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!
Still love this and keep coming back. Miss you and your inspiring recipes. Stay home and stay safe.
I made this tonight and because I only had two potatoes, I also roasted cauliflower and added that. It was delicious!
We made this tonight because I had some cooked lentils that I needed to use up. We subbed green beans for the asparagus. I also added some dried dill to the dressing because I did not have fresh. It was absolutely delicious and we will definitely make it again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Nina! :)
Finally got around to making this tonight. VERY good. Going in the winning-recipe file, for sure!
Found this recipe when searching for asparagus and lentil ideas. Made it as directed. It was fabulous. Meat eater in the family had a side of ham whose salty savory went well with the dish. Leftovers cold for lunch were equally good. It’d happily serve it either way. The dressing permeates a bit more as it sits which is nice.
This was so good! I made a few changes based on what I had, and they worked out well: roasted broccoli instead with the red onion; used regular brown/green lentils (worked great); left out the grainy mustard, just used dijon; threw in a bit of dried rosemary and thyme in place of dill, which I didn’t have either. It was hard not to eat it all up! I will definitely make this again, and try with asparagus or green beans. Happy to find a great recipe for home and one that would be good to take for potlucks/shared meals. Thanks!
This sounds fabulous! Any suggestions for best flavorful ways to reduce the protein for those of us with kidney issues?
Loved it!!!
Nice recipe.
I made this for lunch today for the first time and it is so delicious! I love the tangy dressing and keep going back for more of this combo. I will definitely make this again and again.