With the simplest lemon sauce, you can make this easy Lentil & Roasted Zucchini Arugula Salad, garnished with Greek semi-hard "Graviera" cheese shavings. Enjoy it plain as a dinner or as a side dish to any main course. Easy enough to make, plus you can prepare some ingredients in advance.
Ingredients
For this salad recipe you will need the following ingredients:
zucchini: a versatile veggie, which plays nice with lots of other veggies.
lentils: a plant based protein, full of fiber.
arugula: a delicious green high in fiber and phytochemical with a peppery and spicy flavor.
lemon dressing: a simple combination of extra virgin olive oil, mustard, salt & black pepper.
Greek "Graviera" cheese: a unique and distinct kind of yellow hard or semi-hard cheese. It is the second most popular Greek cheese following Feta. Graviera is usually made from sheep's milk or from a combination with sheep & goat cheese.
How to make Lentil & Roasted Zucchini Arugula Salad
First cook the lentils. Place a small pot with plenty of water over medium to high heat on the stovetop. Rinse lentils and drain. Add lentils in the pot and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and place them back in the pot with plenty of water and some salt. Simmer for 35 minutes or until cooked. When ready, drain and set aside. You can easily prepare this step 1-2 days before and have them ready for the salad. An alternative is to use canned/ precooked lentils.
In the meantime preheat oven to 220C (428F). Wash zucchini very well and cut into cubes or thick slices if you like. Add them in a bowl, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with some salt & pepper and toss. Place zucchini on a pan, lined with parchment paper. Roast for 25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
For the dressing just combine extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, mustard, salt & freshly ground black pepper. So simple, so delicious!
Wash and add arugula in a big mixing bowl. Then add roasted zucchini, lentils and pour the dressing. Toss gently until salad is evenly coated. Add "Graviera" shavings on top of the salad and serve!
Can I make this salad in advance?
You cannot make this salad in advance, because it will become soggy. The good news is that you can prepare lentils and zucchini 1-2 days before. Let them cool and store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Before you make the salad, let lentils and zucchini to come in a room temperature or simply warm them for approximately 30 seconds in the microwave.
Recipe
Servings: 4-6
Cooking time: 35 mins
Preparation time: 45 mins
Ingredients
For salad:
1 cup lentils
5 small zucchinis
100 gr. arugula
semi-hard "Graviera" cheese, in shavings
3 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
For the dressing:
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
lemon juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tsp. mustard
salt & freshly ground pepper
Method
Place a small pot with plenty of water over medium to high heat on the stovetop. Rinse lentils and drain. Add lentils and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and place them back in the pot with plenty of water and some salt. Simmer for 35 minutes or until cooked. When ready, drain and set aside.
In the meantime, preheat oven to 220C (428F), set to Fan. Wash zucchinis and cut in cubes. Add them in a medium bowl and drizzle with 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, season with salt & pepper. Toss gently until evenly coated. Place them on a baking pan, lined with parchment paper and roast for 25 mins or until golden brown. When ready, remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
In a small bowl add all the dressing ingredients, stir very well and set aside until needed.
Wash and add arugula in a big bowl. Then add lentils and zucchini. Pure dressing and toss to combine.
Add "Graviera" cheese shavings on top of the salad.
Serve and enjoy!
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