Lentil & Roasted Beet Salad with Maple-Tahini Dressing
This Lentil & Roasted Beet Salad is a big plate of goodness that is hearty enough to be a complete meal. Serve with easy homemade Maple-Tahini Dressing.
If I’m being honest, I should have just named this salad “Lori’s Favorite Foods Salad.” Because that’s exactly what it is, including the beets.
Side note: Last week, I asked my followers on Facebook about their least favorite foods, and somebody said beets! I was basically like “um, beets are my favorite food!”
ANYWAY. I’m a sucker for big, mostly plant-based salads that are hearty enough to be an entire meal. My husband and I joke that some of our favorite dinners are SINOs (salads in name only) because we call them salads, but they’re so loaded with great stuff that it doesn’t feel like we’re eating salad at all (see also, my turkey burger salad).
Loaded on top of romaine leaves are roasted beets (I used both red and golden beets here, but feel free to just use one variety), lots of lentils, a sprinkle of pine nuts, and (optional but delicious), some soft-boiled eggs. I served this salad dressed with maple-tahini dressing, which I’ve been making on repeat for months!
Psst – other great homemade salad dressing options for this salad would be Lemon Tahini Dressing, Citrus Salad Dressing, or another one of my healthy salad dressings. And if you have a meat lover in your family that wants a heartier salad, my beef kafta recipe would be great with this salad. Have leftover lentils? Try my Instant Pot Lentil Soup!
Lentil & Roasted Beet Salad with Maple-Tahini Dressing
This Lentil & Roasted Beet Salad is a big plate of goodness that is hearty enough to be a complete meal. Serve with easy homemade Maple-Tahini Dressing.
Ingredients
For the Maple-Tahini Dressing:
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 6 tablespoons tahini
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- Warm water
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
For the Roasted Beet & Lentil Salad:
- 1 package (7 ounces) romaine heart leaves
- 4 soft-boiled eggs, halved
- 1 large roasted red beet, chopped (see Home Chef tip for roasting instructions)
- 1 large roasted yellow beet, chopped (see Home Chef tip for roasting instructions)
- 1 cup prepared beluga lentils
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- Lemon wedges, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Make the Maple-Tahini Dressing: In small bowl, whisk lemon juice, tahini and maple syrup until smooth. Depending on how thick your tahini is, it may be necessary to thin the dressing. If so, whisk in warm water 1 teaspoon at a time until a salad dressing consistency is achieved. Season with salt and pepper.
- Make the Roasted Beet & Lentil Salad: Arrange romaine heart leaves on large plater. Top with eggs, beets, lentils and pine nuts. Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired. Serve with Maple-Tahini Dressing.
Notes
Home Chef Tip: To roast beets, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place red and yellow beets on separate pieces of foil; lightly drizzle with olive oil. Wrap beets in foil and place on rimmed baking pan. Transfer to oven and roast until tender (you should be able to insert a paring knife into beets without too much resistance). Medium sized beets will take 45 minutes to an hour to roast, while very large beets can take up to 90 minutes. When beets are tender, remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes. Use paper towel to gently rub skin off of beets.
MORE GREAT HEARTY SALAD RECIPES:
- Chopped Broccoli Salad with Cheese Tortellini – this one is a crowd pleaser!
- Great Green Salad with Miso Vinaigrette – add chicken or shrimp for protein.
- Watermelon & Avocado Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing – the best combo of sweet and salty!
- Best Ever Farro Salad
Yummy These are so colourful! Sounds like they’re more than pretty if the veg stays crisp too ?
Definitely a recipe I want to make. Also, it reminded me that I wanted to put your flank steak salad with cherry vinaigrette on the menu for next week, in place of something else I’d planned. I always want to make that salad during cherry season. You definitely do salads well!
Thanks, Susan! I think loaded, interesting salads are becoming my specialty around here. Honestly, it’s just because Jeff and I eat a LOT of vegetables and greens, so really, these are just what our dinners look like 🙂