This easy roasted carrot and lentil salad is mixed with raisins, pine nuts & topped with a mustard dressing for an easy weeknight dinner. Carrots are roasted in the oven with cayenne pepper (for a little spiciness) together with cumin and dried herbs. Then, they are served over French green lentils and drizzled with my go-to lemon-mustard dressing. Raisins add a pop of color and sweetness to the salad. All in all a super nutritious salad — and tasty to boot!
Ingredients for Carrot and Lentil Salad
There are so many things happening in this salad that I can’t even figure out where to begin! Let’s start with the roasted carrots. I mean, really, is there anything prettier?
I do recommend steering yourself towards the super fresh carrots (preferably ones with green leafy stems still attached) for this recipe, because they are generally fresher and more sweet
The most important part of this salad are the lentils. If you’ve ever found yourself in front of the bulk bin section of the grocery store, you know that dried lentils come in a large variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. It can be overwhelming at times.
For this recipe, you’ll want to find French green lentils (referred to as Le Puy lentils). These are my go-to lentils for soups and salads, as they hold their shape extremely well once cooked.
Next Let’s talk about nuts. For this salad I love to use pine nuts. They are sweet and crunchy when toasted and goes super well with the rest of the ingredients. If you preffer to use other nuts or seed, I would recommend walnuts or pumpkin seeds for this salad. They are crunchy and delicious. Make sure you toast them on a dry pan before puting to your salad.
Another ingredient is raisins. They are super affordable staple in my house. I love to use it in my porridges or salads like here. Raisins and carrots are a really great combination together. You can substitute here for dried currants if you preffer or have it in your pantry.
And finally comes the mustard dressing! It couldn’t be easier to make and is a simple combination of dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, olive oil and herbs.
Truthfully, this dressing tastes great on everything. Literally, everything. I could eat it straight from the bowl. It is that addictive.
On that note, make a double batch and keep the leftovers in the fridge!
Check out more recipes:
Cauliflower Potato Lentil Salad
Carrot and Lentil Salad
Ingredients
- 6 carrots peeled and sliced into bite size pieces
- 1 cup dried French lentils
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp dried herbs
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- ⅓ cup toasted pine nuts
- ¼ cup raisins
Dressing
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ lemon juice
- 1 tsp agave syrup
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp dried or fresh dill
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C.
- Rinse and sort lentils, then cook lentils according to package directions. Make sure to add a generous pinch of salt to the cooking liquid.
- In a small bowl, whisk together vinaigrette ingredients.
- Wash and peel carrot, then slice into evenly bite-sized pieces. Toss with olive oil and spices then add to a sheet pan and roast for 20-25 minutes, stirring once halfway through cook time.
- Toast the pine nuts on a dry pan until golden brown.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked lentils, raisins, roasted carrots, toasted pine nuts, and vinaigrette. Toss until well coated. Enjoy hot or cold!
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