDC 167747); Garlic, raw (FDC 169230); Cheese, feta (FDC 173420); Parsley, fresh (FDC 170416); Spinach, raw (FDC 168462). Lentils are calculated on the dry weight. The salt line counts only the salt you add; the feta brings about 0.9 g more per serving (from its sodium, 1140 mg per 100 g). Mustard, bay leaf and black pepper are not included. Carbohydrate is USDA “by difference” and includes fibre.

Swaps and variations

• Vegan: leave out the feta and add 40 g toasted walnuts or pumpkin seeds.
• Other vegetables: roast beetroot wedges or pumpkin cubes with the carrots, or use them instead.
• Greens: rocket or watercress instead of spinach for a peppery bite.
• Quicker: use about 500 g cooked lentils from a jar or can, drained and rinsed; they usually contain added salt, so taste before salting.
• Puy lentils: they hold their shape best of all; cook them for 20-25 minutes as well, checking from 18.

Storage and reheating

Keeps 3 days in a closed container in the fridge. It is good cold or at room temperature; if you want it warm, heat it gently in a pan for 2-3 minutes. If you cook ahead, keep the feta and spinach aside and add them when you serve. Not suitable for freezing once assembled, although cooked lentils on their own freeze well.

Related

• Recipes: Roasted root vegetables with thyme and honey · Stuffed peppers with bulgur and feta · Pumpkin soup with ginger and turmeric
• Encyclopedia: Lentils · Carrot · Feta cheese
• Diet: Mediterranean diet · 7-day Mediterranean meal plan

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