Name: Beetroot salad with feta and lentils
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 beetroot, peeled and cut into wedges; 1 tbsp olive oil; 250 ml (1 cup) vegetable or chicken stock; 2 tbsp red wine vinegar; 1 tbsp vincotto (optional); 60 ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil; 400 gm canned lentils, rinsed and drained well; 2 golden shallots, thinly sliced; Large handful of flat-leaf parsley, torn; Handful of mixed seeds such as sunflower seeds and pepitas; 100 gm soft feta, cut into large cubes

While some salads are purely made as a fresh side to the main dish, this beetroot, feta and lentil salad is great a light meal on its own. It’s also equally good with grilled lamb.

Ingredients

2 beetroot, peeled and cut into wedges

1 tbsp olive oil

250 ml (1 cup) vegetable or chicken stock

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp vincotto (optional)

60 ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil

400 gm canned lentils, rinsed and drained well

2 golden shallots, thinly sliced

Large handful of flat-leaf parsley, torn

Handful of mixed seeds such as sunflower seeds and pepitas

100 gm soft feta, cut into large cubes

Method

Add beetroot and olive oil to a saucepan over medium-high heat and stir to coat. Add stock, season to taste, cover with a lid and simmer until tender (14-15 minutes).

Transfer beetroot to a bowl with a slotted spoon, add vinegar, vincotto, extra-virgin olive oil and half the lentils, season to taste and toss to combine. Place remaining lentils in a serving bowl, top with beetroot mixture, shallot, parsley, seeds and feta, and toss lightly to serve.

Does beetroot need to be cooked for a salad?

Both raw and cooked beetroot can be great in the right salad. In this particular recipe, we’ve cooked wedges of beetroot to add flavour and to make it tender to eat. But other recipes use raw, grated beetroot, such as this raw fennel, beetroot and carrot salad, or this beetroot and orange salad with sumac dressing.

Is raw beetroot good for you?

Both raw and cooked beetroot have health benefits thanks to the fibre content, antioxidants and minerals. In particular, it’s a good source of folate, vitamin B6 and carotene. It also tastes great (as this recipe shows) and counts towards the five serves of vegetables that the government’s Eat For Health website recommends we eat every day.

Recipe / styling by Lisa Featherby

Styling by Geraldine Muñoz

Ingredients

Method

Does beetroot need to be cooked for a salad?

Is raw beetroot good for you?

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