This hearty Loaded Lentil Salad is packed with protein, fiber, and warm veggies like roasted sweet potatoes, red onion, and Brussels sprouts. Perfect for a light lunch! Vegan and gluten-free.
Don't you just hate when a personal chef arrives at your doorstep?
THE WORST.
Not! I mean that's basically what HelloFresh is, right? Like yeah sure, go ahead and pick some healthy and delish recipes and while you're at it, go grocery shopping for me and oh yeah, bring it all to my apartment afterwards. You shouldn't have!!
If you haven't heard, HelloFresh is the largest online “meals at home” food delivery service. Their chefs and in-house dietitian create tasty 30-minute meal options that make up the different Veggie Plan, Classic Plan, and Family Plan box options. All the pre-measured ingredients and recipes are boxed up and shipped right to you. They work with a handful of local suppliers, something that's super close to my heart ever since opening Alchemy!
You guys. The Veggie Plan is my jam. The three meals per box ring in at under $10 a piece, including free shipping. When you think about the time you spend perusing Pinterest for recipes plus the grocery store trip, the convenience factor here is like WOAH.
Today I want to chat with you about customizing these lovely meals. While they don't have a strictly vegan or gluten-free option, the meals are super easy to adapt to your tastebuds or intolerances. The box I received had ingredients for the following meals: Loaded Lentil Salad, One-Pot Tortellini Wonder, and Red Rice Bowl.
Now let's talk customizations!
As they stand, the Veggie Plan is 100% vegetarian. But what if you have allergies? What if you avoid gluten? Not a problem, my friends.
First off, when the recipe calls for sautéing in butter, feel free to swap in extra virgin olive oil. This salad is completely vegan, nut-free and gluten-free by simply leaving off the feta.
The Red Rice Bowl is vegan, nut-free, and gluten-free as long as you omit the eggs. The One-Pot Tortellini is a classic vegetarian pasta dish that inherently contains cheese and gluten. The boyf gobbled this one up!
If you're game for some major substitutions, you could always use the garlic, kale, veggie stock concentrate, and panko and whip up your own version of cheezy pasta using almond milk, nutritional yeast, cashews, pesto, and pasta of your choice. With this one, you're pretty much adjusting the entire recipe but if that's in your comfort zone, go for it!
I really, really appreciated how easily adaptable these meals were. Plus, when you spend so much of your time creating recipes, having all the ingredients delivered with pre-set recipes is pretty much the best thing ever. They also have a big online archive of all the recipes so if you got one that you were obsessed with, you can make it again at home any time!
This is one of those meals that tastes even better the next day.
It's dreamy warm and dare I say even dreamier cold? As far as nutrition goes, this guy boasts a whopping 24 grams of plant-powered protein and 16 grams of filling fiber per serving plus phytonutrients galore! Hubba hubba.
Loaded Lentil Salad
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 4-6
- Category: Salads
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Main Meal
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This hearty Loaded Lentil Salad is packed with protein, fiber, and warm veggies like roasted sweet potatoes, red onion, and Brussels sprouts. Perfect for a light lunch! Vegan and gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 3 medium sweet potatoes, diced into ½ inch cubes
- 12oz bag shredded Brussels sprouts
- 1 tsp oregano
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp rosemary
- 2 tbsp + 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- ½ red onion, diced
- 1 cup French lentils*
- 3 cups water
- 1 batch better than bottled balsamic vinaigrette
- ⅓ cup toasted pepitas
- ½ tsp salt + pepper to taste
- 2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F. Line an extra large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, oregano, thyme, rosemary, 2 tbsp olive oil, and a big pinch of salt and pepper in a medium boil. Spread onto prepared baking sheets and roast for 25 minutes, tossing halfway.
- Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add lentils and water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Season with another pinch of salt and drain any excess water. Return to pot.
- Meanwhile, make dressing.
- Add veggies to cooked lentils and stir to combine. Drizzle on balsamic dressing to taste. Serve garnished with goat cheese and pepitas.
Notes
*do not salt lentils before cooking
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Emily says
Following the recipe, all the little 'bits' of shaved brussels sprouts burned. What a shame.
Lisa says
This is like Thanksgiving in a pot. It's very tasty and really comforting. I was thinking of adding dried cherries or cranberries next time. So good!
Alexis Joseph says
I love that idea! That would be perfect for a pop of sweet. Thanks for the review, Lisa!
CHRISTINE says
Can this be made in advance? Would it hold up well for 2-3 days?
Alexis Joseph says
Yep!
Amy says
I just made this for dinner, and it was so excellent! The combination of flavors was very fall-like to me, and it came together pretty quickly.
Josie says
I think the components of this were good - but a couple of recommendations: roast the brussel sprouts with the sweet potatoes, why mess up another pan? I used 1/2 an onion - it was plenty. It could have been roasted as well. The dish called out for some moisture - maybe a mustardy viinaigrette next time or more balsamic/olive oil. I did add a drizzle of walnut oil but it was still dry