This salad with arugula, pumpkin, lentils, feta, and pomegranate is one of my favorites: colorful, nutritious, and hearty. With its autumn fragrance, it’s proof that healthy, nourishing meals don’t have to be expensive—just a little creativity is enough.

For this recipe, I cook the lentils in a way I learned a long time ago from a fellow cook who specialized in traditional cuisine from Romagna. The lentils are first quickly boiled, then sautéed with aromatics and herbs to make them more digestible. But if you’re short on time, feel free to use canned lentils and pre-cut pumpkin—it will still be delicious.

Preparation: 15 minutes

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

• Squash – 250 g (skin on, I used butternut, but you can use any other type)
• Dry lentils – 80 g (or half a can, I used a variety of lentils named “French”)
• Arugula – 150 g
• Feta cheese– 80 g
• Pomegranate seeds (optional) – 2 tablespoons
• Carrot – 1
• Leek – a 1 cm piece (or the same amount of onion)
• Bay leaves – 2
• Sage leaves – 2
• Tomato paste – 4 tablespoons
• Olive oil, salt, balsamic vinegar

Cost estimate:

Total recipe cost: $8.38 ($2.10 each portion). Prices calculated as of September 2025. Lentils are from Whole Foods, and all the other organic ingredients are from Trader Joe’s.

Method

1. In a small pot, bring water to a boil. Meanwhile, rinse the lentils and add them to the boiling water. Leave them until the water comes back to a boil. Drain the lentils.

1. Prepare a finely chopped mix (you can use a food processor) of carrot and leek. In the same pot where you boiled the lentils, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add the carrot and leek, and sauté well. Then add the lentils, sage, bay leaves, and tomato paste. Pour in 1 cup of water and cook until tender (cooking time depends on the type of lentils used, in my case I used French Lentils and it took about 12 minutes).

1. While the lentils cook, wash the pumpkin thoroughly and cut it into thick slices without removing the peel. In an oven-safe pot (a Dutch oven is ideal), add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and half a cup of water, arrange the pumpkin slices, cover, and bake for about 20–25 minutes (again, cooking time depends on the type of pumpkin).

1. Once the pumpkin and lentils are cooked, assemble the salad by combining the lentils, pumpkin, arugula, and crumbled feta. Add the pomegranate seeds and dress with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Enjoy your Arugula Salad with Pumpkin, Lentils, Feta, and Pomegranate

Tips

When seasoning the pumpkin before cooking, you can add spices such as curry, coriander, paprika, or just some fresh rosemary.

If you like spicy food, you can add some chillies or spicy oil to the lentils.

If you don’t own a Dutch oven, you can use a baking dish lined with parchment paper and lightly brushed with oil. Place the pumpkin cut into large pieces inside, add a little water, and seal with aluminum foil.