Sweet Potato Lentil Salad

Once upon a time, pre-Covid19…I carefully studied the pictures of the salads on offer at the kosher Aroma Espresso Bar, where I was meeting friends for lunch. Each offering looked more inviting than the next, but my eye was repeatedly drawn back to the sweet potato lentil salad. Vibrant green arugula. Shiny dark lentils. Chunks of orange sweet potatoes. All tossed with a dressing of lemon and olive oil and topped with rings of red onion, slices of soft goat cheese and a scattering of crunchy granola. It tasted even more delicious than it looked and it wasn’t long before I was thinking of ways to recreate this colorful salad at home. This salad is adapted from the sweet potato and lentil salad by Miriam Kresh, seen on From the Grapevine.

Sweet Potato Lentil Salad

The salad ingredients were easily sourced except for one component that remained a bit of a mystery. The lentils, unlike the mushy, soupy versions that I had previously made at home, were firm with a well-defined shape. After a little bit of digging, I concluded that these were French green lentils. In Canada, French style lentils are grown in Saskatchewan, and are marketed under the name French green lentils. They are similar to Le Puy green lentils, however this term may only be used to designate lentils that come from the prefecture of Le Puy (most notably in the commune of Le Puy-en-Velay) in the Auvergne region of France.

Considered the gold standard in lentils, these small, deep olive green and black speckled lentils, work perfectly in this salad because of their lack of mushiness. Thick-skinned, these legumes retain their shape when cooked and have a pleasant, poppy texture. With thicker skin comes a longer cooking time. These take about 25-35 minutes to cook through, but check on them frequently after 25 minutes because you want them al dente. With very minimal preparation, I can now enjoy this colorful and easy to prepare salad in the comfort of my own kitchen. Because where am I going anyhow in the middle of a pandemic? 

Assemble your ingredients. Preheat the oven to 425 F. and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel two medium- sized sweet potatoes. Slice into rounds about 1/2 inch thick and cut each round into small cubes. Drizzle the sweet potato cubes with a mixture of one tablespoon oil and one tablespoon maple syrup. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Bake on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until the sweet potatoes can be easily pierced with a knife. They will appear golden around the edges. Set the sweet potatoes aside to cool.

Bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil. Add 1/2 cup of French green lentils. Cover and simmer. Check on the lentils after 20 minutes and make sure that there is enough water in the pan. Add water if necessary. Continue to cook until the lentils are cooked through but still slightly firm. This should take 25-35 minutes. Taste a lentil after cooking for 25 minutes. When the lentils are al dente, drain them in a large sieve and set them aside to cool. (Extra cooked lentils, can be packaged in a resealable sandwich bag and frozen.)

Make the dressing and set aside. I have made the dressing using silan and maple syrup. They’re both delicious. Layer the salad greens in the bottom of a salad bowl or platter. Top with a scattering of sweet potato cubes and lentils. Add sliced purple onion and chopped scallion. Crumble goat cheese on top if desired. Sprinkle the top of the salad with toasted pumpkin seeds. Dress the salad immediately before serving.

Print Recipe

Sweet Potato Lentil Salad

Soups and Salads

By Nanette, inspired by Miriam Kresh, From the Grapevine and Aroma – Serves: 3

Prep Time: 15 minutes – Cooking Time: 35 minutes – Total Time: 50 minutes

Vibrant salad greens, shiny dark lentils, and chunks of orange sweet potatoes, tossed with a dressing of lemon juice, maple syrup and olive oil and topped with thin slices of purple onion, crumbles of soft goat cheese and a scattering of crunchy pumpkin seeds.

Ingredients

• Dressing
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon silan date syrup or maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• grind of fresh pepper
• Salad
• 2 cups of salad greens, whether arugula, spinach or spring mix
• 2 sweet potatoes, cut into small cubes
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 cup of French green lentils
• 2 cups of water, for cooking the lentils
• 1/4 cup of purple onion, sliced very thinly
• 1 scallion, white part only, chopped fine
• 1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese, if desired

Instructions

Dressing:

1

In a bowl, whisk together the freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, maple syrup or silan and salt and pepper. Set the dressing aside until you are ready to serve the salad.

Salad:

2

Preheat the oven to 425 F. and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel the sweet potatoes. Slice them into rounds about 1/2 inch thick and cut the rounds into cubes. Drizzle the sweet potato cubes with a mixture of one tablespoon oil and one tablespoon maple syrup. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Bake on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until the sweet potatoes can be easily pierced with a knife. They will appear golden around the edges. Set the sweet potatoes aside to cool.

3

Bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil on medium heat. Add 1/2 cup of French green lentils. When the water comes to a boil again, lower the heat and simmer the lentils for 25-35 minutes. Check on the lentils after 20 minutes and make sure that there is enough water in the pan. Add water if necessary. Cook until the lentils are cooked through but still slightly firm. Taste a lentil at the 25 minute mark. When the lentils are al dente, drain them in a large sieve and set them aside to cool.

4

Toast the pumpkin seeds if not already roasted. Preheat a nonstick frying pan over a medium flame. Add the pumpkin seeds to the frying pan and stir until you start to hear them pop. They will just begin to color and smell nutty. Quickly remove them from the heat and allow them to cool completely.

5

Layer the salad greens in the bottom of a salad bowl or platter. Top with a scattering of sweet potato cubes and lentils. Add sliced purple onion and chopped scallion. Crumble goat cheese on top if desired. Sprinkle the top of the salad with toasted pumpkin seeds. Dress the salad immediately before serving.

Notes

Extra cooked lentils, can be packaged in a resealable sandwich bag and frozen.