Healthy lentil salad. We love you. This salad hits all the right notes.
Lentils + beets + goat cheese = a simple, nutritious combination that’s flavorful, satisfying and easy to prepare. We developed this lentil salad as a quick weekday lunch and it has become our go-to when time is tight and we still want something nourishing.
If you follow this blog, you know we’re big fans of Indian cuisine — naan stuffed with gooey cheese, Palak Paneer, dahl and the warm spices that make those dishes so comforting. Learning to cook dahl pushed us to get comfortable with lentils, and once we did we started experimenting with many lentil dishes. This summer lentil salad, brightened with beets and creamy goat cheese, quickly became one of our favorites.
Lentils are an excellent source of iron and plant-based protein, which is especially helpful since we eat a lot of vegetables and relatively little meat. They’re a great ingredient for anyone following vegetarian or vegan-friendly diets who wants a satisfying, nutritious boost.
We choose quality, organic ingredients when we can — it really lifts the flavor of a simple salad like this. Prepare a large batch of lentils, toss everything together, cover and chill, and you’ll have lunches ready for the next two to three days.
This lentil salad packs up beautifully, so it’s a favorite for picnics. It fits easily into bento boxes or a small lunch container and travels well. We especially love enjoying it outdoors in Paris — one of our preferred picnic spots is Île Saint-Louis, beneath a lovely weeping willow where we’ve taken photos that mean a lot to us.
Here’s the recipe card with ingredients and instructions so you can recreate it at home.
Healthy easy lentil salad with beets and goat cheese
5 from 1 review
- Author: Alix and Hugo
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
- Yield: For 2
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup of lentils
- 3 red beets (cut into ½ inch cubes)
- 100g fresh goat cheese
- ½ yellow onion, finely sliced
- 3 tomatoes, cut into 8 wedges
- 2 pickled spicy red peppers, finely chopped
- Herbes de Provence
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- Vinaigrette (to taste)
- Salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse the lentils under cold water.
- Place lentils in a saucepan with about 2 liters of water.
- Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to low, add salt, black pepper, the bay leaf and the rosemary.
- Simmer until lentils are al dente, about 50 minutes to 1 hour depending on the variety.
- Drain and let the lentils cool to room temperature.
- In a large bowl, combine cooled lentils, sliced onion, tomato wedges, beet cubes, crumbled goat cheese, chopped pickled peppers, a splash of vinaigrette and a sprinkle of Herbes de Provence. Season to taste with salt and pepper, toss gently to combine.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
Try this salad and tell us what you think. Share your photos with the hashtag #ediblelovestory — we’ll highlight some of our favorites. Happy eating, friends.