Roasted Carrot and Hazelnut Salad
A hearty, nourishing salad packed with roasted carrots, lentils, nuts and warming spices, perfect for busy days when you still want something wholesome. We enjoyed this salad on our last Winter day retreat, we kept it vegan but I was dying to sprinkle on blue cheese!
Serves 6–8
Ingredients
Roasted Carrots
- 1 kg carrots, peeled and chopped into large chunks
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Salad Base
- 250 g cooked lentils (or 1 pouch pre-cooked lentils)
- 150 g cavolo nero (or kale), chopped
- Large bunch parsley, leaves picked
- 100 g blanched hazelnuts
- 60 g pumpkin seeds
- 100 g dried figs, roughly chopped
Dressing
- Olive oil (generous splash)
- 4+ tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Sea salt (to taste)
Method
1. Toast the hazelnuts
Preheat the oven to
180°C fan.
Spread the hazelnuts on a baking tray and roast for
10–12 minutes until golden.
Cool slightly, then crush or roughly chop.
2. Roast the carrots
Increase the oven to
200°C.
Toss the carrots with olive oil, a pinch of salt and the ground spices (cumin, coriander, cinnamon).
Roast for
30 minutes, until browned and fork-tender.
Cool slightly.
3. Toast the pumpkin seeds
Heat a dry frying pan over medium heat.
Add the pumpkin seeds and toast until they begin to brown or pop.
Transfer to a plate to cool.
4. Prepare the greens
Tear the kale leaves from the stems and chop roughly.
5. Combine everything
In a large bowl add:
- roasted carrots
- cavolo nero
- parsley
- cooked lentils
- hazelnuts
- pumpkin seeds
- chopped figs
Drizzle with olive oil and add two good pinches of flaky sea salt.
6. Dress & taste
Add
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar, toss well and taste.
Add more vinegar or salt if you prefer a sharper flavour.
7. Serve
Serve warm or at room temperature.
This salad keeps well for a day and is excellent for meal prep.
