warm lentil salad with beets & ricotta

warm lentil salad with beets & ricotta
serves 2 as a light meal

If you’ re up for roasting your own beets, scrub beets and trim tops. Wrap in foil and bake at 200C (400F) for about an hour or until tender (the bigger your beets the longer they’ ll take). Cool slightly before using in the salad. To be fair, I was pretty impressed with the canned baby beets I discovered in the supermarket. Packed in beet  juice they are a lot closer to home-baked than their old school pickled cousins.
For a more substantial meal, serve with a poached egg on top. Or if you’ re feeding a die-hard carnivore – fry some chopped bacon or chorizo and stir through the lentils. For our vegan friends, roasted walnuts or pinenuts would make a lovely substitute for the cheese.

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 can lentils (400g or 14oz), drained
2 handfuls flat leaf parsley, leaves picked
1 can baby beets (400g or 14oz), drained
1/2 cup ricotta (approx 150g or 5oz)
Boil your kettle. In a medium bowl mix together balsamic and 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and season. Place lentils in a strainer and pour over boiling water.
Drain well then toss through the dressing. Mix in the parsley leaves and divide between 2 plates.
Top with drained beets and generous dollups of ricotta.