Hearty Roasted Carrot & Lentil Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing: Your Healthy, Vegan & Gluten-Free Meal Prep Solution
Embrace wholesome eating with this incredibly satisfying and flavorful lentil salad. Packed with vibrant roasted carrots and radishes, crisp red onion, and generously tossed in a creamy, tangy lemon-tahini dressing, this recipe is a true celebration of plant-based goodness. It’s not only naturally vegan and gluten-free but also boasts a robust nutritional profile, making it an ideal choice for a healthy lunch, dinner, or smart meal prep throughout the week.
After much anticipation, I am thrilled to finally share this extraordinary roasted carrot lentil salad recipe with you. It’s a dish that has been a long-time favorite in my kitchen, patiently waiting its turn to grace these pages. I believe it’s high time we all indulged in a truly hearty and super nutritious salad that doesn’t compromise on flavor or satisfaction. This salad represents everything I love about simple, wholesome cooking, marrying earthy textures with bright, fresh tastes.
Confession time: my eldest sister recently pointed out my recent affinity for waffle recipes. And she’s not wrong! While I adore a good brunch treat, balance is key. That’s why I’m excited to pivot back to something as nourishing and versatile as this lentil salad, proving that healthy eating can be equally exciting and delicious.
Why This Lentil Salad Will Become Your Go-To
Today’s lentil salad is a culinary chameleon, seamlessly adapting to various roles in your weekly menu. It stands proudly as a robust main course, especially when paired with a few slices of your favorite hearty, crusty bread. It also serves as an exceptional side dish, complementing a range of meals from grilled plant-based proteins to simple soups. But perhaps its most remarkable quality is its potential as a make-ahead meal. This salad transforms beautifully into leftovers, tasting even better the next day as the flavors meld and deepen.
You can serve it at a comfortable room temperature, which often enhances the delicate nuances of the roasted vegetables and dressing. Alternatively, it’s perfectly delightful served cold, straight from the fridge, making it an ideal candidate for packed lunches or quick dinners on busy evenings. If you’re a fan of efficient meal planning, I highly recommend dedicating a Sunday morning or afternoon to preparing a large batch. There’s truly nothing more satisfying than knowing your lunch or dinner for the next day—or even two—is already waiting for you, prepped and ready to enjoy, after a long and demanding workday.
The Star Ingredients: A Symphony of Flavors and Textures
This salad is a mosaic of flavors and textures, making every bite an exciting experience. Let’s delve into the components that make it so special, starting with the visually stunning and incredibly delicious roasted rainbow carrots. Honestly, is there anything more appealing than a medley of colorful carrots? Their natural sweetness intensifies and caramelizes beautifully when roasted, adding a depth of flavor that raw carrots simply can’t achieve. Simply grab a fresh bunch of these vibrant beauties, and you’re halfway to a masterpiece!
My local grocery store, Mariano’s in Chicago, often stocks bunches of rainbow carrots at a very reasonable price. I wholeheartedly encourage seeking them out, not just for their aesthetic appeal, but also because, much like my appreciation for fingerling potatoes, when it comes to carrots, the more colors, the merrier! Beyond their striking appearance, rainbow carrots are also known to contain loads of extra nutrients and antioxidants. It’s truly a win-win situation, offering both visual appeal and enhanced nutritional value.
Of course, if rainbow carrots aren’t available, regular orange carrots will work absolutely fine and still yield a delicious result for this recipe. However, I do strongly recommend selecting the freshest carrots you can find, preferably those with their green leafy stems still attached. Not only are these generally fresher, but you’ll also be utilizing those tender, flavorful carrot top stems for garnishing the finished salad, adding a fresh, herbaceous note and reducing food waste!
The Surprising Sweetness of Roasted Radishes
Beyond the carrots, this salad introduces another delightful roasted vegetable: radishes. If you’ve ever bitten into a raw radish, you’ll know their characteristic peppery, slightly spicy kick. This pungency can be polarizing, but the magic happens when radishes are roasted. The high heat transforms them, mellowing their spice and bringing out a surprising sweetness. They become tender, juicy bites of caramelized goodness, adding a wonderful complexity to the salad.
If you’re not typically a radish fan, I urge you to give roasted radishes a try in this recipe; you might be pleasantly surprised! However, if they truly aren’t to your taste, feel free to omit them entirely. This salad is incredibly adaptable. It would taste equally fantastic with a wide range of other roasted vegetables – think parsnips, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, or even broccoli florets. Don’t hesitate to get creative and customize it with your favorite seasonal produce!
Lentils: The Protein-Packed Foundation
While the roasted vegetables add undeniable charm, the true backbone and most important part of this healthy salad are the lentils. If you’ve ever explored the bulk bin section of a grocery store, you know that dried lentils come in a fascinating variety of shapes, sizes, and colors – from tiny black beluga lentils to larger green and red varieties. This abundance can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming when trying to choose the right one for your recipe.
For this particular salad, your ideal choice will be French green lentils, often referred to as Le Puy lentils. These distinct lentils are my absolute go-to for both soups and salads because of their unique characteristic: they hold their shape remarkably well once cooked. Unlike some other lentil varieties that can turn mushy, French green lentils maintain a delightful bite and firm texture, which is crucial for a salad where you want distinct ingredients. They also boast a rich, earthy flavor that pairs perfectly with the roasted vegetables and creamy dressing. Plus, lentils are an excellent source of plant-based protein and dietary fiber, contributing to the salad’s incredible heartiness and satiety.
The Irresistible Lemon-Tahini Dressing
No salad is complete without an exceptional dressing, and this lemon-tahini dressing is truly a game-changer. It couldn’t be simpler to whip up, requiring just a handful of pantry staples: creamy tahini paste (which is simply ground sesame seeds), fresh lemon juice for a bright zing, a touch of salt, and freshly ground black pepper. These ingredients are then whisked together and thinned with warm water to achieve the perfect pourable consistency.
Truthfully, this dressing is so delicious and versatile that it tastes incredible on everything. I’m not exaggerating – literally, everything! You might find yourself wanting to eat it straight from the bowl. It possesses that perfect balance of nutty, creamy, tangy, and savory notes that makes it utterly addictive. It’s wonderful drizzled over roasted vegetables, grain bowls, falafel, or even as a dip for fresh crudités.
On that note, I highly recommend making a double batch! Keep the extra dressing stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. You’ll thank yourself later when you have this liquid gold ready to elevate any meal or snack.
Perfect for Meal Prep and Healthy Living
This Roasted Carrot Lentil Salad isn’t just a delicious dish; it’s a strategic ally for anyone committed to healthy eating and efficient meal management. Its robust components — protein-rich lentils, fiber-packed carrots, and nutrient-dense radishes — ensure it holds up wonderfully over several days without losing its appeal. This makes it an ideal candidate for meal prepping on a Sunday, providing you with nutritious, ready-to-eat lunches or dinners throughout a busy work week.
The fact that it can be enjoyed warm, at room temperature, or chilled means you have flexibility. No need to worry about reheating if you’re taking it to the office or enjoying a quick bite at home. Its vegan and gluten-free nature also makes it suitable for a wide range of dietary preferences and restrictions, ensuring that everyone can enjoy a satisfying and healthy meal.
More Favorite Fall Salads to Explore:
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Squash with Dried Cranberries and Dijon Vinaigrette
- Radicchio, Pear, Gorgonzola, Pomegranate, and Walnut Salad
- Roasted Shiitake and Asian Pear Salad with Miso-Sesame Vinaigrette
Roasted Carrot Lentil Salad with Radishes and Tahini Dressing
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Equipment
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Half Sheet Pan
Ingredients
For the Lentils:
- 1 cup dried French (Puy) green lentils rinsed and picked over
- 1 small yellow onion cut into quarters
- 2 garlic cloves smashed, divided
- 1 dried bay leaf
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Roasted Vegetable Mixture:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 bunches of rainbow carrots (8 – 10 medium carrots) scrubbed well and trimmed (leafy stem tops cleaned well and reserved for garnish)
- 7-8 red radishes stems trimmed and scrubbed well, divided
- 5-6 unpeeled garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ red onion very thinly sliced
Lemon Tahini Dressing:
- ¼ cup tahini paste I recommend Soom brand
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3-4 tablespoons warm water
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C) with a rack in the center position.
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Soak and Cook the Lentils: Place the rinsed lentils in a medium saucepan, along with 3 cups (720 mL) of water, the quartered onion, smashed garlic, bay leaf, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Bring the lentils to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer, and cook the lentils for 25 to 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain in a fine-meshed sieve and discard the onion, garlic, and bay leaf. Place in a large serving bowl to cool. Toss the lentils with a tablespoon of olive oil.
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Roast the vegetables: Slice the carrots into ½-inch rounds. The skinny ends of the carrots can be left in larger chunks, but try to keep the carrots as consistent in size as possible. Cut the radishes into quarters, reserving one radish for garnishing the salad. Place the carrots and radishes on a large sheet pan, along with the unpeeled garlic cloves, and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Distribute the vegetables evenly on the pan.
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Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, tossing the vegetables every 10 minutes or so, or until the carrots and radishes are caramelized and tender. Remove the roasted garlic cloves from their skin (discard the skin, but keep the cloves) and allow the vegetables to cool to room temperature.
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Add the roasted vegetables and garlic to the cooked lentils, along with the sliced red onion, and toss gently to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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Prepare the Tahini Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini paste, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. It should be thick. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of hot water (depending on your brand of tahini paste, you might need more or less to achieve the right consistency) and whisk gently until smooth. The dressing should be the consistency of a thick salad dressing, but should still easily drizzle from a spoon.
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Assemble: Using a mandolin, slice the remaining radish into very thin slices. Roughly chop some of the reserved leafy stem tops of the carrots (roughly ¼ cup or so). Garnish the salad with the sliced radish and chopped carrot stem tops. Drizzle the salad with the tahini dressing and serve at room temperature. This salad makes great leftovers and can be served cold from the fridge.