Today’s salad is a great example of how recycling a recipe—keeping it intact but tweaking it a little—can pay off. It is based on my mustard lentil sweet potato salad, which is not so much a leafy green salad as a salad like chicken salad and egg salad. I love this recipe, and it happens to be one of the most popular recipes on this blog.
As someone who frequently prepares and enjoys this salad, I’ve developed some habits around it. I often pair it with toast or serve it on a bed of greens, usually with a cookie for scooping. I’ve found that adding greens, particularly arugula, Brings a delightful heat and crunch to the dish. I also enjoy incorporating other vegetables, such as baby spinach and chopped romaine lettuce.
I’ve been trying to turn this salad into a more leafy version lately. I eat it often and love it, so it was worth sharing this reimagined recipe.
What I love about this dish is that the greens bring lightness and freshness to the salad but retain its richness and weight. It’s earthy and rich enough to serve as a winter salad, and since I get sweet potatoes all year round, I enjoy it every season.
I also like that the salad can be eaten with toast because when do I not want an excuse to make toast? I usually make a whole salad, store the leftovers (they’ll keep for up to 2 days), and serve them with a slice of homemade bread or a few graham crackers, if for no other reason than to scoop up everything on the plate.
Another new addition is Cherry tomatoes, which add a sweet and juicy texture. When the tomatoes are ripe, I will take every opportunity to eat more, and they are finally ripe. Without further ado, this is a new recipe.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon avocado oil (or other neutral vegetable oil)
2 large sweet potatoes, diced (about 1 lb /454 g)
2/3 cup brown, green, or black lentils (or 1.5 cups cooked lentils, i.e., 115 oz / 425 g can, drained and rinsed)
4 cups wrapped baby arugula
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
Two tablespoons of tahini
A tablespoon and a half of water
Two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave syrup
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir the cubed sweet potatoes into the oil and place them on the baking sheet. Transfer the sheets to the oven. Bake the sweet potatoes for 35-40 minutes, stirring once halfway through or until they are tender and crisp around the edges.
- While the potatoes are baking, bring a pan of water to a boil. Add the lentils and cook for 20-30 minutes or until tender but not gelatinized. Drain the lentils. (If you’re using pre-cooked or canned lentils, skip this step.)
- Whisk together tahini, water, vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, and salt.
- Place the baked sweet potatoes, cooked lentils, tomatoes, and arugula in a large bowl. Add the dressing and stir well. Taste the salad and add a pinch of salt and black pepper if desired. Serve on its own or with whole wheat toast or crackers.
