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.
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.