Tender oven-roasted vegetables in a delicious marinade with lentils, pistachios and raisins make for one crave-worthy vegan winter salad! This non-lettuce salad is hearty and satisfying, strikingly beautiful and so delicious!
I love this combination of tender roasted carrots, fennel, onions and cauliflower with protein-rich lentils. I’m over here eating this for the third day in a row (well hello healthy meal prep)…and I’m not a bit sorry. I love a meal that is loaded with texture, color, taste and nutrition….yup, this one checks off all the boxes. I’m definitely smitten.
Ingredients
A few simple ingredients like veggies, nuts, legumes, spices and raisins is all you need to make this delicious dish.
I plan on making this as a healthy side dish for Rosh Hashanah and for Thanksgiving….totally worthy of a holiday meal. Don’t you think? Shh…nobody has to know that it’s so easy to make, you can pull it off on a busy weeknight too!
Prep Veggies for Roasting
There’s no need to shy away from vegetables that look tricky to trim and prep for roasting. Fennel is a good example. See photos below for the step by step.
I like to trim the fronds on the top and save for garnish. Keep the root end intact on the fennel and onions when slicing for variation between thin slices and fan like wedges.
This marinade comes together so quickly. Whisk together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup then add the spices including cinnamon, allspice, turmeric and cumin and just a dash of cayenne. Reserve just a bit for the salad, and pour the rest over the veggies to roast.
Toss the roasted veggies and pistachios with the lentils and raisins and add the remaining marinade as a dressing. I like to plate it with some greens on the bottom and use the fennel fronds as a garnish!
Debra’s Pro Tips
- Veggies will crisp up if they’re spread out onto one single layer. Use two baking sheets if necessary.
- Leaving the root end of the fennel and onions intact when slicing creates beautiful caramelized wedges when roasted.
- Get the vegetables into the oven first…there will be plenty of time to cook the lentils while the vegetables roast.
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📖 Recipe
Lentil Salad with Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients
- ¾ cup french green or black beluga lentils
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 lb. carrots
- 2 red onions
- 2 bulbs fennel either 2 small or 1 large
- ½ cup pistachios
Marinade/Dressing
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
Garnish
- ⅓ cup golden raisins*
- Fronds from the fennel
- Something green: either chopped fresh parsley or stacked and julienned collard greens or lacinato kale.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400
- PREPARE VEGGIES: Cut cauliflower into florets. Peel carrots and cut into thick circles. Cut onion through the root end and then into wedges or thin slices or a combo. Trim fennel fronds and save for garnish; cut through the center and then into ½" wedges. Place all in large bowl.
- MAKE MARINADE: whisk together olive oil, vinegar and maple syrup until emulsified. Sprinkle in spices and mix again.
- Pour ¾ marinade over veggies and toss until evenly coated. Arrange in single layer on rimmed baking tray. You may need two trays to give them enough room to nicely brown. Roast for 35 minutes, until golden brown and tender.
- Meanwhile, prepare lentils*. Rinse well and then place in a small saucepan with 3 cups water. Bring to boil and then turn down to simmer and cook for 16 minutes. You want tender, not mushy lentils. Drain and place in bowl that veggies were mixed in.
- Pour remaining dressing/marinade over lentils and mix well. When veggies are done, add to bowl along with raisins and mix.
- Arrange on platter: OPTIONAL: place thinly sliced greens (lacinato kale or collard greens) on bottom of platter and then veggie mix. Top with fennel fronds, a sprinkle of salt + pepper and more nuts or raisins as desired.
- Roasted Veggies and lentils will stay good in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
How to Cook Lentils for Salad:
- STOVE TOP METHOD: Place rinsed lentils plus 2 ½ cups water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and then turn down to gently simmer for 16 minutes, then drain.
- INSTANT-POT PERFECT LENTILS: Place rinsed lentils along with 2 ½ cups water into instant pot and set pressure to high. Cook for 6 minutes, use quick release and then drain.
- DO NOT COOK LONGER THAN DIRECTED. Lentils should be tender, but definitely NOT MUSHY for including in salad.
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
Lisa
These roasted veggies were very tasty over lentils. The spices smell wonderful while veggies are roasting in the oven. Enjoyed the fennel in here.
Debra Klein
Terrific….that roasted fennel is my favorite part!
MJ
DELICIOUS! I top it off with lime or lemon wedges. Took me longer to prep than recipe says, but so worth the time.
Debra Klein
Freshly squeezed lime juice would add a fabulous zing!
Paula Montenegro
A crave-worthy salad for sure! Beautiful ingredients and photos also. I love salads that are a whole meal and this one I can’t wait to try, since I usually don’t add fennel. Thanks for sharing.
Debra Klein
The fennel gets nice and sweet when roasted…a definite must try!
Janelle
Our family loved this salad and the colour is wonderful
Debra Klein
It’s a beauty…just one of the many things I love about this one. Thank you.