SPICED CARROT & LENTIL SALAD

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen my recent attempts to become the meal prep queen. I have been trying extra hard to be organised with my lunchboxes lately, to keep morning faffing to a minimum (unfortunately, I am the faffing queen). This spiced carrot and lentil salad was born out of desire to make pre-prepped lunches more exciting. Make this and trust me, you will never look at a sandwich again.

Carrots are superbly underrated, too often getting overlooked. In this salad, carrots are the star of the show. Sweet, lightly spiced carrots atop a bed of zesty tender lentils and fiery rocket, all lusciously drizzled in an uber creamy tahini yoghurt dressing with a pop of tart pomegranate seeds. It’s heaven on a plate.

WHAT MAKES THIS SALAD HEALTHY?

Firstly, just appreciate those colours!! My no.1 tip for anyone looking to eat healthier is to make your plate as colourful as possible. Different colours = different micronutrients. Carrots are a great source of beta-carotene, vitamin K, potassium and various antioxidants. Lentils are a fantastic source of plant-based protein and are also rich in fibre, iron and folate.

This spiced carrot and lentil salad looks, in my opinion, almost too good to eat. Serve this salad warm to impress guests, or eat it chilled from a lunchbox and become the envy of the staff room. I would recommend keeping each component separately in the fridge before throwing them together quickly in the morning. Keep the dressing separate until serving though – no one likes a soggy salad.

I hope this spiced carrot and lentil salad gives you some inspiration to boost your lunch game. It’s so easy, you’d be foolish not to give it a go! If you do, please let me know by tagging me in a photo on IG @georgieeatsuk, using the #georgieeats, or leaving me a comment down below. Keep smiling!

G x

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SPICED CARROT & LENTIL SALAD WITH YOGHURT TAHINI DRESSING

Sweet softly spiced roasted carrots, tender zesty lentils, fiery wild rocket and a tart pop of pomegranate, all lusciously drizzled in the creamiest tahini yoghurt dressing. The perfect lunch – served either hot or cold! Healthy, GF & vegan option.

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Mediterranean

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 2 people as main course, or 4 as starter

Ingredients

• 600 g carrots
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey/maple syrup
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 100 g lentils vertes/puy lentils
• Juice 1/2 lemon
• 60 g (1 bag) rocket
• Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Dressing

• 100 g greek yoghurt
• Juice ½ lemon
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 1 garlic clove minced

To Serve

• Sprinkle pomegranate seeds

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180c fan/200c/390f.

2. Peel and chop the carrots in half lengthways (or into quarters if very large). Place them into a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil, honey/maple syrup, spices and a generous pinch of salt & pepper. Mix everything together well to coat the carrots with the spice mixture.

3. Lay the carrot halves in one single layer on a lined baking tray and roast in the oven for 45 minutes until soft and slightly charred on the edges.

4. Meanwhile, place the dry lentils in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and continue to boil rapidly for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until just cooked. Drain the lentils then return them back to the pan. Squeeze in the lemon juice and season generously with salt and pepper.

5. To make the dressing, mix the yoghurt, lemon juice, tahini and garlic together along with ½ tsp of sea salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Refrigerate until serving.

6. To assemble the salad, toss the dressed lentils with the rocket and transfer into a serving dish or onto plates. Top with the roasted carrots, yoghurt dressing and pomegranate seeds. Serve whilst still warm.

Recipe Notes

This salad is also great cold for lunchboxes. Allow all the components to cool completely before storing separately in airtight containers in the fridge and assembling just before serving. 

This recipe doubles perfectly if cooking for a crowd, or if meal prepping for the week.

Vegan: Use maple syrup rather than honey. Use a dairy free yoghurt alternative – I like coconut yoghurt for this recipe.

A few ingredient notes: 

• If you have very small carrots, as mine are in the photographs, you can leave them whole.
• Lentils vertes is just an alternative name for puy lentils. These are not the same as green and brown lentils, although both of these varieties would also work well – just remember cooking times will vary. 

If you love easy salads, then you will love my Maple Roasted Sprout Salad too!