Twelve ingredients and fifty minutes, with the pot and the oven running at once.
The lentils simmer while the vegetables char, and both have to cool before anything is combined.
Why This Recipe Works
- Black lentils hold their shape where softer varieties collapse into paste.
- A 425°F oven chars edges rather than merely softening the vegetables.
- Cooling both components stops the greens wilting the moment they go in.
- Dijon in the dressing holds the oil and vinegar together on cooked lentils.
- Adding the cheese and leaves at the end keeps both distinct in the bowl.
Ingredient Notes
- Black lentils
- One cup to three of water. Black specifically — they stay small, dark and separate where brown lentils soften into the dressing.
- Cubed butternut squash
- Two cups. These are the orange cubes in the bowl, roasted rather than boiled so the edges catch and darken.
- Zucchini, cherry tomatoes and mini red peppers
- One sliced, a cup, and a cup. All three go into the same hot oven and all three should come out blistered at the edges.
- Crumbled blue cheese
- Three ounces, folded in at the end. The title does not name it, and it is what gives the blue-veined crumbles across the finished salad.
How to Make It
Black lentils simmered about twenty minutes, drained and cooled promptly
Simmer black lentils in water until tender but intact, about 20 minutes; drain and cool promptly.
Oven to 425°F, zucchini, squash, tomatoes and peppers roasted until charred
Heat oven to 425°F. Toss zucchini, butternut squash, tomatoes, and peppers with 1 tbsp olive oil and roast until charred at the edges.
Remaining oil whisked with vinegar, Dijon and seasoning
Whisk remaining olive oil with red wine vinegar, Dijon, salt, and pepper.
Cooled lentils combined with the roasted vegetables and dressing
Combine cooled black lentils with the roasted vegetables and dressing.
Greens and blue cheese folded in just before serving
Fold in small greens and crumbled blue cheese just before serving.
Served cool or chilled
Serve cool or chilled.
A Pot and an Oven, Running at the Same Time
The method has three parts - STOVETOP + OVEN + CHILLING - and the first two happen at once. Every vegetable in this bowl goes through a 425°F oven, so the second track below is the heart of the salad, not a preparation detail.
In the pot, on the hob
- About 20 minutes
1 cup of BLACK LENTILS SIMMERED IN 3 CUPS WATER UNTIL TENDER BUT INTACT. Both halves of that endpoint are the whole reason black lentils are specified: they stay small, dark and separate, individual lentils rather than a mass. A minute or two past tender and they start releasing starch and binding together.
- Immediately after
DRAINED AND COOLED PROMPTLY. For safety, COOL COOKED LENTILS AND ROASTED VEGETABLES PROMPTLY. Warm lentils left in the pot keep cooking in their own heat, and they also have to be cold before they meet the leaves and the cheese.
In the oven, at 425°F
- While the lentils simmer
1 sliced ZUCCHINI, 2 cups CUBED BUTTERNUT SQUASH, 1 cup CHERRY TOMATOES and 1 cup MINI RED PEPPERS TOSSED WITH 1 TBSP OLIVE OIL. Only one of the two tablespoons goes here - the other is held back for the dressing. The orange cubes are BUTTERNUT SQUASH, not sweet potato.
- Until the edges catch
ROASTED UNTIL CHARRED AT THE EDGES. Charred, not softened. 425°F is high enough to blister the pepper skins and darken the squash edges before the tomatoes collapse entirely, and spreading them out matters - a crowded tray steams and nothing browns.
- Then off the tray
Cooled alongside the lentils. Hot roasted vegetables folded into a salad wilt the leaves and melt the cheese into smears, and the finished dish is served COOL OR CHILLED.
The bowl, and two things that go in last
The dressing is whisked separately - the REMAINING 1 TBSP OLIVE OIL with 2 tbsp RED WINE VINEGAR, 1 tsp DIJON MUSTARD, SALT AND PEPPER. The Dijon is there as an emulsifier as much as a flavour: it holds oil and vinegar together so the dressing coats cooked lentils instead of sliding off them. COOLED BLACK LENTILS COMBINED WITH THE ROASTED VEGETABLES AND DRESSING, then 2 cups of SMALL GREENS and 3 oz of CRUMBLED BLUE CHEESE FOLDED IN JUST BEFORE SERVING - the title names neither, and both are added last so the leaves stay crisp and the cheese stays in crumbles. There is dairy in the finished bowl, so it holds at 40°F OR BELOW.
Success Tips
- Take the lentils off while they still hold their shape; a minute past is mush.
- Give the vegetables room on the tray — crowded ones steam instead of charring.
- Cool both before combining, or the greens wilt the moment they are folded in.
Serving Ideas
Six servings of small black lentils tossed with charred zucchini, roasted butternut squash cubes, blistered mini peppers and cherry tomatoes, dotted with crumbled blue cheese and scattered with small green leaves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use brown or green lentils?
The recipe is written for black lentils. They stay small, dark and separate through the toss, which is what the finished bowl looks like — softer varieties break down into the dressing.
Are the orange cubes squash or sweet potato?
Butternut squash. Two cups of it, cubed and roasted at 425 degrees Fahrenheit alongside the zucchini, tomatoes and peppers.
Could I use the vegetables raw instead?
No. Roasting is what this salad is. Charred edges on the zucchini, squash, peppers and tomatoes are visible in every spoonful and a raw version would be a different recipe.
