Lentil Salad With Roasted Vegetables

By Melissa Clark

Updated October 16, 2023

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 2
Total Time
1 hour 30 minutes
Rating
5(1,939)
Comments
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This lentil salad looks and tastes bright, thanks to a combination of tangerine juice, sherry vinegar and colorful caramelized roasted root vegetables. It works either as a main course, served with good bread and butter, or as side dish with roasted meat or fish. For the maximum visual impact, use both golden and red beets. Vegetarians can feel free to leave out the bacon. Leftovers will keep for at least five days, though try to pack it up without the radicchio, which gets soggy in the fridge.

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Ingredients

Yield:10 to 12 servings

FOR THE LENTIL SALAD

  • 1 small whole acorn squash, peeled if desired, halved, seeded and diced into ½-inch pieces

  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces

  • 1 medium celeriac, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces

  • 3 small beets, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • 2 sprigs thyme

  • 1 sprig rosemary, cut in half

  • 4 slices (4 ounces) bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces (optional)

  • 2 cups brown or green lentils

  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste

  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

FOR THE SHERRY VINAIGRETTE

  • ¼ cup sherry vinegar, more to taste

  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed

FOR SERVING

  • 2 heads radicchio, sliced

  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced (whites and greens)

  • Parsley, roughly chopped, for garnish

  • Flaky sea salt, to taste

  • Cracked black pepper, to taste

  • 1 tangerine, halved and seeded

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 to 12 servings)

29 grams carbs; 6 milligrams cholesterol; 288 calories; 10 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 15 grams fat; 5 grams fiber; 354 milligrams sodium; 10 grams protein; 3 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place vegetables in one layer on one or two large rimmed baking pans, toss with olive oil and salt. Place thyme and rosemary on top of vegetables, cover pans with foil and roast for 25 minutes. Remove foil, stir in bacon and bake for 30 to 40 minutes longer, until vegetables are tender and golden all over.

  2. Step 2

    In a large pot, combine lentils, 6 cups water, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until lentils are tender.

  3. Step 3

    In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard and salt. Then whisk in olive oil.

  4. Step 4

    Drain lentils and discard bay leaf; keep or discard garlic as you like. Toss lentils with half of the sherry vinaigrette while still warm. Add more salt, olive oil and vinegar as needed.

  5. Step 5

    Toss radicchio with enough of remaining vinaigrette to lightly coat it and arrange it on a platter. Combine lentils and roasted vegetables, adding more of the vinaigrette to taste; spoon mixture on top of radicchio. Garnish with scallions, parsley, sea salt and black pepper. Squeeze tangerine juice over the lentils and drizzle with more olive oil if needed.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,939 user ratings
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Comments

Robin

I made half of the lentils but a full recipe of the vegetables and was pleased with the proportion. Doubled the dressing to have leftovers. Next time would use balsamic. Sherry vinegar seemed too muddy with the lentils. I used French lentils and would recommend. Also used Meyer lemons and blood oranges instead of the tangerine. I would recommend using more citrus. A next time for me is to add some zest to the lentil salad mix. Very satisfying as a main course.

Me

No need to peel a squash. Once roasted, the peels of acorn, butternut and similar winter squashes are soft and delicious (think of apple peels).

Jeanie Cass

Also skipped the bacon. Have made it twice, once with sherry vinegar, once with balsamic vinegar. I prefer the balsamic. Tangerine makes the flavors pop! A hit with my crowd!

Lexy

This is amazing. Guests say they can’t stop eating it! I substitute the sherry with balsamic. Otherwise I follow the directions. I add orange wedges to the platter for serving. Scallions don’t seem necessary but curly parsley is a beautiful touch of green to pull it all together.

Rachel H

Served this salad with roasted salmon. I had an extra leek that I sliced into rings and added to the vegetables which was delicious.

Eldon

Recipe is too bitter between the radicchio and white wine vinegar. Consider substituting WWV with red wine vinegar (sweeter) and/or radicchio with romaine lettuce. Turnips also work great substituting for any of the other root veggies to bring a peppery element

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