Warm roasted carrot, tomato & lentil salad is one of the many easy, fuss-free recipes I make that I hesitate to share because of its simplicity & rusticness. Wholesome foods that are inexpensive & quick to prepare requiring no great kitchen skills or any sort of snazzy appliances…I love them.
I make this whole recipe in a cast iron frying pan simply because I love them & think they look wonderful used as a serving vessel on the dinner table. The recipe starts by roasting some carrots with fresh rosemary, garlic, olive oil & later, honey.
And crushed, dried red chilies. If, heaven forbid, you don’t like heat from chilies, either back off a little with them or don’t add them at all. Your call. As you might have noticed – I’m a fan of spicy food. I’m also a fan of using fresh herbs in cooking. It’s a simple & effective way to impart another layer of flavor to a recipe.
Rosemary is certainly one of my favorites but fresh thyme would work brilliantly too.
Indiana has a long growing season & we still have tomatoes growing. They even survived our move. Much better than I did.
For the lentils, you can use canned or like I do, cook a large batch of dried lentils & freeze them in small lots to have on-hand to throw into soups, stews, salads or joosh them up to serve as a side. Lentils are nourishing. Not only are they loaded with fiber but they’re packed full of nutrients including iron, manganese & folate.
Maybe even throw on some feta or goat cheese with the tomatoes. That would be so good! This recipe was originally created for my lunch but it makes a lovely dinner or, speaking of sides, you could serve it as a side with some grilled chicken & warm crusty bread.
Until next time, Lovoni xo
FOR PINTEREST SHARING
- 1 lb (453g) small carrots, peeled & quartered
- 6 garlic cloves, bruised
- 3 rosemary sprigs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon crushed red peppers (chilli flakes)
- salt & freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 12 oz (340g) cherry &/or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup cooked brown lentils
- baby greens, olive oil & balsamic vinegar, to serve
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) – I used fan-forced roast.
- Toss carrots, garlic, rosemary, oil, balsamic, red pepper, salt & pepper in a 12-inch (30cm) round ovenproof dish or cast iron pan. Roast for 35 minutes. Add honey & stir to coat carrots.
- Add tomatoes & stir to combine. Roast for 12 to 15 minutes, or until tomatoes are starting to soften & carrots are tender.
- Scatter with lentils & roast 5 minutes or until hot. Remove rosemary stalks & garlic cloves & discard.
- Spoon into 2 or 3 serving bowls. Scatter with baby greens & drizzle with a little olive oil & balsamic, if desired. Serves 2 to 3.
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