Salad of the Week: Savory Lentil & Wilted Greens Bowl

This week’s Salad of the Week is a little different than the first two — and very fitting for winter.

Instead of a fully cold, crunchy bowl, this one leans warm and savory. It starts with fresh greens, but they’re gently softened by warm lentils, roasted mushrooms, and onions — creating a bowl that feels grounding, comforting, and very meal-like.

This salad follows my simple Salad Formula: leafy greens, a few key add-ins, and a simple oil-free dressing. It’s a good example of how small shifts — like using warm components — can completely change how a salad feels, without making it complicated.

What Makes This Salad Special

What makes this bowl different is the way it’s built.

Warm lentils, roasted mushrooms, and onions are layered over fresh greens and gently folded and pressed, just enough to soften the leaves and release their aroma. The result is a salad that still feels fresh, but also cozy and savory — something that makes a lot of sense on colder days.

This is one of my favorite ways to show that salads don’t have to be cold food. With a few warm components, they can feel grounding, comforting, and deeply satisfying.

This Week’s Bowl: Savory Lentil & Wilted Greens Bowl

Leafy Lettuce

Butter lettuce, romaine, or spring mix, plus baby spinach

Cruciferous Greens & Veggies

Finely chopped kale, shaved Brussels sprouts, or thin cabbage ribbons

Alliums (Onion Family)

Roasted red or yellow onion, with optional scallions to finish

Plant-Based Protein & Staying Power

• Cooked green or brown lentils
• Cooked quinoa

Amp Up the Volume

• Roasted mushrooms
• Thinly sliced celery
• Grated carrot

Healthy Fats & Finishers

• Hemp seeds, chopped walnuts, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds
(choose one or a combination)
• Fresh herbs like parsley or thyme (optional)

Savory Lemon-Tahini Dressing (Oil-Free)

Makes about 1¾–2 cups (6–8 servings)

• ½ cup tahini
• 6 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 small garlic cloves (or 1 large)
• 3–4 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional, but recommended for savory depth)
• 1–1½ tsp white miso (see note below)
• ¾ cup water or warm vegetable broth (start with ¾ cup, add more to thin)
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• Salt to taste, if needed (often not necessary with miso)

Directions

Add everything to a blender and blend until completely smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust lemon, miso (or salt), and water to reach your preferred brightness and pourable consistency.

Miso note

White miso adds gentle umami depth and rounds out the lemon and tahini beautifully. I like using a lower-sodium white miso made from rice and soybeans. If you don’t have miso, you can substitute ½–1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce or tamari instead.

Texture note (for warm bowls)

This dressing will thicken in the fridge. When using it on a warm salad, stir in a spoonful of warm water or broth to help it pour easily and stay creamy over the wilted greens.

How I Build the Bowl

I build this one a little differently than a typical cold salad.

1. Add leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables to a large bowl.
2. Top with warm lentils and quinoa.
3. Add hot roasted mushrooms and onions.
4. Gently fold the greens up from underneath and lightly press down, allowing the warmth to soften them slightly.
5. Drizzle with dressing and toss gently.
6. Finish with seeds, walnuts, and fresh herbs.

That simple fold-and-press step is what transforms this from a cold salad into a warm, comforting bowl.

(If you enjoy softer greens, chopping them a little finer helps them wilt more easily when the warm ingredients are added. When the greens are finely chopped, a gentle toss is often enough to soften them.)

Prep Ahead Tip

This bowl is very friendly to simple weekly prep.

At the beginning of the week, I like to:
• cook a pot of lentils (or rinse and drain canned lentils)
• cook a batch of quinoa
• roast mushrooms and onions
• slice celery and grate carrots
• finely chop kale, shave Brussels sprouts, or slice cabbage into thin ribbons
• and mix the dressing

Everything gets stored separately, so when it’s time to eat, I’m really just warming a few components and assembling.

It turns a nourishing meal into something that comes together very simply.

Serve With (Optional)

This week, I paired this bowl with a simple, cozy tomato basil soup.

The warm, savory salad alongside a comforting tomato soup makes the whole meal feel complete, grounding, and very repeatable.

Pairing a daily salad with a simple soup is one of the easiest ways I’ve found to eat well consistently without overthinking meals.

Notes & Variations

Easy swaps

• Lentils → white beans or chickpeas
• Mushrooms → roasted zucchini, eggplant, or cauliflower
• Quinoa → farro

Easy add-ins

• Roasted garlic
• Steamed broccoli
• Roasted red peppers

Prep notes

Roasted mushrooms and onions

Slice mushrooms and onions, spread them on a lined baking sheet, and roast at 400°F for about 20–30 minutes, stirring once, until soft and lightly browned. A splash of balsamic or vegetable broth can be added partway through to prevent sticking and build flavor.

Lentils

To cook from dry, simmer lentils in water for about 20–25 minutes, until tender but not mushy, then drain.

Reheating note

When I’m ready to build the salad, I add a small splash of vegetable broth to the mushrooms and onions before reheating them so they stay soft and slightly steamy. This helps them fold more easily into the greens and gently soften them.

Final Thoughts

This Savory Lentil & Wilted Greens Bowl is a good reminder that salads can meet you where you are — including in colder seasons, when warm, comforting food feels best.

If you build your own version, I’d love to hear what you added.

And if you’d like to learn the simple framework I use to build salads like this every day, you can grab my free Tower-to-Table Recipe Guide here:

👉 https://verticalhydroponicgarden.com/free-recipes

Next week, I’ll be sharing a new Salad of the Week using the same framework — just different ingredients.

Here’s to simple, nourishing meals — one bowl at a time 🌱

Karen