Lentil, Beet and Apple Salad with Mustard Dressing

Sweet beets and a crisp apple give ready-cooked lentils a fresh direction. A lemon-mustard dressing brings the bowl together, and pumpkin seeds provide a little crunch. There is no oven to heat and no need for a cheese substitute.

Use plain cooked beets and whole green or brown lentils for the quickest version. Drain them thoroughly before mixing so the dressing stays flavorful rather than watery.

Recipe at a glance

• Serves: 2 generous lunch portions, or 4 side portions
• Prep and total time: about 20 minutes with ready-cooked ingredients
• Cooking: none; cooking and cooling dry lentils or raw beets would be extra
• Equipment: colander, chopping board, knife, large bowl and whisk or fork

Ingredients

Use US cups and spoons. Measure lentils and beets after draining; weights are the most reliable guide.

Salad

• 2 cups (about 400 g) cooked whole green or brown lentils, drained and cool
• 9 oz (250 g) plain cooked, peeled beets, about 1½ cups diced
• 1 medium crisp apple, about 6 oz (170 g), cored and diced with the skin on
• ¼ cup (35 g) finely chopped red onion
• ¼ cup (15 g) chopped fresh parsley
• ¼ cup (30 g) ready-to-eat roasted, unsalted pumpkin seeds

Lemon-mustard dressing

• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) whole-grain mustard, labeled vegan if needed
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) maple syrup, optional
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt, or less to taste
• Black pepper, to taste

What to buy

Choose canned or pouch lentils that are ready to eat and mostly intact. A can's net weight includes liquid, so one 15 oz (425 g) can will not usually supply 400 g drained lentils. Buy enough for the measured quantity, often two cans, and save any extra according to the label. Plain vacuum-packed cooked beets or drained canned beets both work. Pickled beets make a sharper salad and need a dressing adjustment.

Split red lentils turn soft and are better suited to soup than this bowl. If cooking whole lentils from dry, follow the package directions, stop when tender but holding their shape, drain, then cool promptly in a shallow container in the refrigerator. Measure 2 cups once cooked and cooled.

How to make it

1. Prepare clean, dry ingredients. Wash your hands and use clean utensils. Rinse the apple, parsley and lemon under running water before cutting; do not use soap on produce. Drain the cooked lentils and beets well. Cut the beets into roughly ½-inch (1 cm) cubes. Beet juice stains, so use a washable board and wipe spills promptly.
2. Mix the dressing. In the large bowl, whisk the oil, lemon juice, mustard, optional maple syrup, measured salt and pepper until combined. If your mustard is salty, start with less salt.
3. Add the apple promptly. Dice the apple into small bite-size pieces, then toss it in the dressing. This helps limit browning, though the beet juice will tint it once mixed.
4. Fold in the rest. Add the lentils, red onion and parsley and fold gently. Add the beets last, turning them through just enough to distribute them. Avoid stirring hard enough to mash the lentils.
5. Finish and serve. Taste a spoonful containing both lentils and beet. Add a little more lemon juice for brightness or a pinch of salt if needed. Scatter over the pumpkin seeds just before serving, keeping them crunchy.

Simple adjustments

• Onion too sharp? Soak the chopped onion in cold water for 5–10 minutes while you prepare everything else, then drain and dry it well. Or replace it with 2 thinly sliced scallions.
• Only pickled beets available? Drain them and start with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice and no maple syrup. Taste before adding the remaining lemon juice.
• No pumpkin seeds? Use the same amount of ready-to-eat sunflower seeds. Both are optional if they do not fit your allergy needs.
• Mustard allergy? Omit the mustard and whisk the other dressing ingredients again just before mixing. The dressing will separate more readily but still works.
• Gluten-free: use labeled gluten-free mustard and check the lentil packaging and other ingredients for cross-contact if needed.
• Keep it vegan: use plain lentils without meat stock and mustard without honey. The optional sweetener is maple syrup, not honey.

Budget and serving ideas

Canned beets and store-brand lentils keep the preparation simple. Compare drained quantities when comparing cans, and skip the optional syrup if the apple is already sweet. Use leftover parsley and onion in another salad or a cooked bean dish rather than buying extra garnish.

For a larger lunch, serve with whole-grain bread or a baked potato. As a side, it works alongside roasted vegetables or a bowl of soup. The apple gives the best contrast when it is crisp, so add it close to serving if you are packing lunch for tomorrow.

Make ahead and store safely

Up to a day ahead, combine the drained lentils, beets, onion and dressing and refrigerate in a covered container. Keep the parsley and seeds separate; dice and add the apple just before serving. Mixed salad is best within 2 days for texture, and any shorter package use-by or after-opening instruction takes priority. Making the salad does not restart the storage clock for previously cooked lentils or opened beets.

Keep it at 40°F (4°C) or below. For a packed lunch, use an insulated bag with cold packs. Refrigerate promptly and discard salad left at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or more than 1 hour above 90°F (32°C). This is a cold salad; reheating is not needed. Freezing the assembled salad is not recommended because the apple and herbs lose their texture.

Recipe notes and sources

This is an original, researched variation that has not been kitchen-tested. The cover is an AI-generated serving illustration. The combination of lentils, apple, beets and mustard is also used in Lentils.org's salad; this version uses cooked beets, more lentils, lemon dressing and no dairy. Handling advice follows the FDA's produce preparation and safe food handling guidance.