At this time of year, there are plenty of holiday recipes to make and ponder. But sometimes, I like to interrupt all the holiday cookies and cakes with a daily staple recipe. This lentil beet salad is one of my favorites.

Where I live, beets are easy to find all year round, so I don’t consider this a seasonal salad. I often cook this dish: it’s a stripped-down version of the Provence bowl on the power plate.

To make it less simple, you can coat the lentil beet salad. Add cashew cheese, vegan feta, croutons or country breadcrumbs, nuts or seeds.

As you’ll see, my favorite way to elevate a salad is with a slice of toasted bread. It also goes well with baked potatoes.

My favorite way to roast beets

Roasted beets are one of the stars of this relatively simple salad.

I love beets, and I eat them often. Occasionally, I grind or slice them raw, throw them into soup, and cook them, but most of the time, I bake them.

Over the years, I’ve tried many different ways to roast beets. There was a time when I peeled them before cooking, threw them in the oil, and put them in the oven.

I’ve learned that peeling raw beets is one of my least favorite kitchen chores, so I’ve started experimenting with different baking methods.

Now, I continuously wrap them in tinfoil before baking them at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until very tender. Giant beets take about 1 hour, while medium beets take 40-45 minutes. Then, once they’re cool enough to handle, I rinse the beets under cold water. The skin will fall off easily.

Before wrapping the beets, I lightly rub the beets with olive oil or avocado (or other cooking oil). It’s unnecessary, but I find it easier to peel the beets this way when the time comes.

Once the beets are done, I chop them up and store them. It will stay in the fridge for four or five days like this. If you want to use them in your lentil beet salad and other recipes, double the amount of beets you roast. You can put leftovers in:

• Creamy roasted beet hummus
• Potato salad with beets and carrots
• Creamy beef macaroni
• Maple mustard kale salad

Or you can throw them into a lunch bowl!

Lentil cooking

Cooking lentils sounds simple. But getting lentils to have the right texture can be very complicated.

I’ve gotten used to cooking lentils like pasta and brown rice. I boil them in a large pot of water to see if they’re done, then drain.

This helps prevent too little water from softening the lentils or too much water from being used after cooking. When I try to cook lentils in a precisely measured amount of water, both of these things happen often.

I love the French lentils in this recipe, but brown, green, white, and Padina lentils will do! (More on various lentils here.) Use what you have except for the red lentils.

Variations on the lentil beet salad

You can change the lentils used in a lentil beet salad, as well as the other ingredients.

I love the look of the red lentils in the recipe (that color!). But golden beets also work; as a bonus, they taste sweeter. Chioggia beets – the striped kind – are lovely, too.

I’m using my standard, simple green salad vinaigrette here. I like to add vinegar, but sometimes I swap the vinegar I use (red wine, champagne, or sherry) for lemon juice.

As for the greens, I couldn’t resist the arugula in this lentil beet salad. I love its spicy texture, which mellows out the sweetness of the beets and brings out the glow of the earthy lentils. But I also made a salad with kale and cardamom. It’s different, but it’s also good.

Serve lentil beet salad

I’ll put almost anything on a piece of toast, but I enjoy putting lentils on my toast. Sometimes I eat the lentil beet salad with toast, sometimes on top. But bread is usually necessary.

If you don’t like toasted bread, you can serve it with steamed or baked red potatoes. You can scoop it up with some pretzels or flatbread.

A salad is excellent with a cup of thick soup, such as broccoli, sweet potatoes, red peppers, carrots, or my favorite green soup.

Finally, you can add cooked quinoa, rice, or wheat to the salad to make it more of a meal. You can also add baked sweet potatoes or pumpkin, croutons, or bread crumbs.

It’s a delicious salad on its own but also a good one.

Store the lentil beet salad

One good thing about this salad is that the leftovers keep well. After mixing the salads, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for two or three days.

The beets and lentils taste better when lightly marinated in a vinaigrette. Your arugula may sag a little, but it still has its characteristic bite.

Ingredients

1 batch of simple oven-roasted beets

1 cup dried lentils, soaked for 1 hour after picking (200g; You can use French, brown, green, Padina, or white lentils)

A few small ripped sesame leaves

2 tablespoons chopped chives (optional)

1 batch easy champagne vinaigrette

Fresh or toasted bread for serving

Instructions

1. Prepare the beets as directed. Cut the roasted, peeled beets into 1-inch (or smaller) pieces.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drain the lentils from the soaking water and add to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape. Drain the lentils, removing as much cooking water as possible so they don’t turn watery when you add them to the salad.
3. Prepare seasonings as directed.
4. Add the prepared beets, lentils, and 1/2 cup / 120 ml of dressing to a large bowl. Stir well. Add the baby arugula and leeks. Stir gently again. Taste the salad and add seasonings as needed until it is nice but not soggy.
5. Lentil beet salad with your favorite toast or bread.