Hearty Pumpkin and Lentil Superfood Salad
Mighty hearty, this warm and comforting Pumpkin and Lentil Superfood Salad is the perfect fall recipe to satisfy all your pumpkin cravings!
I have a very bland taste palette. I’ve never been able to tell if a dish needs a pinch more of salt or if marinating the chicken for 10 minutes longer would have made a difference. For the most part, I eat relatively clean and am lucky in the sense that I’ve always loved the taste of fruits and vegetables.
Years ago when I was working in retail, there was this deli in the food court that would make the most amazing lentil and pumpkin salad. It was just so hearty, nutritious and delicious. One day when I brought the leftovers home, my mum took it upon herself to recreate the recipe, and since that day, it’s been a staple in our lives.
I haven’t tried making the salad for such a long time so actually forgot a lot of the ingredients when I recreated it this week - but, the beauty of it is it’s a superfood salad and there are no rules.
I’m not really a dressing girl, I like the taste of vegetables. However, I couldn’t put my finger on why it tasted quite dry even when I poured olive oil on it - LEMON. It needs lemon juice as my mum later advised. I just came back from the shops with a lemon in tow to ensure today’s lunch is ready to go.
The original recipe had chickpeas in there too, but like I mentioned, you can add or remove anything you like. This salad also works incredibly well with roasted sweet potato and some rice and/or quinoa. And what makes it even better is it can be eaten hot or cold - making it an easy all-year-round staple.
It really doesn’t matter what goes into this recipe, make it your own. I chose a red bell pepper as I prefer when my salads are vibrant with all colors of the rainbow. And make it easy for yourself - I used can lentils (you and make them if you prefer) and I actually didn’t even use fresh pumpkin - I had some frozen butternut squash so just boiled it and was to lazy to even roast it - I just gave it a quick pan fry.
Hearty Pumpkin and Lentil Superfood Salad
SERVES: 2-4 | PREP TIME: 10 MINS | COOK TIME: 30 MINS | TOTAL TIME: 40 MINS
INGREDIENTS
½ red onion (I skipped this today)
¼ cup cilantro
¼ cup green onion
Handful of alfalfa sprouts
Salt, pepper, cumin, black sesame seeds etc. to season
*goats cheese is the perfect addition if you’re looking to take it to the next level
DRESSING: lemon juice and olive oil
1 cup roasted pumpkin, squash and/or sweet potato
1 can of lentils
1 can chickpeas (I skipped this today)
Generous spinach and arugula mix
1 red bell pepper
2 medium cucumbers
1 medium avocado
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat your oven to 400ºF.
Cut pumpkin/squash/sweet potato into cubes and drizzle some olive oil for roasting.
Place in the oven and roast for about 25 -35 minutes.
While the the pumpkin is roasting, cut up all the other vegetables you plan to use and drain out the chickpeas and lentils.
Allow the pumpkin to cool down (if you want it to be a cold salad) and then arrange your salad accordingly.
Season with salt, pepper, cumin, black sesame seeds - or whatever you fancy.
Drizzle olive oil and lemon juice throughout.
