Warm Roasted Carrot, Lentil & Quinoa Soup
A warm roasted carrot, lentil and quinoa salad with arugula and a simple maple Dijon vinaigrette. This delicious hearty salad is naturally vegan, gluten-free and nut-free.
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 6 carrots, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Fine grain sea salt, to taste
- 1 cup quinoa, dry
- 1 can (540ml/19oz) lentils, drained and rinsed
- 4 handfuls arugula (about 4 cups), for serving
- toasted sunflower seeds, for serving (optional)
- Nutritional yeast, for serving (optional)
- Avocado, for serving (optional)
Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the chopped carrots on a large baking sheet. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 30 minutes or until lightly golden.
- While the carrots are roasting, cook the quinoa: Add 1 cup of dry quinoa and 2 cups of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 15 minutes, covered until the water has been absorbed.
- Meanwhile, prepare the vinaigrette: In a small jar, combine all the vinaigrette ingredients. Stir to combine. You can also add the vinaigrette ingredients to a small blender and blend until combined.
- Drain and rinse the canned lentils. Add the lentils to the saucepan with the cooked quinoa. Top with the vinaigrette and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Serve the warm lentil quinoa mixture with fresh arugula (about one handful per serving), the roasted carrots, nutritional yeast, sunflower seeds and avocado if desired. Serve warm.
Notes
This salad is best served warm, but can be enjoyed cold if preferred.
You can use other roasted vegetables if preferred, such as roasted cauliflower or broccoli (or a combination).
You can use other leafy greens instead of arugula. Baby spinach or mixed greens would work best.
This recipe would be delicious with vegan feta if you have some on hand.
This recipe is great for meal prep. Prepare the roasted carrots, quinoa and the vinaigrette. Combine the carrots, cooked quinoa, vinaigrette and lentils. Let it cool and store the salad in the fridge for up to 4 days. Serve it with the arugula and toppings when ready to eat.
If preferred, you can substitute the canned lentils for 1 1/2 cup of cooked lentils. Of course this takes more time. I love to use canned lentils in this recipe for convenience.