Beet and Lentil Salad with Creamy Green Goddess Dressing
If you’ve ever thought salads couldn’t be satisfying, this beet and lentil salad will prove you wrong in the first bite. It’s hearty, fresh, a little tangy, and packed with flavor and texture. Between the creamy feta, earthy lentils, sweet beets, juicy mandarins, and crispy shallots, every bite has something different going on. And the parsley-tahini green goddess dressing ties everything together like magic.
Erica’s Notes
Okay, confession: I’m trying to learn how to love beets and lentils. They’ve always been on my “I know they’re good for me but…” list. Turns out, the trick is they’ve got to have lots of other flavors and textures going on. Enter: this salad. The beets for me need something like a gorg homemade dressing and the lentils need a textural element like crispy shallots and/or crunchy nuts.
This is episode six of Embarrassingly Easy Dinners ft. Trader Joe’s shortcuts. Their pre-cooked lentils and beets are a few of my favorite time-savers. You can find them both in the refrigerated produce section. And then if you made the curry noodles earlier in our series, you hopefully have some leftover crispy shallots. They are an excellent addition here.
I just got back from four days at a conference, and after living off event snacks and airport coffee, this is exactly the kind of meal I crave – one that feels nourishing, balanced, and full of good stuff. It’s vibrant, flavorful, and makes you feel like you’re hitting reset without even trying.
What You’ll Need to Make this Lentil Beet Salad:
Arugula: Technically, you could make this a lettuce-less salad, but I like to throw in a handful of fresh arugula!
Cooked lentils: I use Trader Joe’s pre-steamed ones and canned lentils are also a great shortcut. Refer to the recipe notes for how to cook dry lentils. I’d recommend French lentils (green), brown lentils or black lentils for this recipe. Red lentils tend to get mushy.
Beets: A couple options here. I like to buy the pre-steamed and/or pickled red beets from TJs. Alternatively, you can get raw beets and roast them up with a little olive oil and seasonings. Roasted beets are quite yummy. Red or golden beets work.
Feta: Buy a block of feta and cube it! Way better flavor than the pre-crumbled.
Mandarin oranges: Juicy little bursts of sunshine that brighten everything.
Pistachios: I opt for roasted, salted pistachios.
Castelvetrano olives: Mmmm, I love me an olive moment in a salad. Get pitted olives so you don’t break a tooth. BTW that has totally happened to me before. 🫠
Crispy shallots: I get these from Trader Joe’s. If you don’t have a TJs, grab a container of crispy onions (like the kind you put on green bean casserole).
Parsley Dressing: this incredible green goddess adjacent recipe features parsley, chives, tahini, olive oil, lemon and garlic. In a pinch, snag the green goddess dressing from Trader Joe’s instead!
How to Make Beet and Lentil Salad:
Add all dressing ingredients to a small blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour into a small bowl or jar.
In a large bowl, toss the arugula and lentils with about a quarter of the dressing until evenly coated. Arrange the beets, feta, oranges, pistachios, and olives over the top. Drizzle with more dressing and finish with crispy shallots and a crack of black pepper.
Take a bite and tell me that doesn’t taste like health in a bowl.
Variation Ideas
- Crunchy alternatives: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, roasted almonds
- Beet hater? Any roasted root vegetables would be yummy here: sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots or potatoes.
- Lentil thoughts: Go for Le Puy lentils (aka French green lentils). Red lentils get too mushy for a salad.
- Cheese ideas: goat cheese, mini mozzarella balls or parmesan cheese. If you’re dairy free, there are some pretty great vegan feta options out there.
- Salad dressing: if you have time, definitely make the parsley dressing. If you don’t, the premade green goddess dressing from TJs is a great sub. You can use any dressing you enjoy.
- Add-ins: cooked farro or quinoa would make this salad even heartier. You can’t go wrong with any fresh herbs and other veggies like baby kale, red onion, or pickled cucumbers.
FAQs
This is actually a great meal prep salad. I would leave out the arugula and crispy shallots if making ahead and add those right before serving. You can ‘revive’ the salad with an extra drizzle of olive oil or dressing. Store salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Sure! Any herby vinaigrette will work, like this mustard dill vinaigrette or mint dressing.
Brown or green lentils hold their shape best in salads. Red lentils tend to get mushy.
Just omit it! The purpose of the anchovy is for depth and umami, but the dressing is still yummy without it.
I like it as a full meal on its own, but it’s great paired with grilled chicken, salmon, pork tenderloin, or steak for more protein.
Other dinners in my Embarrassingly Easy TJs series:
Fig, apple and bacon grilled cheese sandwich
Remember friends, the best kind of beet is the beet that’s masked with many other things.
lol kiddingggggg.
Kinda.
If you try and like this recipe please don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating down below! If you love more lifestyle, behind the scenes and ‘eating in real life’ type of content come find me over on Instagram, @itsaflavorfullife, I love connecting with you all there!
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Beet and Lentil Salad with Creamy Green Goddess Dressing
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: N/A
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 salads 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Chop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This beet and lentil salad is hearty, fresh, and full of flavor with feta, mandarins, pistachios, and a creamy parsley dressing. Healthy never tasted so good.
Ingredients
Salad:
- 2 cups arugula
- 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils
- 5 small pre-cooked beets (pickled or steamed), cubed
- 4oz feta cheese, cubed
- 2 mandarin oranges, peeled and sliced
- 1/3 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives, halved
- 1/2 cup crispy shallots
- microgreens for topping, optional
Green goddess parsley dressing:
- 1 cup parsley, loosely packed
- 1/4 cup chives or green onions (or mix of both)
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest + 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon each kosher salt and black pepper
- pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- Dressing: In a small blender or food processor, blend together all dressing ingredients until creamy and smooth.
- Salad: Toss the arugula and lentils with ¼ of the dressing until even coated. Arrange beet cubes, feta, orange slices, chopped pistachios and olives on the salad. Drizzle with more dressing and top with crispy shallots, microgreens and an extra crack of black pepper.
Wow. Health in a bowl never tasted so good.
Notes
Lentils: I like the pre-steamed lentils in the refrigerated section of Trader Joe’s. Most grocery stores also carry canned lentils. If you’re working with dry lentils here’s how to make: Rinse ½ cup dry lentils. Add lentils to a medium saucepan with 1½ cups water or broth and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20–25 minutes until tender. Drain and season to taste. Yield is 1 ½ cups cooked lentils.
The Trader Joe’s Green Goddess dressing is a wonderful substitute for the parsley dressing!
For answers to frequently asked questions and ingredient information, refer to the above blog post.
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 recipe
- Calories: 513
- Sugar: 13.6 g
- Sodium: 497.7 mg
- Fat: 35 g
- Carbohydrates: 38.4 g
- Fiber: 11.8 g
- Protein: 18.1 g
- Cholesterol: 25.2 mg
Love this recipe!! The flavor is so elevated and the nutrition is so wholesome. I used a Spring mix mixed with herbs from TJ and the green goddess dressing from there too. I look forward to making it again and again.
Yaaaay thank you Emily!