Sweet Potato Lentil Salad

It's this time of year when it feels right to post sweet potato recipes again, and it's making me giddy! No need to hide my sweet-potato-lover-self anymore. Summer is behind most of you and Fall has officially started so I thought this Sweet Potato Lentil Salad would be perfect for the occasion. But let's clarify a little something. Sweet potato, or SP in my everyday jargon, are perfect for any kind of weather you know. Come rain or shine. I don't know why the poor SP is pushed into the background during warmer months. I've probably mentioned it before but we eat devor sweet potato fries every single weekend in my house. They're really my carb of choice because it's full of good-for-you nutrients, particularly beta-carotene. But let's not fool anyone here, it's mostly because they're delicious. I have to admit though that I'm not a big fan of the sweet side of sweet potatoes. Give me savory recipes anytime but sweet recipes...not so much.

This salad, made with sweet potatoes, lentils and green beans makes a great vegetarian whole meal. You could even make it vegan or dairy free by leaving out the feta cheese, but I think it gives a nice fresh touch to the salad. While the lentils are cooking, you cook the other ingredients so no time is wasted. And because I don't know anyone who loves to do the dishes, I developed the recipe so that only one pot is used besides the lentils' one. Enjoy 🙂

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Sweet Potato Lentil Salad

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 404 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 cup French style lentils also called green lentils or du puy lentils
• 1 medium sweet potato with skin, cut into ¼-inch slices
• 4 tsp olive oil
• ½ tsp ground sumac
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp hot paprika
• 2 small garlic cloves minced
• 1 cup green beans chopped
• ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
• 4 tbsp feta cheese crumbled (leave out for dairy free and vegan)

Dressing

• the juice of ½ lemon
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Place lentils in a saucepan with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for about 20 minutes or until lentils are tender but not mushy. Transfer to a colander and drain.
2. While lentils are cooking, prepare the rest of the salad. In a medium bowl, combine sweet potato, two teaspoons olive oil, sumac, cumin and paprika. Toss to coat sweet potatoes. Season with salt to taste. Set aside.
3. Heat one teaspoon olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Cook garlic until fragrant but not brown (or it will be bitter), about 1 minute. Transfer to a large salad bowl.
4. In the same skillet, add sweet potato, increase heat to medium-high and saute until sweet potato slices are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, about 10 minutes (if they start to brown too much and are not yet cooked through, reduce heat to medium until done). Transfer to salad bowl.
5. In the same skillet, heat another teaspoon olive oil. Add green beans and saute until cooked through but still crispy, about 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer to salad bowl.
6. Lentils should be done by now. Add them to salad bowl as well. Add parsley and toss to combine. Sprinkle with feta cheese.
7. Add lemon juice, olive oil and apple cider vinegar in a small mason jar. Put the lid on and shake vigorously until well combined (you can also mix the ingredients in a small bowl until well combined, but the mason jar technique is much easier and quicker). Drizzle over salad. Adjust seasoning if needed and serve warm or cold.

Nutrition Facts

Sweet Potato Lentil Salad

Amount Per Serving (1 /4th)

Calories 404 Calories from Fat 198

% Daily Value*

Fat 22g34%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Cholesterol 15mg5%

Sodium 215mg9%

Potassium 628mg18%

Carbohydrates 37g12%

Fiber 15g63%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 15g30%

Vitamin A 5275IU106%

Vitamin C 11.6mg14%

Calcium 137mg14%

Iron 4.4mg24%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.