Warm Roasted Butternut Squash, Beetroot and Lentil Salad with Balsamic Dressing, Feta and Mint
This is a very simple warm salad made with roasted butternut squash, beetroot and red onions. The puy lentils cooked with stock and bay leaves soak up all the lovely flavours of the balsamic, honey, mustard dressing and make it a filling substantial meal. To make sure there is as little waste as possible I also roasted the peelings from the squash and beetroot with some garlic granules and smoked paprika to add some texture to the finished salad. With some crumbled feta cheese to add a salty tang and some freshly chopped mint, this is the perfect midweek vegetarian meal.
(Serves 4 - £1.73 per portion)
First make the lentils. Rinse 150g puy lentils under cold water and add to a saucepan with 400ml of hot vegetable stock. Add a couple of bay leaves, bring to the boil then cover with a lid, turn the heat down and simmer for 20 mins until the lentils are tender and cooked through. Drain the lentils, return to the pan, taste and season. Set aside.
Add a sliced butternut squash to a parchment lined baking tray (keeping the peelings from the squash), chop 2 red onions into wedges and add to the tray with 1 tbsp olive oil and some seasoning. Toss them together and roast at 180Cfan/200C for 30-35 minutes until caramelised and golden. Set aside.
Peel (keep the peelings for later) and chop three raw beetroots into small chunks and add to a small lined roasting tray. Drizzle with a little olive oil and some seasoning and roast alongside the squash and onions until tender and caramelised. Add 1 tbsp balsamic during the last few minutes of roasting and set aside.
For the dressing, add 50ml extra virgin olive oil to a jug with 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsps apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp garlic granules, 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tsp runny honey and the juice of half a lemon. Season and whisk until it is a dressing consistency.
Add the peelings from the squash and beetroot to a lined shallow baking tray, drizzle with a little oil, season and add 1 tsp of garlic granules/salt and 1 tsp smoked paprika. Toss together until the peelings are well coated and roast at 180Cfan/200C until crispy.
Add the roasted red onions and beetroot to the cooked lentils. Spoon into bowls, top with the roasted squash slices, crumble over some feta cheese, sprinkle over some chopped mint and parsley and top with the crispy vegetable peelings.