Rainbow Lentils with Beet Greens
I love this dish because it uses both parts of a bunch of fresh beets: the beet roots and the beet leaves. It’s also beautifully colorful, simple and tasty and stays that way for many days in the fridge. It’s versatile too: can be a vegetarian main or a side to accompany a basic meat or seafood dish.
Ingredients:
~1 cup lentils, soaked for at least 1 hour
3 large red beets with leaves still attached, beet roots peeled and chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 sweet potato, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
~6 oz feta, crumbled
1 lemon, juiced
~1/2 cup olive oil
salt & pepper
Instructions:
Drain lentils and bring to a boil in about 2 cups of water, then simmer for another 20-25 minutes, removing once they have reached the tenderness you like. Strain and set aside. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan and saute chopped onion, carrots and sweet potato. Season with salt & pepper and set aside once slightly browned. In the same pan with a couple more tablespoons of olive oil, saute the chopped beets the same way. These are cooked separately so that they don’t color all of the other vegetables. Set aside once softened to your liking. Bring some water to a boil and steam the whole beet leaves for about 8 minutes, until wilted but still bright in color. Arrange the warm leaves on a plate and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. In a mixing bowl, combine the cooled lentils, sauteed chopped vegetables, crumbled feta, chopped parsley, a few tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice and salt & pepper. Toss gently and serve alongside beet greens.
