But we didn’t stop there. This salad gets great flavor and texture from deeply golden onions and toasted pepitas. Allowing the fennel to sit in the dressing while you prep the rest makes it tender. Cook, relax, and enjoy!
What you’ll need:
2 cloves garlic
½ cup lentils du puy
1 lemon
¼ tsp crushed red pepper
2 oz goat cheese
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 small bulb fennel
1 red onion
1 oz pepitas
5 oz large leaf arugula
olive oil
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
Equipment:
medium pot
zester
large skillet
rimmed baking sheet
Recipe steps:
-
Cook lentils
Peel and thinly slice garlic. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium pot over medium-high. Add garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant, 1 minute. Add lentils, season with salt, and add 1½ cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook until lentils are tender, 25–30 minutes. Drain if necessary. -
Marinate goat cheese
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°F. Zest lemon into a medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons oil, crushed red pepper, a pinch salt, and several grinds pepper. Break or slice goat cheese and add to oil, tossing gently to coat. -
Dress fennel
Halve lemon and squeeze into a medium bowl. Whisk in Dijon mustard and season with salt and pepper. Remove any damaged outer layers of fennel. Thinly slice fennel, add to dressing, and toss to coat. Roughly chop fronds and set aside. -
Brown onions
Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high to high. Add onion, season with salt, and cook, tossing occasionally, until soft and nearly burnt in spots, about 5 minutes. -
Toast pepitas
Spread pepitas on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden and fragrant, 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and toss with a little oil and season with salt and pepper. -
Assemble & serve
Trim larger ends from arugula and arrange on a platter. Top with onions, fennel, lentils, goat cheese, toasted pepitas, and fennel fronds. Drizzle with a little more oil and season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
