Warm Lentil and Roasted Beet Salad with Herbed Yogurt
Sweet roasted beets, nutty black lentils and a cool herb yogurt come together in a salad that eats like a full meal. Ready in about an hour, mostly hands-off.
There is a moment in early autumn when the beets at the market are still small enough to roast whole, and I buy far too many of them. This salad is what happens next. The lentils give it backbone, the beets give it sweetness, and the yogurt keeps everything from getting too serious.
It is genuinely better warm than hot, so let the tray rest while you whisk the dressing. Leftovers keep for two days and make an excellent desk lunch.
Why this one is good for you
- Protein and fibre in one bowl: black beluga lentils bring around 9 g of protein per cooked cup, plus the fibre that keeps you full past three o'clock.
- Beets for blood flow: naturally rich in dietary nitrates, which is why athletes drink the juice.
- Fat where it counts: olive oil and a spoon of yogurt help you absorb the fat-soluble vitamins in the greens.
Warm Lentil and Roasted Beet Salad with Herbed Yogurt
Ingredients
- 600 g small beets, scrubbed and halved
- 250 g black beluga or Puy lentils
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 200 g thick Greek yogurt
- 1 handful dill, chopped
- 1 handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely grated
- 80 g walnuts, toasted and roughly broken
- 100 g rocket or young spinach
- Salt and black pepper
Method
Heat the oven to 200 °C. Toss the halved beets with 2 tbsp olive oil and a good pinch of salt, spread them cut side down on a lined tray and roast for 35–40 minutes, until a knife slides in without resistance and the edges have caramelised.
Meanwhile, rinse the lentils and simmer them in plenty of unsalted water for 20–25 minutes, until tender but still holding their shape. Drain, then season with salt while still warm — this is the moment they actually take on flavour.
Whisk the vinegar, mustard and remaining 2 tbsp olive oil with a pinch of salt. Pour over the warm lentils and stir.
Stir the grated garlic, half the dill and half the parsley into the yogurt. Season and loosen with a splash of water until it is spoonable.
Fold the rocket through the dressed lentils, top with the beets, spoon over the herbed yogurt and finish with the walnuts and remaining herbs. Serve warm.
Tip
Roast a second tray of beets while the oven is on. Blitzed with a little yogurt and lemon, they become a magenta dip that will make you look far more organised than you are.
Season lentils the moment they come off the heat, never before they go on.
Every cook who has ever served gravelly lentils, once