Warm Beet and Lentil Salad with Goat Cheese: A Symphony of Flavors and Textures
In a culinary world brimming with delectable dishes, the Warm Beet and Lentil Salad with Goat Cheese stands out as a masterpiece of flavors and textures. This vibrant salad, a delightful union of earthy beets, tender lentils, creamy goat cheese, and a zesty dressing, offers a symphony of tastes and sensations that will tantalize your palate. While this recipe takes center stage, the article unveils a treasure trove of other culinary gems, including a refreshing Beet and Orange Salad, a hearty Lentil and Sausage Soup, and a luscious Goat Cheese and Honey Crostini. Each recipe is meticulously crafted to showcase the unique characteristics of these versatile ingredients, ensuring a culinary journey that is both satisfying and inspiring. Whether you're a seasoned cook or just starting your culinary adventure, this article will guide you through the steps of creating these delectable dishes, transforming your kitchen into a haven of flavors.
WARM LENTIL SALAD WITH ROASTED BEETS AND GOAT CHEESE
Steps:
- Begin by roasting the beets.
- Tie onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs together in cheesecloth. Place chicken stock in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in the lentils, season with salt and pepper, and reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain well and discard the cheesecloth bag of aromatics.
- Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until lightly golden brown. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a dish lined with paper towels. Add the garlic and carrot to the pan and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked lentils and bacon to the pan and stir to combine. Stir in the chopped thyme and 1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep warm.
- To assemble, place the frisee in a large bowl, toss with half of the vinaigrette, and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the roasted beets around the outside of 4 dinner plates. Divide the greens among each plate in the center. Top the frisee with some of the warm lentils and place a slice of the goat cheese on top. Drizzle each salad with the remaining vinaigrette. Serve with slices of French bread.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Coat beets lightly with oil. Wrap beets in aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet, and roast in the oven until cooked through, approximately 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes, and then peel and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices.
- Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, thyme and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle in the oil and whisk until emulsified.
BEET AND LENTIL SALAD WITH CHEDDAR
This salad is a party of sweet, earthy and salty flavors. Store-bought, vacuum-packed beets are called for here, which are not only convenient, but have a mellow fruitiness and a tender texture that is ideal in salads. (If you have fresh beets, and have the time to roast them, you can use those instead.) Beets naturally pair well with sharp and tangy ingredients, and while goat cheese may be a more common accompaniment, crumbly aged Cheddar offsets the sweetness of the beets and the apple cider dressing (though any sharp Cheddar works). French green lentils offer a nutty, peppery, almost mineral-like flavor and are perfect for salads because they hold their shape well, though if you only have brown lentils, that's just fine. (They cook slightly faster, so adjust the cook time accordingly.) Finally, there's no shame in opting for canned lentils.
Provided by Hetty McKinnon
Categories dinner, lunch, weekday, beans, vegetables, main course, side dish
Time 30m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Prepare the salad: In a medium pot, add the lentils, garlic and 4 cups water. Season with salt and bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until just tender. (The lentils should still have some bite). Drain in a colander and stir to break up and evenly distribute the garlic. Let the lentils cool slightly.
- While the lentils cook, prepare the vinaigrette: In a large serving bowl, whisk the garlic, vinegar, oil, maple syrup and mustard with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
- Add the warm lentils to the serving bowl, then add the arugula, herbs and beets. Season with salt and black pepper and toss. Add the Cheddar and toss gently, but don't overdo it because you don't want the cheese to turn crimson from the beets. To serve, top with hazelnuts.
BEET SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE
This is a delicious and easy salad which takes little time and is a great meatless main course. It uses beets, goat cheese, candied walnuts and baby greens. For a main dish salad, add chicken. Feel free to include more of your favorite vegetables too.
Provided by Donna
Categories Salad Vegetable Salad Recipes Beet Salad Recipes
Time 40m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Place beets into a saucepan, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until tender. Drain and cool, then cut in to cubes.
- While the beets are cooking, place the walnuts in a skillet over medium-low heat. Heat until warm and starting to toast, then stir in the maple syrup. Cook and stir until evenly coated, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice concentrate, balsamic vinegar and olive oil to make the dressing.
- Place a large helping of baby greens onto each of four salad plates, divide candied walnuts equally and sprinkle over the greens. Place equal amounts of beets over the greens, and top with dabs of goat cheese. Drizzle each plate with some of the dressing.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 347.5 calories, Carbohydrate 25 g, Cholesterol 7.5 mg, Fat 26.1 g, Fiber 3.2 g, Protein 5.3 g, SaturatedFat 5 g, Sodium 107.5 mg, Sugar 20.7 g
WARM LENTIL SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE
Even people who swear they don't abide beans find pleasure in the distinctive, profound flavor of lentils. They also cook quickly, and you want them on the al dente side for this salad. That means they'll be ready in 25 minutes, still a long enough simmering time to yield a savory broth. Goat cheese and lentils make a particularly good pairing; the little earthy-sweet legumes love a salty-umami complement (that's why you so often see them paired with sausage and other cured pork products), and goat cheese fits the bill. Here the combination is especially cozy, as the cheese melts into the warm lentils, bathing them in a creamy dressing. Lentils and vinegar also marry well. The key here is to add the dressing while the lentils are still warm, even if you don't plan on serving the salad warm. I spoon the mixture onto a bed of wild arugula, though regular will do if you can't find the sharper tasting, wispy wild variety.
Provided by Martha Rose Shulman
Categories dinner, lunch, salads and dressings, side dish
Time 40m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- In a medium pot, combine lentils, onion, two of the garlic cloves and the bay leaf with 6 cups water. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Add salt to taste, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 25 minutes, until lentils are cooked through but still have some texture (they should not be mushy). Taste and adjust salt. Using tongs, remove onion and bay leaf. (You may cook lentils up to four days ahead and store in the refrigerator. Bring back to a simmer and proceed with recipe.)
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together vinegar, remaining garlic, salt to taste and olive oil. Set aside.
- Place a strainer over a bowl and carefully drain lentils, reserving 1/4 cup of the broth. Return lentils to the pot. Whisk reserved broth into the dressing, then stir dressing into lentils. Add goat cheese and stir until it has melted into the lentils. Season to taste with pepper. Stir in herbs.
- Line a platter, salad plates or wide bowls with arugula. Top arugula with the lentils. Serve warm.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 427, UnsaturatedFat 11 grams, Carbohydrate 50 grams, Fat 16 grams, Fiber 9 grams, Protein 22 grams, SaturatedFat 4 grams, Sodium 335 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams
WARM BEET SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE
For a delightfully quick and easy starter, serve this warm salad of beet, goat cheese and peppery arugula leaves.
Provided by English_Rose
Categories Cheese
Time 18m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Heat a frying pan with the light olive oil then add the beets and cook for 2 minutes.
- Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir in the balsamic vinegar.
- Cook over a high heat for about 30 seconds then spoon out the mixture on to four plates.
- Crumble over the goat cheese.
- To serve, top each with a little arugula and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a twist of black pepper.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 230.7, Fat 21.2, SaturatedFat 7, Cholesterol 16.3, Sodium 155.7, Carbohydrate 3.6, Fiber 0.8, Sugar 2.7, Protein 7.5
WARM LENTIL SALAD ROASTED BEETS, GOAT CHEESE
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Put each beet on its own piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Wrap the beets tightly, place on a baking sheet, and roast in the oven until cooked through, about 1 hour. Remove the beets from the oven, let cool slightly, and then remove the skins. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
- Place the quartered carrot, onion, and celery and the bay leaf, thyme sprigs, and chicken stock in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stir in the lentils, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the lentils are tender, about 25 minutes. Drain well and discard the carrot, onion, celery, bay leaf, and thyme.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the bacon, and cook until crisp and golden brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon with a slotted spoon to a dish lined with paper towels. Add the garlic and diced carrot to the pan and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked lentils and bacon and stir to combine. Stir in the chopped thyme and sherry vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.
- Place the frisée in a large bowl, toss with half of the vinaigrette, and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the roasted beets around the outside of 4 dinner plates and the frisée in the centers. Top the frisée with the warm lentils and place a slice of goat cheese on top of each. Drizzle the salads with the remaining vinaigrette.
- SHERRY VINAIGRETTE
- Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, and honey in a small bowl. Season with the salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the oil until emulsified. The dressing can be made 1 day in advance and stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using.
Tips:
- Choose the Right Beets: Opt for small to medium-sized beets with smooth, firm skin. Avoid those with any blemishes or bruises.
- Roast the Beets Properly: Roasting intensifies the beets' natural sweetness and brings out their earthy flavor. Make sure to coat them in olive oil and wrap them tightly in foil before roasting.
- Use Fresh Lentils: Fresh lentils cook faster and have a more vibrant flavor compared to dried lentils. Look for plump, unblemished lentils.
- Make a Flavorful Dressing: The dressing is key to enhancing the flavors of the salad. Use a combination of lemon juice, olive oil, honey, and Dijon mustard for a tangy and well-balanced dressing.
- Don't Overcook the Lentils: Lentils should retain a slight bite. Overcooking can make them mushy and bland.
- Add the Goat Cheese at the End: Crumbled goat cheese adds a creamy richness to the salad. Mix it in just before serving to prevent it from melting.
Conclusion:
This warm beet and lentil salad with goat cheese is a delightful dish that combines roasted beets, lentils, goat cheese, and a tangy dressing for a symphony of flavors and textures. It's not only visually appealing but also packed with nutrients, making it a healthy and satisfying meal. Whether you're looking for a hearty lunch, a light dinner, or a refreshing side dish, this salad has got you covered. Its versatility allows you to enjoy it on its own or pair it with grilled meats, fish, or grains for a complete meal. So, gather your ingredients, follow the simple steps, and indulge in this delicious and wholesome salad.
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