Winter Lentil Salad with Beets and Acorn Squash

One of the most terrible habits we find ourselves falling back into every holiday season is gorging into every horrendously bad food that is thrown in front of us. We always figure, “Well it’s in front of us so we might as well eat it.” Not this year!! We were actually pretty good for Thanksgiving as we didn’t give in to every single sweet temptation and we didn’t overdo it on the stuffing, turkey, and mashed potatoes either. We are going to try and keep this thing rolling through the end of the year so that when January comes around we aren’t setting new goals of going back to the gym. Nope! We are going to be in the gym and eating well already. Long shot I know, but it’s worth giving it a try! I cook everyday all day, but when I get to work with Bob’s Red Mill products it almost always delivers our healthiest meals of the month. Since they have an amazing assortment of grains and beans, I really try to dig into those two departments to come up with really tasty meals that the whole family will enjoy. Believe it or not even my daughter is starting to like salads a little more, which is why I made this Winter Lentil Salad Recipe with Beets and Acorn Squash. It’s winter, which means root vegetables are in peak season, and being a chef I know that most of those root vegetables go wonderful with the earthy tones of lentils. Bob’s Red Mill offers a couple different colored lentils and I went with the brown ones. Lentils are just so easy to make that seriously every time I finish cooking them I always wonder to myself why I don’t eat them more often. They’re absolutely delicious and are amazing in salads as well as in a ton of other dishes. The beautiful thing about this winter lentil salad is that the lentils are just the base, and everything else is up to you. I used fennel, onions, beets, and acorn squash, but you can use things like carrots, parsnips, turnips, celeriac root, literally the possibilities are endless. You can even incorporate the same mentality for the greens in the salad. I had a combo of spring mix, kale, and shaved brussels sprouts, but again you could use baby spinach or any other wintery green. I topped off this Winter Lentil Salad Recipe with Beets and Acorn Squash with some goat cheese, prosciutto ham, pomegranate seeds, micro-greens and pepitas, and the dressing was simply some lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil. The flavor combos in the salad are absolutely amazing!!  Don’t give into to all of the holiday temptations only to regret them once the season is over, start eating well now!!

Winter Lentil Salad Recipe with Beets and Acorn Squash

Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes | Serves 4 to 5

• 3 cups Bob’s Red Mill Brown Lentils, cooked and chilled
• 1 Acorn Squash, seeds removed and sliced
• 2 Red Beets, cut into thin wedges
• 1 bulb Fennel, cut into thin wedges
• 1 Red Onion. peeled and cut into thin wedges
• 4 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 cups each packed Spring Mix, thinly sliced Kale, and shaved Brussels Sprouts
• ½ cup Goat Cheese, crumbled
• ½ cup Micro-Greens
• 6 thin slices Prosciutto Ham
• 1/2 cup Pomegranate Seeds
• ¼ cup Pepitas
• Kosher Salt and fresh cracked Pepper to taste
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

  Preheat the oven to 400°F. Salad: Spread out the vegetables on two or three cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and drizzle on olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the vegetables are browned and tender. Chill immediately until cool. To Plate: In a large bowl or on a platter toss together the chilled lentils, chilled roasted vegetables, goat cheese, micro-greens, ham, pomegranate seeds, pepitas, and salt and pepper. Mix the salad together or drizzle on the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. Serve!

Hello, I’m Billy Parisi, but to some I’m known as “Chef Billy Parisi.” I do a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but for the most part I’m a Food & Content Creator, Sometimes TV Host, Digital and Social Strategist, Influencer, Picture Taker, Coffee Drinker, Daddy, Husband, College Sports Enthusiast, Fashionisto, Film & Music Lover!

I’ve been in the kitchen since I started washing dishes in a restaurant at the age of 13, and during that time I knew immediately that I wanted to be a chef. I graduated from Arizona’s Scottsdale Culinary Institute and the University of Missouri, and have logged several years as line cook, sous chef, and executive in some of the Midwest’s finest restaurants. I currently live in the city of Chicago with my wife Lindsay and daughter Olivia and cook up new inventions, mash-ups, fusions and twists on old classics. I’m incredibly spontaneous and outgoing, and run two small businesses, BPMVC, and my latest venture, 5 Loaves 2 Fish!