Add something special to your lunch rotation with this fantastic salad! Quinoa Salad with Lentils and Beets is a tasty way to combine nutritious ingredients together and end up with a little number that is pure joy to look at and even more to eat.
If you are looking for more lunch ideas try out this fantastic Savoury Galette with Grilled Eggplant and Roasted Red Peppers!
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I’m always looking for a salad that will eat like a meal, and especially one that will make my kids as happy as it makes me. I love adding quinoa, bulgar or couscous to my salads as a way to make a like dish more substantial.
Grains like these can make the difference between a salad that leaves you hungry an hour later and one that will keep you satisfied until dinner. This is definitely one that will leave you feeling great, with hunger a long way off.
What goes in this salad
The ingredients in this salad are both inexpensive and easy to find. I love lentils in a salad, and cereals are always a winner.
Beets add a lot of flavour and colour. It’s possible to use fresh beets, which are very easy to prepare. Boil the beets like you would potatoes until you can easily pierced with a knife.
If you have access to vacuum packed cooked beets, then the work is already done for you. Just avoid canned beets. They are pretty horrid and will not go well in this salad!
Goats cheese is a fantastic topper, finishing off the salad with a bit of tang. It’s worth noting that traditional goats cheese is not vegetarian as it is made with animal rennet. Fortunately there are a lot of good goats cheeses available now that are vegetarian, just make sure you check the label!
Spinach adds a bit of bulk to the salad and plenty of fresh taste. The radishes also add a pleasant crunch and peppery flavour.
The dressing is very simple, with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lemon and salt. I love this dressing, and use it on a lot of salads.
Sprinkle the salad with a bit of parsley and you are done!
How to make it
Start by combining the quinoa, lentils with grated beets and radishes and set them aside.
Time to make the vinaigrette. You can use an This is an affiliate link.immersion blender or This is an affiliate link.food processor if you like your vinaigrette to be very smooth. A regular whisk will also do the trick. Or you could combine the ingredients in a jam jar and shake, as I did.
Mix together the balsamic vinegar and chopped up parsley with the juice of half of a lemon. Then slowly pour in extra-virgin olive oil in a thin and steady stream while whisking the whole time.
Dress the salad with the vinaigrette until it is even coated. Give the salad a taste to see if more salt is needed. Toss with rocket/arugula and vegetarian goats cheese.
This quinoa salad recipe will taste better after 15 minutes in the fridge before serving. This allows the flavour to completely meld.
Recipe tips and notes
- The ingredients for the salad can be prepared in advance. This makes assembling the salad quick and easy.
- Don’t forget salt! A salad without salt will always be bland!
- Slice the radishes very thinly. Use a This is an affiliate link.mandoline if you have one so you have thin and even slices.
- There are a lot of ways to change this recipe with substitutions. Swap lentils for chickpeas, spinach for rocket, or creamy goats cheese for feta.
- Fresh beets can definitely be used for this salad, but I find it easier to go with vacuum packed cooked beets. They can be just as good – or even better – and the work has been done for you. Just be sure to avoid canned beets.
Substitutions and variations
Salads for the most part are easily adaptable, so you have the ability to swap lots of ingredients out depending on what you have available or if you want to make it more to your taste.
Here are a few you might want to try:
- cherry tomatoes
- feta cheese instead of goats cheese
- chickpeas instead of lentils
- red onion
- olives
- cucumber
- bell pepper
Serving suggestions
This salad eats as a meal all on its own, and I’m not convinced that it needs anything else to make a very, very satisfying lunch. Perhaps serving as a side dish with a light soup or sandwich?
Although it’ll be tempting to start eating right away, I recommend giving this salad 15 minutes in the fridge. Although it’s not essential, the extra time gives flavours the chance to meld a little more, making this salad even more delicious.
Storage and leftovers
Salads are all about freshness and tend not to last all that well as leftovers. You’ll love this one so much more if you eat it the day it’s made.
If you do have leftovers, it can be kept for 3-4 days. Ideally the spinach will be left out as this is the ingredient that will keep poorly.
More nutritious salad recipes
- Salmon Caesar Salad
- Vegan Buddha Bowl
- Roasted Vegetable Salad with Nuts and Seeds
- Traditional Salad Nicoise
Quinoa Salad with Lentils and Beets
Equipment
- This is an affiliate link.Mandoline
- This is an affiliate link.Immersion blender
Ingredients
- 185g/1 cup quinoa cooked according to package instructions
- 125g/½ cup lentils cooked
- 1 beet cooked and grated – 1 large or 2 small
- 5-6 radishes sliced
- 360g/2 cups spinach
- 2 tbsp creamy goat cheese
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 60ml/¼ cup This is an affiliate link.olive oil extra virgin
- ½ lemon
- 2 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley chopped
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Combine quinoa, lentils or chickpeas, grated beets and sliced radishes and set aside. Boil beets like you would regular potatoes until they are easily pierced with a knife.
- Make your vinaigrette dressing by mixing together balsamic vinegar, juice of ½ lemon and chopped up parsley, then slowly pour in olive oil in a thin and steady stream while whisking the entire time. You can use an immersion blender or food processor if you like your vinaigrette to be very smooth but a regular whisk will also do the trick.
- Dress your salad with vinaigrette until evenly coated, taste it and add salt if needed, toss with rocket/arugula and goat cheese. Allow 15 minutes in the fridge before serving for the flavours to meld.
Notes
- To make assembling this salad even quicker and easier, prepare the ingredients in advance.
- Salad without salt will always be bland, so taste and add more if needed.
- The radishes need to be sliced very thinly. A mandolin is ideal for thin and even slices, but use a sharp knife if you don’t have one.
- The recipe can be easily adapted. Use chickpeas, spinach for rocket instead of lentils, or creamy goats cheese in place of feta.
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