Roasted Beet, Lentil & Goat Cheese Salad
Earthy roasted beets, French lentils, peppery arugula, and creamy goat cheese with toasted walnuts and a balsamic-orange dressing. Restaurant-quality, weeknight-easy.
Beets get a bad reputation from the canned and pickled versions most of us grow up with. Freshly roasted beets are an entirely different vegetable: sweet, earthy, with concentrated flavor and a velvety texture. Paired with French lentils, they make a salad substantial enough to be dinner — particularly with a slice of crusty bread on the side.
The trick is roasting the beets in foil, which steams them gently and intensifies the sugars without drying them out. Lentils du Puy hold their shape beautifully, the orange in the dressing brightens the earthiness, and a few crumbles of goat cheese tie everything together.
Ingredients
- 1½ lb medium beets (about 4–5), tops trimmed
- 1 cup French green lentils (lentils du Puy), rinsed
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cups water or vegetable broth
- 4 cups baby arugula
- ½ cup walnut halves
- 4 oz fresh goat cheese, crumbled
- Dressing: zest of 1 orange, 2 tbsp orange juice, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp honey, 4 tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper
Instructions
- 1
Heat oven to 400°F. Wrap each beet individually in foil with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast on a sheet pan 50–70 minutes, until a knife slides in easily.
- 2
Meanwhile, simmer lentils with the bay leaf and a pinch of salt in 3 cups water, 20–25 minutes until tender but still holding shape. Drain and discard bay leaf.
- 3
Toast walnuts in a dry skillet 4–5 minutes until fragrant. Roughly chop.
- 4
When beets are cool enough to handle, slip the skins off with a paper towel (they'll peel like onion skin). Cut into wedges or 1-inch chunks.
- 5
Whisk dressing in a jar. Toss warm lentils with half the dressing — they absorb flavor better warm.
- 6
On a platter or in shallow bowls, layer arugula, lentils, and beets. Scatter walnuts and crumbled goat cheese over the top. Drizzle remaining dressing.
Foil-roasted beets are non-negotiable
Boiling beets leaches color and flavor into the cooking water. Foil-roasting traps steam, concentrates the natural sugars, and makes the skins slip right off. The hands-off time is also a feature — set a timer and forget them.
Don't peel before roasting. The skin protects the flesh and slips off effortlessly afterward. Wear an apron — beet juice stains.
Why French green lentils, specifically
Lentils du Puy (the small, slate-green French lentils) hold their shape after cooking, which matters in a salad. Brown lentils turn mushy; red lentils dissolve entirely. Black beluga lentils work as a good substitute.
Cook them in slightly salted water with a bay leaf — that's enough seasoning to make the lentils interesting on their own.
Dress lentils while warm
Warm lentils absorb dressing the way warm potatoes absorb vinaigrette in potato salad. The flavor penetrates instead of sitting on the surface. Reserve some dressing for the final plate to drizzle over the assembled salad.
This is the difference between a good lentil salad and a great one.
Goat cheese alternatives
Feta works beautifully — saltier and tangier. Aged sheep's milk cheeses like manchego, shaved instead of crumbled, are excellent. For dairy-free, use a creamy cashew cheese or skip the cheese and add a soft-boiled egg per serving.
If you love this combination, try our Heirloom Tomato & Burrata Salad for a similar build with summer flavors.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use pre-cooked beets from the store?
Yes. Vacuum-packed cooked beets (not pickled) save real time. The flavor is slightly less intense than freshly roasted, but the salad is still excellent.
How long does this keep?
Components keep separately for 4–5 days in the fridge. Assembled salad with arugula keeps about a day before the greens wilt.
Is this gluten-free?
Yes, naturally. Pair with a gluten-free bread if you want to make it a complete meal.