Roasted Beets and Lentils with Green Sauce
From: Ian Seddon's Cookbook
🥘 Ingredients
- Cooked Lentils 2 ½ cup
- beets 1.5-2 lb
- extra virgin olive oil 3 ½ tbsp
- Kosher
- red wine vinegar or lemon juice 2 tbsp
- Dijon mustard 2 tsp
- pure maple syrup 1 tsp
- flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems 1 handful
- fresh mint leaves 1 handful
- medium lemon 1
- Walnut Crunch ¾ cup
- Creamy Herb Sauce ½ cup
- For serving: Crusty bread or pita to serve 4
If you have sage leaves on hand, feel free to make fried sage while the beets roast; follow the recipe on page 9 of The Fresh Herbs Companion. Top your plate with the fried sage. Storage: Store the beet-lentil mixture and leftover lemon walnut crunch separately in the fridge for up to 4 days. Serve at room temp, or reheat the beet-lentil mixture in the microwave or in a frying pan until heated through. Assemble as listed in the last step right before serving. Nutrition boost: For a protein boost, top your bowl with pre-baked tofu or crispy roasted chickpeas (or make the Simple Roasted Chickpeas on page 236 of Big Vegan Flavor). For added veggies, fold shaved fennel or shaved carrots into the lentils in step 5. Shortcut: If you bought pre-roasted or pre-steamed beets, skip steps 1 and 2. Simply cut the beets into bite-sized pieces and toss with the lentils in step 5; add more olive oil and salt to taste. Shortcut: For the Tangy Dressing, instead of finely chopping the herbs, simply add all the ingredients to a mini chopper or small-capacity blender cup; blend until well combined. Shortcut: Skip the lemon zest in the Walnut Crunch in step 3(b).
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1Gather: Cooked Lentils , beets , extra virgin olive oil , Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. For the tangy dressing: red wine vinegar or lemon juice , Dijon mustard , pure maple syrup , flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems , fresh mint leaves , medium lemon , Walnut Crunch , Creamy Herb Sauce , For serving: Crusty bread or pita to serve .
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2Arrange a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to 425ºF / 220ºC. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper. Take the Cooked Lentils out of the fridge to set at room temperature. TIP: If using 2 lb of beets, you will likely need two rimmed sheet pans, so arrange another rack in the bottom of the oven and line another pan with parchment paper.
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3On the lined pan, toss beets with 1-1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp kosher salt, and several cracks of pepper. Spread out on the pan(s). Roast for 15 minutes , then stir or toss. Rotate the pan(s) by 180º and roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the beets are tender.
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4While the beets roast, prepare your side salad (if you’re making one) and finish prepping the other ingredients. Tangy Dressing: In a jar or a bowl, combine the vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, and finely chopped parsley and mint. Add 2 tbsp of good-quality olive oil and 1/2 tsp of kosher salt. Seal and shake (or whisk well) to combine. Season with more salt to taste. Walnut Crunch: Using a microplane or grater, zest the lemon into the Walnut Crunch, using your hands to combine well.
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5Warm up the lentils on the stovetop (with a splash of broth if needed) or in the microwave.
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6Re-whisk the Tangy Dressing to combine, then pour onto the warm lentils and toss to coat. Taste, adding more salt or pepper as needed, more vinegar for acidity, or more olive oil for richness.
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7Assemble: Divide the herby lentils among bowls and top with the roasted beets. Spoon on timer tablespoons ( timer ) of the Creamy Herb Sauce and sprinkle with the lemon walnut crunch. Serve with bread (if using) and your side salad, if you made one.