Moroccan Lentil Carrot Salad (Vegan)

This Moroccan lentil carrot salad with mint, raisins, nuts, and warmly spiced dressing is the perfect side salad or light lunch paired with pita and hummus. 

Twenty-twenty is the first year that we have ever had a community supported agriculture (CSA) subscription. In previous years, we have loved going to the farmer’s market every weekend to select what we wanted based on what we were planning on cooking in the coming days. However, with the uncertainty surrounding covid and whether or not there would be farmer’s markets at all during the summer, we decided early on in the pandemic to sign up for a CSA with a small organic farm in Quebec, just across the river from Ottawa. 

CSAs are a great way to support local farmers by giving them some much-needed cash flow early on in the season, before they have started to sell their crops at the market. Another benefit for the consumer is that they often introduce you to different vegetables, and force you to be creative with what the farm puts into your share each week. We ended up with a lot of zucchini and carrots this year–much more than we ever would have bought–so it’s been a fun challenge to come up with new and different ways to use these veggies. There are only so many times you can roast zucchini or munch on raw carrots and hummus before it’s time to shake things up, after all! 

This Moroccan lentil carrot salad is one way to put an abundance of carrots to good use. Shredded carrots are combined with lentils, red onion, celery, mint, raisins, and walnuts or sunflower seeds. Then, everything is tossed in a dressing spiced with turmeric, cinnamon, smoked paprika, and cumin. All in all, this salad makes a satisfying lunch with a side of pita and hummus. It would also be a great side salad to serve at dinner next to, say, baked or pan-fried tofu or tempeh, scrambled eggs, or even fancy avocado toast! 

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED 

• FOR THE SALAD: Cooked lentils, grated carrots, red onion, celery, fresh mint, raisins or currants, and walnuts or sunflower seeds. 
• FOR THE DRESSING: Extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, turmeric, cinnamon, smoked paprika, cumin, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, dijon mustard, maple syrup, and garlic. 

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine the cooked lentils, grated carrots, red onion, celery, mint, raisins, and nuts or seeds in a large bowl. 
2. Combine the dressing ingredients in a bowl or jar and whisk or secure the lid and shake to combine. 
3. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. 
4. Serve! Salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for several days. 

MORE SATISFYING SALAD RECIPES

• Detoxifying Kale Caesar Salad
• Fennel, Grape, and Avocado Green Power Salad
• Southwestern Kale Salad with Avocado Dressing + Polenta Croutons

I hope you’re having a great week so far, and that you enjoy this Moroccan lentil carrot salad! If you make it, let me know how you enjoyed it by leaving a comment and rating below the post. And if you post a photo to Instagram, tag @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen! 

Enjoy!!

Moroccan Lentil Carrot Salad (Vegan)

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★★★★★

4.8 from 4 reviews

• Author: Allison
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

This Moroccan lentil carrot salad with mint, raisins, nuts, and warmly spiced dressing is the perfect side salad or light lunch paired with pita and hummus.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

SALAD

• 3 cups cooked French green lentils (from 1 cup dry lentils)*
• 4 cups peeled and grated carrots (from 8 medium carrots)**
• 3 celery ribs, diced
• 1/2 a medium red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped***
• 1/2 cup raisins or currants
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, pepitas, or sunflower seeds****
• 1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced (optional, but highly recommended for a salty punch)

DRESSING

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp chili flakes (optional)
• 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp pure maple syrup
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

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Instructions

1. Combine the cooked lentils, shredded carrots, red onion, celery, mint, raisins, and nuts or seeds in a large bowl.
2. Combine the dressing ingredients in a bowl or jar and whisk or secure the lid and shake to combine.
3. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Taste and add more lemon juice, if desired. I usually
4. Serve! I love serving pita and hummus on the side. Leftover salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for several days. The flavour of the salad tends to mellow quite a bit the longer the dressing is on it, so I always add a bit more lemon juice right before enjoying the leftovers to enliven the flavours again.

Notes

*To cook lentils, rinse lentils through a fine mesh sieve and drain. Place in a pot and add a few inches of water to cover. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed, until lentils are tender but not falling apart, about 25 minutes. If you can’t find French green lentils, brown lentils or regular green lentils will work, but they fall apart more easily.

**If you have a food processor, the grater attachment makes short work of grating carrots. I sometimes use 2 cups of chopped kale and 2 cups of grated carrots (which is what I did when I photographed this salad). Either way is delicious!

***If you don’t like mint, use parsley, cilantro, or basil instead.

****Freshly toasted nuts and seeds are tastiest and healthiest. To toast walnuts or sunflower seeds, preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place nuts or seeds on a baking sheet and toast for 8-10 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly browned.

• Category: Lunch, Salad, Side Dish
• Cuisine: Moroccan

Keywords: Moroccan lentil carrot salad