Rinse the beluga lentils thoroughly and cook them in salted water until tender but still with some bite. Then drain and let the steam escape briefly.
Wash the Hokkaido squash, deseed it and cut it into small cubes. With Hokkaido, you can leave the skin on.
Fry the squash in olive oil over a medium heat until golden brown and soft. Turn it now and then so it cooks evenly.
Gently toss the beluga lentils and squash with the lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl. Leave briefly so the flavours come together.
Roughly chop the fresh mint and fold it in. Finish with a little lemon juice or olive oil to taste.
Serve the vegan lentil salad with squash and mint lukewarm or cold.
Good to know
A salad like this has just the right balance of warm, fresh and savoury. It looks simple but tastes surprisingly well-rounded and elegant.
Swaps
Beluga lentils → green lentils (similar fibre and protein content); Hokkaido squash → sweet potato (also provides fibre and beta-carotene); mint → parsley (contains vitamin K and adds fresh herby notes); olive oil → avocado oil (mild in flavour, mainly monounsaturated fats).
Allergens
The recipe is naturally gluten-free and nut-free. Pulses can take some getting used to if you don't usually eat them. For children, soft-cooked lentils and smaller pieces of squash work well, and in pregnancy the dish is fine with good kitchen hygiene.
