Spiced Pumpkin, Lentil, and Goat Cheese Salad

I’ve made this a couple times and with some minor changes I like it quite a bit. First, I use butternut and season it with most of a teaspoon of mild smoked paprika and a healthy pinch of cayenne. Needs more vinegar, so I dress the arugula separately with oil & vinegar. I also dress the lentils before mixing in squash to make sure they’re well seasoned. Usually skip the mint (since I rarely use the rest before it goes bad). 3 servings as a main is about right for us.

• Anonymous

• Colorado

• 6/6/2022

I loved this salad! But I did make a few alterations since the dressing as written seemed boring to me. I used a butternut squash and 3 beets. I doubled the spices and added 2 tsp of Ceylon cinnamon. I made a balsamic reduction instead of the red wine vinegar as suggested by another reviewer and I highly recommend it - 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup balsamic, 1.5 tbsp lemon juice, 4 tsp brown sugar. I mixed ~2 tbsp olive oil into the balsamic reduction and used that as dressing. I also added about 1/2 cup salted and toasted pumpkin seeds too. The goat cheese just kinda melted into the squash and lentil mixture, but it was good that way. I will definitely make this again!

• jenleighd

• Richmond, VA

• 10/7/2016

yum!!!!!!

• rvburke1

• 1/1/2016

A bit bland the first time that I made it as written, but forgot the mint at the end. Second time I used Meyer Lemon Dressing instead of the olive oil and pepitas instead of the lentils to give it more texture and crunch. Both times I used butternut squash instead of pumpkin as it is more readily available. Perfect!

• jkpike

• The woodlands, TX

• 12/15/2015

I had cooked a sheet pan of bacon earlier in the day, so roasted the butternut squash in the bacon fat instead of oil. Used the same spices. I also added spiced pumpkin seeds, and made a vinaigrette of pumpkin seed oil I picked up in Austria. Nice flavors!

• lrittelm

• Baltimore, MD

• 9/24/2015

I'd give it 3 1/2 forks if that were an option. The goat cheese melted and turned everything gloppy, but the flavor was very good. However, the ingredients are too expensive and I won't be making it again. The Lentils with Butternut Squash and Walnuts recipe here on Epicurious has the same two main ingredients, is much cheaper to make, and is better than this. I always get rave reviews on that one--this one didn't wow the group I fed it to.

• adazzledim

• Salt Lake City, UT

• 1/14/2015

I served this with Christmas dinner and it paired well with a leg of lamb while serving as a vegetarian entree for the non-meat eater. I used delicata squash instead of the pumpkin and added pomegranite seeds for more color. Beautiful and delicious. Leftovers for lunch the next day were less pretty but tasted great.

• eesch

• Minneapolis, MN

• 12/25/2013

This was amazing!! I was hesitant based on some of the reviews, but the flavors are absolutely incredible. The spanish paprika really makes this dish. My only modifications were that I did not use mint, and substituted white wine vinegar for the red wine vinegar.

• sonalimagdo

• Ann Arbor, MI

• 11/11/2013

I made this as a weeknight dinner for my vegetarian family. We didn't like it as much as other reviewers did. The pumpkin tasted alright. The ingredients just didn't come together at all. It tastes just like the ingredient list sounds. Somehow, the whole was not better than the sum of the individual parts. We much prefer the recipe called "Lentil Salad with Mint and Feta."

• macnechtan

• Richmond, VA

• 11/9/2013

Loved this salad which we ate as a meal with some Aztec soup (vegetarian). My husband is quite the meat eater and was very satisfied with this meal. Did not find the salad dry at all especially with all the goat cheese. Might add some toasted nuts next time for some additional texture. Will definitely make again soon.

• tochefs

• Toronto

• 11/4/2013

I used butternut squash instead of pumpkin. I think I followed the recipe quite well. The taste was good but the texture was rather dry. My husband barely ate any and my sons thought it was adequate, no more. I wonder if most of the reviewers are vegetarians happy to find a recipe with lentils...

• mazout

• Montreal, QC

• 11/2/2013

This salad is the perfect fall salad! It's always popular at gatherings/potlucks since it's a bit unique. I also make it to serve by itself for dinner since it's got both protein and vegetables to fill you up. Great way to use up a winter squash stash.

• erinmccoy

• Seattle, WA

• 10/29/2013

This is so good! I bought the freshest & best ingredients I could find which added greatly to the over all deliciousness. Don't change a thing, don't substitute anything the flavors are perfect! yummmmm!

• skoolstudio

• NZ

• 5/1/2013

easy, healthy, delicious! A huge hit...

• cbraun68

• Boston, MA

• 3/20/2013

Pretty darn good! It's an easy salad. I prepped the pumpkin & lentils ahead of time, and quickly threw everything together right before I served it. It's so easy to throw together that it would make a great a quick lunch or dinner, if you're in a pinch -- just save some pumpkin/lentil mix in the fridge and you can put the salad together in minutes! This is a new go-to salad, definitely making it again and again for myself and guests. Side note: I'm a HUGE fan of smoked paprika. It's a beautiful and complex addition to any dish, adding an unexpected depth. Strangely enough, it was less expensive than the regular paprika at Whole Foods. I highly recommend it; you will use it often.

• sarahk731

• los angeles, ca

• 1/5/2013