Beetroot, Goat’s Cheese & Lentil Lettuce Cups with Toasted Walnuts and Mint
I've been making lettuce cups for years, and they're something I always enjoy coming back to. I particularly love using baby cos or butter lettuce, filling each leaf with something delicious and eating it with my hands. It feels a little more interesting than an ordinary salad, and makes a lovely dish to share when you're entertaining, too.
This combination of beetroot, lentils, soft goat's cheese and toasted walnuts is a classic for good reason. The earthy sweetness of the beetroot works beautifully with the creamy, slightly tangy cheese, while the lentils make the filling more substantial. A simple shallot dressing brings everything together, with fresh mint adding a lovely finishing touch.
For convenience, I use ready-cooked beetroot and tinned lentils, which makes this recipe particularly quick to prepare. You can absolutely roast your own beetroot and cook your lentils from scratch if you prefer. I also like to toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan before serving, as it brings out their flavour and gives the lettuce cups a lovely crunchy topping.
These are also useful for meal prep. You can prepare the beetroot and lentil filling ahead of time and keep it in the fridge, then assemble the lettuce cups when you're ready to eat. Just keep the lettuce, goat's cheese, toasted walnuts and fresh mint separate until serving.
Ingredients
Serves 4
250g ready-cooked beetroot, diced
1 x 400g tin brown or green lentils, drained and rinsed
100g soft goat's cheese, crumbled
50g walnuts, roughly chopped
½ small bunch fresh mint, leaves picked
1–2 heads butter lettuce or baby cos
For the dressing
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 small shallot, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Toast the walnuts. Heat a dry frying pan over medium heat. Add the walnuts and toast for 3–5 minutes, stirring regularly, until fragrant and lightly golden. Set aside to cool.
2. Make the dressing. Whisk (or lightly blitz) together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and finely chopped shallot. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Prepare the filling. Combine the lentils and diced beetroot in a bowl. Pour over the dressing and toss gently to coat. Finely chop half the mint and fold it through the mixture.
4. Assemble the lettuce cups. Wash and thoroughly dry the lettuce leaves. Spoon the beetroot and lentil mixture into each leaf, then top with crumbled goat's cheese, toasted walnuts and the remaining fresh mint.
Serve immediately.
Meal prep and storage
The dressed beetroot and lentil filling can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days. Keep the washed lettuce leaves, goat's cheese, walnuts and fresh mint separate, then assemble just before serving to preserve their texture and freshness.
A little more inspiration for meal prep
Simple recipes like this are exactly why I created the Mindful Meal Prep System. My approach is about preparing a few useful foundations that can be brought together in different ways throughout the week, rather than spending hours cooking complete meals in advance.
If you'd like more inspiration to make your week delicious, nourishing and easier to manage, you can find your copy of the Mindful Meal Prep System here: Explore the Mindful Meal Prep System.
