Make a warm quinoa salad with lentils, carrots, and onions for a cozy lunch or dinner! This salad is colorful, flavorful, and so filling. A tasty green herb dressing on top is the finishing touch.
A warm salad sounds so good on a chilly winter’s day, doesn’t it? Whether it’s soup or salad, I definitely prefer warm meals for lunch or dinner in the cold months.
This warm quinoa salad is one of my favorites for a few reasons. It’s filling, due to the quinoa and lentils, it’s colorful, with lots of carrots, and it’s very flavorful thanks to a tasty green herb dressing.
This kind of meal is pretty easy to put together. It takes a little time to roast the veggies and cook the quinoa and lentils, but it’s worth it when it all comes together into a delicious gluten free meal.
Ingredient Notes
- Lentils – I used traditional green lentils for this dish. They are easy to find, and they hold their shape well when cooked. You could also use French green lentils or black lentils if you like.
- Quinoa – White quinoa is what I used this time, but you could use red quinoa or a blend of both colors.
- Sweet Onion – I love sweet onion for its mild flavor. You could use a different variety, like red onion or white onion, but the flavor will be stronger.
- Green Herb Sauce – This simple herb sauce made with fresh basil, parsley, garlic, and lemon adds a lot of fresh flavor to this salad.
Step by Step Instructions
- Roast the carrots and onions in a 425 degree oven for about 30 minutes until they are brown on the edges.
- While the vegetables are in the oven, cook the quinoa according to package directions. In a separate pot, cook the green lentils.
- Place the cooked quinoa, lentils, and vegetables in a serving bowl.
- Use the food processor or blender to make a quick batch of the green herb sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the salad and toss to coat. Garnish with more fresh herbs if you like. Enjoy!
Make Ahead Instructions
If you’d like to prepare this salad ahead of time, you could make the quinoa, lentils, and roasted veggies the day before you’d like to serve it. Refrigerate them overnight, then warm them up right before serving.
I’d also recommend making the green herb sauce fresh the day you plan to eat this, and tossing the salad together right before serving for the best flavor.
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Recipe
Warm Quinoa Salad with Lentils and Roasted Veggies.
This filling and tasty quinoa salad is a great lunch or dinner on a chilly day! A fresh herb dressing is the perfect finishing touch.
Ingredients
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- 3 carrots peeled and sliced
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- ¾ cup quinoa
- ½ cup green lentils
- green herb sauce
- parsley for garnish
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Place the diced onion and sliced carrots on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
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Bake the carrots and onions at 425 degrees F for about 30 minutes until they are slightly browned on the edges.
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While the veggies are roasting, cook the quinoa according to package directions. Also cook the lentils in a separate pot according to package directions.
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Once the veggies, quinoa, and lentils are done, place them all in a large bowl. Drizzle the green herb sauce on top and toss to coat.
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Season with salt and pepper if desired, and garnish with fresh parsley leaves. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
You can make this ahead of time if you like. Just warm it up before serving, and do not add the green herb sauce until you are ready to serve. Otherwise the quinoa will soak up all the sauce.
Store leftovers in the fridge. They should stay fresh for about 3 days.
Darryl
This is a great lunch to take to work.