Warm Roasted Vegetable, Lentil & Grain Salad

As with all salads think 2/3’s vegetable base with 1/3 either a mix of legumes and wholegrains.

You can serve this warm from the stove top as you’ve cooked the vegetables but it’s also delicious made in advance and served cold.

This will keep for a few days in the fridge and is a great lunchbox recipe.

Ingredients (serves 4–6)

1 large cauliflower, cut into florets

1 butternut squash, cut into 2cm chunks

A handful of Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped

2–3 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes in oil, roughly chopped

1–2 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed (optional)

1 handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 cup green lentils (or black/brown/speckled), cooked Or I used Merchant Gourmet pre-cooked Puy lentils

1 cup farro (or emmer/spelt/barley), cooked in vegetable stock

A handful of walnuts or almonds, roughly chopped

Good-quality olive oil

Sea salt, to taste

Method

1. Cook the base ingredients

Cook the grains until tender. Drain well and set aside.And if not using pre-cooked lentils, cook them according to the packet instructions

2. Sauté the vegetables

Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large frying or sauté pan over medium-high heat.

Once the oil is hot and just starting to shimmer, add the cauliflower, pumpkin, and olives.

(Cook in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding.)

3. Season and soften

Season with sea salt.

As the vegetables cook, add small splashes of water to deglaze the pan and prevent sticking.

Cover with a lid for a few minutes to help soften the vegetables.

4. Caramelise

Continue to toss and turn until the vegetables are tender and nicely caramelised.

When nearly cooked (test with a fork), if using, sprinkle in the fennel seeds and cook for another minute.

5. Combine everything

Transfer the warm vegetables to a large bowl (or keep in the pan if big enough).

Add the cooked lentils, grains, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, walnuts, lemon zest, and juice.

6. Finish and adjust

Toss well to combine.

Taste and adjust seasoning, acidity (lemon), and the balance of olives or sun-dried tomatoes to your liking.

Add an extra drizzle of olive oil if needed.