Healthy Recipes

Squash, kale and lentil salad recipe

Serves 4–6
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Needing some inspiration to spruce up your lunchtime salad? This recipe for a squash, kale and lentil salad could be just the thing.

Delicious served hot or cold, this recipe makes for a hearty meal. It also makes a tasty addition to a wrap, served with a dollop of hummus.

Squash is an incredibly versatile and delicious ingredient. It’s also full of wellbeing goodness too. It’s high in a number of important vitamins and minerals – including vitamins A and C. Both of these vitamins have a supportive role in helping our immune system to function properly.

Kale is also another of our wellbeing wonders and is one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables on the planet. Just one cup (67g) contains:

  • 684% of our daily vitamin K intake
  • 206% of our daily vitamin A intake
  • 134% of our daily vitamin C intake

Vitamin K is known to protect our bones and support a healthy circulatory system by strengthening capillary walls. This can contribute to giving our skin a healthy glow too. Capillaries are essential for a healthy complexion as they deliver fresh oxygenated blood and nutrients to thirsty skin cells in need of some TLC.

This squash, kale and lentil salad recipe is extracted from Great British Vegan by Aimee Ryan. Whether you’re vegan or looking to introduce more plant-based meals into your diet, there’s a whole number of delicious meals to tempt you in this recipe book. This unique take on vegan cooking reimagines over 80 classic British dishes including shepherd’s pie, Welsh rarebit, Eton Mess, and even sticky toffee pudding.

Discover more delicious recipes

Ingredients

  • 500g butternut squash, peeled and diced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ tsp dried chilli (hot pepper) flakes (optional)
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 100g kale, washed, stems removed and roughly torn
  • 1 x 400g can Puy lentils, drained and rinsed
  • Sea salt and ground black pepper

For the cashew cream cheese sauce (optional)

  • 150g raw cashew nuts
  • 240ml unsweetened dairy-free milk
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • A small pinch of sea salt
  • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
  • 1 tsp yeast extract or miso paste
  • 1/2 tsp English mustard
  • A pinch of ground nutmeg

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC fan/200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. Add the squash to a large roasting tray with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the chilli flakes, if using. Toss to coat, then roast for 25 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, add the remaining oil, vinegar and garlic to a large saucepan and stir in the kale. Put the lid on top and cook it over a low heat for 2 minutes, until wilted.
  3. Remove the kale from the heat and stir in the lentils and roasted squash. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately warm or chilled. Option to add the cashew cream cheese sauce.

For the cashew cream cheese sauce

  1. Soak the cashews in just boiled water for at least 15 minutes, or overnight. Drain the cashews and discard the water they were soaked in.
  2. Add the nuts to a high-powered blender along with the milk, vinegar and salt. Add more milk, if needed, to create the desired consistency.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients and blend together.
  4. Use straight away or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.