Lentil and roasted-beet salad
August 5, 2026 · 3 min read
A can of beans over greens is a fine lunch, but warm lentils and roasted beets turn the same idea into something you want to sit down for. The beets go sweet and jammy in the oven, the lentils hold their shape, and a sharp Dijon-shallot vinaigrette ties the whole platter together. One bowl covers four of the food groups the MIND pattern leans on: legumes, other vegetables, leafy greens, and olive oil, plus a handful of walnuts on top.
The move that makes it easy: roast the beets and simmer the lentils in parallel. They finish at about the same time, and piling warm lentils onto the arugula wilts it just enough while it soaks up the dressing.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried green or brown lentils, rinsed
- 3 medium beets, scrubbed
- 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- 4 cups arugula
- 1 small shallot, finely minced
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Steps
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Wrap each beet in foil, set them on a sheet pan, and roast 40–45 minutes, until a knife slides in easily. Let them cool enough to handle, then rub off the skins and cut into wedges.
- While the beets roast, simmer the lentils. Cover them with a few inches of water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then drop to a low simmer for 20–25 minutes, until tender but not mushy. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.
- Whisk the shallot, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, the Dijon, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until the dressing looks emulsified. Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, until fragrant.
- Toss the arugula with the last tablespoon of olive oil and spread it on a platter. Pile the warm lentils and beet wedges on top, scatter the walnuts over, and spoon the vinaigrette across the whole thing. Serve while the lentils are still warm.
How it comes together
Makes 4 servings — read left to right; each column combines what's behind it.
PrepRoast the beets and simmer the lentils at the same time — they finish together, and warm lentils drink up the vinaigrette better than cold ones.
| 1 cup · 200 g dried lentilsgreen or brown, rinsed | Simmer the lentils | Assemble the salad | ||
| 3 medium beetsesscrubbed | Roast the beets | |||
| 1 small · 30 g shallotfinely minced | Whisk the dressing | |||
| 1 tbsp · 15 g Dijon mustard | ||||
| 1 tbsp · 15 g red wine vinegar | ||||
| 4 tbsp · 55 g olive oildivided — 3 for dressing, 1 for the greens | ||||
| ½ tsp salt | ||||
| ¼ tsp black pepper | ||||
| 1 cup · 120 g walnutsroughly chopped | Toast the walnuts | |||
| 4 cups · 80 g arugula |
Scaling adjusts quantities only — cooking times and pan sizes may need judgment. Grams are rounded for the kitchen.
Notes and swaps
Pre-cooked beets from the produce aisle cut nearly an hour off the recipe — skip the roasting step and go straight to wedges. Green or brown lentils hold their shape best here; red lentils cook down too soft for a salad and are better saved for soup. If you like a little sweetness against the beets, a scatter of pomegranate seeds or a few orange segments fits right in.
Pecans or toasted pumpkin seeds stand in for walnuts if that's what's in the pantry. For a heartier plate, a spoon of cooked farro or a soft-boiled egg on top makes it dinner rather than a side. A crumble of goat cheese works too, kept light, if you want some tang.
Say what you piled on the plate and MIND Diet Companion (coming soon to the App Store) shows you how the day is stacking up against the pattern — no weighing, no barcode scanning.
FAQ
Is a lentil and beet salad good for the MIND diet? Yes. Lentils are a legume and beets are a vegetable, and served here over arugula with walnuts and olive oil, one bowl touches four of the food groups the MIND pattern emphasizes at once.
Can I make it ahead? The parts keep well separately. Store the roasted beets, cooked lentils, and vinaigrette in the fridge for up to three days, then toss with fresh arugula and walnuts just before eating so the greens stay crisp.
Do I have to roast the beets myself? No. Vacuum-packed cooked beets or canned beets, drained, swap in directly and turn this into a no-cook assembly job. Roasting deepens the flavor, but it's a shortcut worth taking on a weeknight.
What do I serve with it? A slice of whole grain bread, a piece of grilled fish, or a scoop of farro alongside rounds it into a fuller MIND plate. On its own it holds up as a light lunch. See read a recipe at a glance for how the parallel roast-and-simmer timing fits together, and the MIND diet for where this sits in the wider pattern.
Why toast the walnuts? A couple of minutes in a dry skillet wakes up the oils and adds a deeper crunch against the soft lentils and beets. It's optional, but it's the difference between good and better here.