Warm Brussels Sprout Salad with Lentils and crispy potato croutons is rich in plant-based protein, vegan, and gluten-free. Easy to make and delicious to eat. Optional method for increasing gut-healthy resistant starch for a low-glycemic meal!
Save This Recipe!
Type your email & I'll send it to you!
The optional method for preparing the potatoes-prepared by cooking, cooling, and then reheating them-increases resistant starch and lowers their glycemic index-making this dish balanced and ideal for sustained energy. Simple, nutritious, and perfect for any time of day!
If you haven't tried roasting your lentils, now is the time to start! It transforms them into crispy and delicious, protein-rich gems. Roasted lentils are a perfect way to add vegan protein to any meal! This dish is a keeper, paired with cheesy potato croutons and golden shaved Brussels.
This Warm Brussels Sprout Salad with Lentils was inspired by my Chickpea & Brussels Vegan Caesar Salad on this site, as well as this Vegan German Potato Salad.
Jump to:
- 👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
- 🥔 Substitutions
- 📖 How to Make Warm Brussels Sprout Salad with Lentils
- 🧊 How to Cook the Potatoes for a Low Glycemic Index
- 💡 Expert Tips
- 🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
- 🫙 Oil-Free Dressing Options
- 🍽 Related Recipes
- 🛍️ Shop Recipe Cookware and Ingredients
- 👩🏽🍳 Made This Recipe?
- Warm Brussels Sprout Salad with Lentils
- 💬 Comments
👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
- Use French, Puy, or standard green lentils. One ½ cup serving of cooked lentils provides about 12 grams of protein. No soaking is required for cooking lentils.
- Yukon Gold potatoes have a medium starch content that falls in between the starchy and waxy potatoes.
- Brussels sprouts are rich in vitamins C and K, folate, carotenoids, and fiber. They are a nutrition powerhouse. Shaving and roasting them brings out their natural, nutty sweetness and makes them very palatable. Purchase Brussels sprouts that are bright green with tightly compacted leaves. They last for 1 to 2 weeks refrigerated. Rinse them under cool running water to remove any debris. Slice off the tough bottom stems and remove any outer discolored leaves.
- Olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, maple syrup, Dijon, and dried herbs make the tangy vinaigrette that brings the flavors of this winter salad together delectably. Or choose an oil-free dressing from these Healthy Dressing recipes. More dressing ideas are listed below.
See the printable recipe card below for quantities.
🥔 Substitutions
- Potatoes - Use Yukon Gold, or substitute with russet, Carola, Red Bliss, Katadhin, or Inca Gold potatoes instead. You can omit the potatoes entirely for this Warm Brussels Sprout Salad with Lentils.
- Lentils - French or Puy lentils are small, dark green lentils that get perfectly crispy in the oven. Substitute with any variety of green or brown lentils as needed.
- Nutritional yeast - This ingredient is optional but highly recommended. It has a unique savory flavor that resembles cheese, making it a great vegan alternative for adding a cheesy flavor to the potatoes. Its strong flavor is comparable to Parmesan cheese, without the fat or dairy.
- Pecans - substitute with walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or chopped almonds, or omit entirely for nut-free
- Dressing - More dressing ideas: Creamy Asian Tahini Dressing, Healthy Balsamic Vinaigrette, Miso Tahini Dressing, and this Best Oil-Free Salad Dressing also pair well with Warm Brussels Sprout Salad.
Try my Warm Quinoa Salad for a healthy side or make-ahead lunch or dinner. Visit my Vegan Salad Recipes page for more protein-rich, easy salad ideas.
📖 How to Make Warm Brussels Sprout Salad with Lentils
This is an overview. The full recipe is at the bottom of the post.
Step 1. Use an oven or air fryer for making this recipe. If you are using an oven, preheat it to 425ºF. You do not need to preheat an air fryer. Cook in the air fryer at 400ºF for about 10 minutes, or until ready.
Step 2. Simmer the lentils in water until al dente before roasting them in the oven.
Step 3. Toss the cut potatoes in a drizzle of olive oil and the seasonings. Transfer them to a large rimmed nonstick baking sheet in a single layer. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until fork tender, tossing halfway.
Step 4. Use a food processor (slicing disk) to shave the Brussels sprouts quickly, or slice them with a sharp knife. Toss them in a drizzle of olive oil, and the seasonings. Transfer to a large rimmed nonstick baking sheet in a single layer. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until golden.
Step 4. Transfer the cooked lentils to a large rimmed nonstick baking sheet. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil and the seasonings. Spread them into a single layer and roast for about 10 minutes, or until crispy.
Step 5. Make the herby vinaigrette. Combine the roasted Brussels, lentils, pecans, parsley, and dressing in a large bowl and toss to combine. Add the crispy potato croutons to the Warm Brussels Sprout Salad with Lentils and serve.
🧊 How to Cook the Potatoes for a Low Glycemic Index
- Choose the Right Potatoes: Opt for waxy potatoes like red or Yukon Gold, as they tend to have a lower glycemic index compared to starchy varieties like Russets.
- Cook: Boil the potatoes with their skins on until tender. Avoid overcooking, as this can break down starches more readily.
- Cool: After cooking, allow the potatoes to cool completely. Ideally, place them in the refrigerator overnight. Cooling helps convert some of the digestible starch into resistant starch, which has a lower glycemic impact.
- Reheat (Optional): Reheat the cooled potatoes before serving. Studies show that reheating does not reverse the resistant starch formation, allowing you to enjoy warm potatoes with a lower glycemic index.
These steps are simple but make a significant difference in how your body processes the starches, making your meals more blood-sugar friendly.
💡 Expert Tips
- How to cook lentils: In general, use 2½ to 3 cups of water for every cup of lentils, or cover them with water about 2 inches high in a small saucepan. No soaking is required. Remove any debris from your lentils before cooking. Simmer until al dente. Do not overcook them or they will be mushy.
- How to shave Brussels sprouts: Use a food processor (slicing disk on 4mm setting) to quickly shave your Brussels sprouts. Or use a sharp Chef's knife and thinly slice them instead.
- If you choose to omit the potato croutons for this Warm Brussels & Lentil Salad, add the dressing gradually to taste and refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Soak potatoes (optional): Place the chopped potatoes in a bowl of water as you chop the remaining potatoes. This removes excess starch and gets them crispier. Dry them with a kitchen or paper towel before placing them on the baking sheet.
- For roasting: Place the potatoes on the top rack until the Brussels are ready to roast. Move the potatoes to the middle rack and place the Brussels on top. Once the lentils are ready to roast, move the Brussels to the bottom and cook the lentils on the top rack. Remove each one when ready.
- Use an air fryer instead of an oven to save time. Cook at 400ºF for about 10 minutes, or until ready.
- Storage: Refrigerate any remaining salad in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Serve chilled, or reheat your Warm Brussels Sprout Salad with Lentils. To reheat, transfer the salad to a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 375ºF in a single layer for about 10 minutes, or until warmed through.
🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
Cooked lentils have an earthy flavor, with an almost meat-like texture. Roasting them keeps the same meat-like flavor, but gets them deliciously crispy, so they are no longer mushy. Try adding them to soups and stews or making a dish with lentils as the main ingredient.
The quickest way is to use a food processor. Trim the ends and remove any tough outer layers. Pass them through the feed tube using the slicing disk set at about 4mm. Or use a sharp Chef's knife. Cut the Brussels sprout in half lengthwise. Place the cut side down and thinly slice crosswise to create shreds. Separate the shreds with your fingers. Discard the root end.
Overcrowding will cause heat from the pan to get trapped under the potatoes and cause them to steam instead of roast. For extra crispy potatoes, spread them out in a single layer, and turn them in the pan halfway through the cooking time.
🫙 Oil-Free Dressing Options
🍽 Related Recipes
🛍️ Shop Recipe Cookware and Ingredients
Note: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nisha's Favorites
Get my tried-and-true products.
👩🏽🍳 Made This Recipe?
Share your Warm Brussels Sprout Salad with Lentils and crispy potato croutons creation with me on Instagram. It makes my day to see you recreate my recipes.
I would love it if you would ⭐️ rate this recipe and leave a comment. Thank you in advance.
Warm Brussels Sprout Salad with Lentils
Ingredients
- ¾ cup dried French lentils or Puy, or green lentils (or about 1 ½ cups cooked)
- 1 ¼ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes or russet, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
- Drizzle of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons garlic powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts trimmed and thinly sliced (shaved)
For the dressing (oil-free option*):
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 clove garlic
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup chopped parsley
Save This Recipe!
Type your email & I'll send it to you!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF or use an air fryer.
- Cook lentils: Add the lentils to a small saucepan with enough water to cover by about 2-inches high. Bring the water to a vigorous simmer before reducing the heat. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until al dente. Do not overcook.
- Prepare potatoes: Toss the potatoes in a drizzle of olive oil, nutritional yeast, ¾ teaspoon garlic powder, and salt to taste. Transfer to a large rimmed nonstick baking sheet in a single layer and cook for about 20 minutes, or until fork tender, tossing halfway. (For a low-glycemic, oil-free method, see the blog post.)
- Prepare Brussels sprouts: Toss the shaved Brussels in a drizzle of olive oil, ¾ teaspoon garlic powder, and salt to taste. Transfer to a large rimmed nonstick baking sheet and cook for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Roast lentils: Drain the lentils and dry between the layers on a kitchen or paper towel. Transfer them to a large rimmed nonstick baking sheet. Toss them in a drizzle of olive oil, ¾ teaspoon garlic powder, and salt to taste. Spread in an even layer. Cook on the top rack of the oven for about 10 minutes, or until crispy.
- Make dressing: Meanwhile, add olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon, maple syrup, basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper to a small jar with a lid. Press or grate the garlic into the jar. Cover and shake until well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Alternately, whisk in a small bowl.)
- Combine: Transfer the Brussels, lentils, pecans, parsley, and dressing to a large bowl. Mix until fully incorporated. Add the potato croutons and gently incroporate.
Notes
- *For an oil-free dressing, pair the salad with this Healthy Balsamic Vinaigrette.
- For low-glycemic potatoes, see the blog post for how to make potatoes high in resistant starch.
- For crispier potatoes, soak the potatoes. Place the chopped potatoes in a bowl of water as you chop the remaining potatoes. This removes excess starch and gets them crispier. Dry them with a kitchen or paper towel before placing them on the baking sheet.
- Shaved Brussels: Use a food processor with the slicing disk set to about 4mm to shave the Brussels sprouts to save time. Otherwise, slice them with a sharp Chef's knife.
- For roasting: Place the potatoes on the top rack until the Brussels sprouts are ready to roast. Move the potatoes to the middle and place the Brussels on top. Once the lentils are ready to roast, move the Brussels to the bottom and cook the lentils on the top rack. Remove each one when ready.
- Use an air fryer instead of an oven to save time. Cook at 400ºF for about 10 minutes, or until ready.
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate. Nutritional values may vary depending on factors such as product types and brands used.
Antje says
Hi there, I made this for lunch today and we loved it! I added smokey tofu to the potato baking sheet and it was the perfect combination. Thank you for this easy, healthy and also not expensive recipe. We love your content and your recipes. Thank you for all the work you put into this. Greetings from Munich, Germany!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
I love Munich! Thank you for your lovely comment. Smokey tofu is an excellent addition.
Laura says
This was delicious! I realized I didn't have lentils, so I substituted with shredded crispy tofu instead. My boyfriend eats a lot, so I added some roasted potatoes and marinated artichokes too. We were both obsessed with the dressing! Thanks!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Great substitution and even more protein! Thank you.
nick hudson says
Absolutely delicious! My wife and I loved this. My lentils didn’t crisp but I was rushing and didn’t dry them properly. I only tossed in 3/4 of the dressing as my wife can’t tolerate too much oil. So delicious. Thank you
Ps we got pictures to proof it! 🤣
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Wish I could see them!!! Thank you. So glad you both enjoyed it.
Kasey says
The dressing is delicious! I definitely plan on using it for other purposes. Thank you!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So happy to hear you enjoyed the dressing so much. Thank you.
Emily says
The pecans go in the dressing? Are they meant to be blended?
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
No. They are not blended in the dressing.
Anna says
I love it! Just made it and it turned out delicious 🙂
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you.
Debbie Dormand says
I'm making this for tomorrow .
60.yr old woman w a eating disorder, ugh! I feel like I found a pot of gold when I found you ! Thank you from the bottom of my heart ♥
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Welcome! I feel honored to have you here and for you trusting in me. Enjoy:)
Carol says
I was looking for a warm winter salad and this salad is delicious! Perfect! Easier to prepare than I thought. Will be making it often. I'm eating leftovers with a poached egg for breakfast!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
I'm so glad you gave it a try and enjoyed it. Thank you for commenting. xxx
Karen ML says
I didn’t have potatoes on hand so I subbed quinoa. This is a delicious salad!! Thank you so much for the recipe 🙌
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Quinoa is perfect with this! Thank you. So glad you enjoyed it.
Toni says
This could make me a vegan. Absolutely delicious and totally satisfying. Thank you Nisha.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So thrilled to hear that! Thank you:) Have a great week.
Penis says
Delicious recipe. The dressing is more or less chimichurri.
Nisha Melvani says
So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you.
Lu says
Hearty and flavorful! I didn’t put garlic powder on the Brussels sprouts and didn’t miss it. I made everything else exactly as written, and while the dressing was tasty, I liked the bowl even better without it!
Nisha Melvani says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you.
BV says
Just made this salad! It was a lot of prep but worth the time. Will make it again.
Nisha Melvani says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you.
Dawson says
Hello. Recipe was great but nowhere in the ingredients or instructions does it mention pecans and parsley until the end when you toss everything together!! I went back to original post and saw that they were pictured. But you should edit the recipe to include them!!
Nisha Melvani says
True! So sorry. Will do right now. Thx.
Dawson says
Definitely a keeper recipe!!
Nisha Melvani says
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it.
ReaderRita says
Hi! First time reader here, and this recipe reeled me in! It sounds absolutely wonderful, but when I read your instructions, I noticed something: Respectfully, I think you might mean a food processor "shred" blade instead of the "S" blade. The term "S" blade commonly refers to the one that physically looks like the letter "S", and would chop the brussels sprouts into little chunks rather than thin slices. A Slicing or Shredding blade can be calibrated at 4mm, the "S" blade can't. (I used to demonstrate food processors and work in restaurant kitchens, so this is deeply ingrained in me, lol...)
At any rate, I hope your recipe will be successful for everyone- shredding the sprouts! I'm trying it pronto!
Nisha Melvani says
Thank you! You are right. The correct term is the slicing disk! Thanks for catching this. I have updated the post.