This salad is incredible. For real! I often buy a beetroot & goat’s cheese salad in a supermarket (if you’re in the UK – it’s the one from Waitrose that you can get as a meal deal main), and it’s currently my absolute favourite ready meal. So, I’ve been desperate to figure out how to make it at home to save some money in the long run. I studied the ingredients list and, after some trial and error, I’m happy to report that I’ve pretty much nailed it. And I’m so, so excited to share it! If you love beetroot and goat’s cheese, you’re going to love this salad. And if you’ve never tried that combo… it’s your sign to try it! This salad is delicious but also nutritious, full of vitamins, fibre and protein. You have to give it a go!

What Are Wheatberries

Wheatberries are whole wheat kernels that can be eaten as a grain. They’re rich in protein and fibre and have a chewy texture and slightly nutty flavour. I’ve seen wheatberries used in many ready meals in the UK, but it’s actually not so easy to buy wheatberries alone, to cook at home. They don’t seem to be sold at any major supermarkets, but I managed to find them in health food stores. You can also find them online.

Ingredients for beetroot and goat’s cheese salad

For 2-3 servings you’ll need:

• 150g pickled beetroot – I used a spicy variety, pickled with chillies
• 60g goat’s cheese – mine was in the shape of small balls, but you can chop it up yourself – not soft, spreadable variety
• 50g green lentils (uncooked weight) – swap for around 1 cup cooked, canned green lentils
• 60g wheatberries (uncooked weight)
• 3 tablespoons (~100g) Greek yoghurt – I used fat-free one (Waitrose use creme fraiche in their salads, and you may want to use that instead if you want to make your salad as close to the original as possible. I usually prefer dairy products lower in fat, so opted for yoghurt)
• 6 leaves of fresh mint
• 2 handfuls (~25g) baby spinach
• salt, pepper
• a little bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice (2-3 teaspoons)

How to make beetroot and goat’s cheese salad

Making the mint yoghurt dressing

Let’s start by making the mint yoghurt dressing, to give it time to marinate for a while whilst we prepare the rest of the salad.

In a small bowl, combine Greek yoghurt with finely chopped fresh mint leaves and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Mix everything well and put the dressing aside to let the flavours melt together.

Cooking the lentils and wheatberries

Next, it’s time to cook the wheatberries and green lentils, unless you’re using cooked canned lentils.

Cook your wheatberries following the instructions on the packaging. In my case, it took around 45 minutes for the wheatberries to cook through.

As far as green lentils go, I wouldn’t trust the instructions on the packaging! In my experience, if you cook lentils according to most brands’ instructions, they will overcook and fall apart. It seems to happen no matter what brand I buy. So, to cook green lentils, start by rinsing them with cold water. Bring a small pot with water to boil and add your lentils. Cook them on medium heat for around 20 minutes, keeping an eye on them. As soon as you notice that a few of them have fallen apart, it’s a sign that they’re good to go! Drain them and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.

Once the wheatberries and lentils are cooked, set them aside.

Chopping up the beetroot

First of all – make sure to wear gloves, especially if you’re planning to leave the house soon after making this salad. Beetroot juice will stain everything, including your fingers. I never use gloves and then rock a rather questionable look.

I chopped the beetroot on a bamboo chopping board and it also got stained, even though I washed it straight away. Luckily, it seems to be fading away now, the more I wash it.

With the disclaimers out of the way, it’s time to chop up the ingredients.

Dice the beetroot into cubes, around 1cm each. If your goat’s cheese is in a solid block, also chop it into smaller pieces. Mine came in the shape of small pearls, so I didn’t need to cut them.

Tear the baby spinach leaves into smaller pieces too. You can use a knife, or just tear them with your hands like I did.

Mixing the salad

Finally, it’s time to mix everything together.

Place the lentils, wheatberries, beetroot, goat’s cheese and spinach in a large bowl. Add the mint yoghurt dressing and mix everything well. Be gentle – try not to smash the pieces of goat’s cheese.

Add a tiny amount of freshly squeezed lemon juice – a couple of teaspoons, to taste. A little goes a long way. You can also add salt and pepper if needed.

Enojy!

Nutritional value of beetroot and goat’s cheese salad with green lentils

The whole recipe contains 752 kcal, 109 grams of cabrs, 15 grams of fat, 39 grams of protein and 13.5 grams of fibre.

It can make two larger servings or three smaller ones. Assuming you divide the salad into two portions, each of them will have 376 kcal, 54.5 grams of carbs, 7.5 grams of fat, 19.5 grams of protein and 6.75 grams of fibre. Those nutritional values make a perfectly balanced meal, filled with satiating protein and complex carbohydrates.

How to store beetroot and goat’s cheese salad

This salad will last a couple of days when stored in the fridge. It’s great for meal prepping! I live alone and usually cook just for myself, so when I make this salad, I have lunch sorted for two or three days. And no, I don’t mind eating this salad three days in a row. It’s delicious, I could eat it every day!

Bon Appetit!

So there you have it – a recipe for a delicious beetroot and goat’s cheese salad with green lentils, spinach and wheatberries. Inspired by a salad sold in Waitrose – perhaps not exactly the same, but close enough! I couldn’t be happier with this recipe, and I was over the moon when I gave this experiment a go and it turned out to be a success. I’ve already made this salad a couple of times since I first tried it earlier this month, and I will definitely be making it regularly. Yum!

Also see:

• Food
• Savoury