Beluga Lentils & Sweet Potato Salad

Hot summer days are on the way and our diet starts to shift to lighter meals. Less time will be spent in the kitchen and that means looking for easier and less time consuming recipes. Salads are always a go-to meal. However, diversity is the key since we easily get tired of the same dish over and over again.

Although lentils can be boring to eat, they are packed with health benefits. However, they can taste much better if they are cooked in a sauce or good quality vegetable stock as they will absorb the flavour of the liquid they are cooked in. In this recipe, I have decided to use beluga lentils for aesthetic purposes. However, it is also great with green or brown lentils.

This recipe combines the earthiness of the beluga lentils, the sweetness of the roasted sweet potatoes, the peppery rucola and the saltiness of the feta cheese. This combo is further enhanced with the use of dried herbs and roasted garlic.

This salad can be served as a main dish, ideal for a weeknight meal, or as a side too. I would recommend omitting the rucola in the latter case or serving it separately. This salad can be eaten warm or at room temperature. Any leftovers should be eaten within one day.

Beluga Lentils & Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

  • Servings: 2-3, as main
  • Difficulty: easy
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A simple hearty filling salad ideal for a weeknight meal

Ingredients

  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 120g beluga lentils
  • 700ml vegetable stock
  • 1 spring onion
  • 200g feta cheese
  • Sea salt & black pepper
  • 250g rucola

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
  2. Chop the sweet potato into 1-inch cubes. Place it on a baking dish together with the unpeeled garlic cloves. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle the rosemary and thyme. Place in the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes.
  3. In the meantime, place the beluga lentils in a saucepan and cover in vegetable stock. Bring to boil and then let it simmer for 20 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. Once cooked, add the sliced spring onion to cook slightly with the residual heat.
  4. Chop the feta cheese into small cubes. Peel and crush the roasted garlic.
  5. In a large salad bowl, mix the sweet potato, lentils, feta cheese and garlic. Add rucola just before you serve. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and toss.
  6. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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