Protein-packed and perfect for spring, this asparagus French green lentil salad makes a lovely side dish, main course, or spring potluck dish, ideal for Easter gatherings.
If you are looking for another salad option for Spring or for Easter dinner — check out my Warm Spring Salad.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Roasted Potato and Asparagus Lentil Salad with Tangy Mustard-Lemon Dressing
Yield
4 servings
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Protein-packed and perfect for spring, this French green lentil salad makes a lovely side dish, main course, or spring potluck dish. Roasted potatoes and asparagus are folded into the salad along with a tangy mustard-lemon dressing. I also roasted the red onion, but I think next time I might leave the onion raw for a fresh crunch. I imagine this salad would also be fantastic with some cooked quinoa mixed in or using any seasonal vegetables you prefer. The dressing makes a lot - 2/3 cup - so I prefer to stir in half of the dressing into the salad and then serve the rest of the dressing on the side to drizzle on top. This dressing is inspired by one I came across in It's All Good.
Ingredients
FOR THE SALAD:
- 1 cup uncooked French green lentils/du Puy lentils (about 2 1/2 cups cooked)
- 3 medium yellow potatoes, diced (about 3 1/2 cups)
- 1 bunch asparagus, ends broken off and chopped
- 1/2 medium red onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
- handful minced fresh dill, for garnish (optional)
FOR THE DRESSING (makes 2/3 cup):
- 2 tablespoons coarse seeded/old fashioned mustard (see photo in post)
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, to taste
- pinch or two fine grain sea salt or pink salt
- up to 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup, to taste (optional)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Rinse lentils in a fine mesh sieve. Place lentils in a medium pot along with 3 cups of water. Bring water to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and simmer the lentils for about 18-20 minutes, or until tender. Drain off water and season lentils with salt (such as Herbamare).
- Place chopped potatoes on one baking sheet and drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon oil. Toss to coat and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
- Roast the potatoes for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, place the asparagus on the other baking sheet (and the red onion if you prefer to roast it too - see headnote) and drizzle with 1/2 tbsp. oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- After the potatoes have roasted for 15 minutes, flip the potatoes and return them to the oven along with the asparagus (and red onion if you are roasting that) for another 12-15 minutes. The potatoes should be golden on the bottom when ready and the asparagus will be tender. Add roasted veggies into a large bowl along with the lentils and gently toss to combine.
- Meanwhile, prepare the dressing by whisking all of the dressing ingredients together. I love a tangy dressing with a bite so I used 4 tbsp. lemon juice. If you prefer a less acidic dressing you might want to add more olive oil or you can also experiment with adding a touch of maple syrup (the sweetness will offset a bit of the bite). It's definitely a dressing you can play around with!
- Pour half of the dressing onto the veggies and lentils in the bowl and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the salad warm with a garnish of fresh dill (optional), with the rest of the dressing served on the side.
Nutrition Information
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If you aren’t a fan of mustard dressings, I recommend making the Creamy Avocado-Potato Salad recipe in my first cookbook The Oh She Glows Cookbook (p.107) It’s received great feedback and it’s perfect for spring as well.
Have a fun weekend everyone!
Made this last night , and tweaked the dressing a tad and it was INCREDIBLE :) Just wanted to say thanks for the great recipe :) I also made your chocolate coconut torte , and will be trying it today :)
Made this today. Thanks for the tip with maple syrup, I overlemoned it a little bit :-P So delicious!!!
Had this for dinner tonight and it was fabulous!! I didn’t have any grainy mustard, so I just used the dijon and it tasted good anyway! My mother-in-law liked it too! Thanks for a yummy dinner!
I’m glad to hear the dijon worked out for you, Dawn!
We made this for dinner tonight! Another hit! Super satisfying and delicious! We looooved it! Thank you so much! A great Spring dinner! ?
Thank you for this great recipe! My husband and I loved it!
I’m glad it was a hit, Stephanie! :)
Wow Angela! I just made this and it was absolutely perfect!
I added a bit of brown sugar to the dressing to cut down the acidity. From start to finish everything was perfect. I had to rate this it was so good. Will definitely go in my meal rotation!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Emily! Thanks for the lovely comment.
I made this last night and it was delicious! My family told me it needs to be a regular event.
I’m going to prepare this for myself too…but for breakfast. Looks like they would be the best ingredient for a perfect start in the day. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe, it sounds doable and looks great. I’m not sure if I’m going to manage to get it as good-looking as you did though!
All the best.
I think this could make a great savoury breakfast, Anna! I hope you enjoy it. :)
the whole family loved this recipe, including my two teenage sons!!
This was such a wonderful light dinner. I absolutely loved it! I made it exactly as directed (using the author’s suggestion of adding some maple syrup in the dressing). Yummy!!
DELICIOUS!!!!! My local grocery store didn’t have Puy lentils, but as I was looking for them I saw mung beans, which were really small like lentils. I decided to give it a shot and they ended up keeping their shape just like Puy lentils do! They were a great substitute. I also used 1 yellow potato and 2 purple potatoes for visual interest. I roasted half of the onions and added the other half raw. This was delicious and it’s definitely going in the recipe binder!
I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Lindsey, and that the mung beans worked out so well! :)
I literally could eat this everyday! I’ve made it several times, follow the recipe exactly and it turns out perfect every time!!! I can’t think of one recipe of yours i haven ‘t liked! Thank you!!
How long will this keep in the fridge without mixing the dressing in…? I’m wondering if I could make this on Sunday night and have it for lunch for a few days.
One of my favourite recipes that I make over and over …I prefer no red onions and I have used black lentils but the firm green are better!
I always forget about this recipe until I read a comment like yours, and then I remember how much I love it! lol. I need to make it again soon. So happy you enjoy it so much Alyssa!
I think this is my all time favorite recipe. I just keep coming back to it and I never seem to get tired of it. Total winner!
I’m so happy to hear that Hindie!
I love combining sweet potatoes with lentils! Great in a curry or a salad. Definitely want to try making this someday!
I’ve made this recipe several times and my family loves it. I’m making it again tonight, though I don’t have any yellow potatoes. Though it will change the taste, I’m going to use the Japanese sweet potatoes (white fleshed) on hand and see how it goes.
Oh I’d love to hear how it goes too Connie :)
I’ve made this recipe numerous times and it’s one of my favorite for the beginning of spring. Made it again today and tossed in some dried dill in the dressing-perfection! Thanks again!
I always read comments and never bother to post any, this is the exception. I make this salad ALL the time and it’s also a hit with the man in my life and our six year old. My suggestion is don’t skip the dill! I have made it with and without and it really takes the dish from a four star to a five!
This was sooo good. Thank you for this recipe!