Roasted Beetroot, Butternut Squash and Puy Lentil Salad with Feta, Dijon Dressing and Crunchy Honey Garlic Seeds

Roasted butternut squash, red onion, feta is one of my favourite flavour combinations. The sweetness of the caramelised vegetables work so well with the creamy, salty cheese and sharp dijon dressing. With earthy lentils and crunchy seeds which have been fried with garlic and honey, this is a healthy, satisfying salad which is perfect for a light dinner or packed lunch.

Serves 4

1. Chop half a butternut squash into cubes (keeping the seeds for later) and place in a roasting tray with a couple of red onions chopped into wedges with a good drizzle of olive oil and some seasoning. Roast at 200C for 30-40 minutes. I also roasted some chopped beetroot in a separate roasting tray at the same time to make sure they didn’t colour the squash with their juices.
2. Make a simple dressing from 50ml extra virgin olive oil, a crushed garlic clove, a tbsp of balsamic vinegar, a tbsp of dijon mustard, a couple of tbsps of apple cider vinegar, a tsp of honey and a squeeze of lemon before seasoning to taste.
3. Next toast the butternut squash seeds with some pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat before adding some sea salt flakes, a sprinkling of garlic granules, 1 tsp oregano and a squeeze of runny honey to make them nice and caramelised.
4. Finally, cook 200g puy lentils before draining and stirring through the roasted vegetables. Add the dressing, a bunch of chopped mint and parsley and some fresh rocket leaves before topping with crumbled feta cheese and the seeds.