Are you struggling coming up with new, healthy lunch box ideas? This lentil salad with roasted vegetables is here to save you. A healthy and yummy salad perfect to bring to work and is ready in only 35 minutes.
Salads are summer food. They are easy to make & fresh but don’t forget to make them nutritious too. Are you hungry 1 hour after eating a salad? Add some wholegrain or legumes to your salads and they will give you more energy.
Lentils are a fabulous legume to add to our weekly menu and salads are a delicious way to eat them during hot days. Lentils are a good source of plant-base proteins, are rich in fibre, iron and magnesium too. Lentils are an absolute must in your diet!
Roasted vegetables are simply delicious, look at how the red onion has caramelised, absolutely delish. Halloumi cheese is a nice add-on to this salad, it adds a salty flavour to it (you can substitute it for feta cheese or tofu to make it vegan-friendly).
Now it’s your turn to enjoy this delicious lentil salad with roasted vegetables. Fill your lunch box and keep the dressing separate if possible until you eat it so it stays fresh and crisp. If you make it, I really hope so, leave your comments and tag a photo #shoothecook so I can see the result.
Lentil Salad with Roasted Vegetables & Lemon-garlic dressing, a healthy and yummy salad perfect to make for tomorrow's lunch.
- 2 cups (400g) dried green lentils (or other type of lentils)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 red onions, quartered
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into small cubes
- 1 eggplant, halved and chop into 0.5 cm slices
- 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 100 g Halloumi cheese, cubed
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 5 Tbsp virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp honey
Preheat the oven to 190ºC. and line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
Rinse the lentils well, then place them in a pot. Cover with water, add 2 bay leaves and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, cook for 10' over a high heat. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 15-20'. Follow package instructions. Drain well and refrigerate until needed.
Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. Place the eggplant, carrots, onion and garlic cloves on the baking tray, toss with 2 Tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast at 190ºC for 20'. Then open the oven and add the Halloumi cheese, cook for further 5' . Remove from the oven and set aside.
Prepare the dressing, remove the flesh of the roasted garlic and place it in a mortar. Mash until a paste and then add the olive oil, lemon juice and honey. Mix well. Can also make it using a blender.
In a large salad bowl, combine the lentils with the roasted vegetables. Pour all of the dressing over the salad and toss until combined. Serve in individual bowls and enjoy. It keeps refrigerated up to 4 days, better to keep dressing separated.
*Make it vegan: add tofu instead of cheese (this is what I usually do).
*Make it with feta cheese if you can’t find Halloumi cheese.
*Add zucchini to this salad, halved and chopped into 0.5 cm slices.
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