Beet, Lentil & Smoked Tofu Pasta Salad with Parsley-Caper Dressing
A colourful, hearty meal-prep salad combining earthy roasted beets, lentils, pasta, kale, and smoked tofu with a bright parsley-caper dressing. It holds up particularly well in the fridge, making it great for lunches throughout the week.
Meal Prep Hearty Beet, Lentil & Smoked Tofu Pasta Salad with Parsley-Caper Dressing
Ingredients
For the salad
1 cup dry brown or green lentils, cooked and drained (about 2½–3 cups cooked)
3 medium beets, roasted, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes
2 cups cooked small pasta, such as ditali or ditalini
6 cups kale, stems removed and finely chopped
2 medium carrots, grated
450 g smoked tofu, cut into cubes (I used Sunrise Smoked Tofu Sriracha)
¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Parsley-Caper Dressing
2 packed cups fresh parsley leaves
⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 tbsp plain rice vinegar
4 tbsp capers, drained
2-4 garlic clove, peeled
4 scallion tops, roughly chopped
½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
*Mix half of the dressing into the salad. Reserve the remaining half for serving. Portion into individual dressing containers for meal prep, or store in a jar and spoon over each salad just before eating
Method
Roast the beets: Heat oven to 400°F (200°C). Wrap whole beets in foil or place in a covered baking dish and roast for about 45–60 minutes, until easily pierced with a knife. Cool, peel and cut into cubes.
Cook the lentils: Rinse the lentils and place in a saucepan with plenty of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for approximately 20–25 minutes, until tender but still holding their shape. Drain well and cool.
Cook the pasta: Cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain, rinse briefly under cool water and allow to drain thoroughly.
Make the dressing: Place the parsley, olive oil, rice vinegar, capers, garlic, scallion tops, salt and pepper in a tall container. Using an immersion/hand blender, blend until the parsley is finely chopped and the dressing is vibrant green. Taste and adjust the salt, pepper or vinegar as needed.
Assemble and portion: In a large bowl, combine the cooked lentils, pasta, roasted beets, kale and grated carrot. Add half of the parsley-caper dressing and toss well to combine. Divide evenly between 6 meal-prep containers, then top each portion with the smoked tofu and crumbled feta.
To serve: Store the remaining dressing separately and spoon over each salad just before eating. This keeps the salad fresh and prevents the pasta from absorbing too much of the dressing.
Keeps: About 4 days refrigerated in airtight containers. The beets will gradually turn the pasta and feta pink — which I actually think looks great here.
Why this works nutritionally
This is a particularly nice plant-forward meal because the lentils + tofu + feta provide protein, while the lentils, kale, beets and carrots contribute plenty of fibre. You also get iron from the lentils/tofu and calcium from the tofu and feta (depending on how the tofu is made). The pasta adds enough carbohydrate to make it a more satisfying lunch, especially on active days.
PS. This recipe makes six servings; the picture has three because three were eaten before I took the photo :)
