This lentil salad recipe is everybody’s favourite: bursting with taste and texture contrasts! It’s the right aspect dish or lunch thought.
In the case of aspect dishes and lunch concepts, there’s nothing fairly like the common-or-garden lentil. Introducing, our household favourite lentil salad recipe! This recipe takes the whole lot that’s good about this protein-packed legume and makes it sing. The flavour pops with tangy and savory notes: tender lentils coated in zippy white wine vinegar Dijon dressing, with crunchy cucumber and salty feta. It stays flavorful within the fridge for days, making leftovers even higher.
Elements on this lentil salad recipe
This lentil salad recipe has traditional, zingy flavors that get even higher over time. This protein-packed salad is the right aspect dish, particularly for vegetarian and vegan meals as a result of it lets you really feel extra glad than leafy greens. It’s additionally nice as a lunch salad because it holds up nicely within the fridge: and once more, that plant-based protein helps to maintain you satiated all afternoon. Right here’s what’s in our good lentil salad recipe:
- Brown lentils: you can too use inexperienced lentils, since they prepare dinner equally
- Vegetable broth
- Cherry tomatoes
- English cucumber
- Crimson onion
- Child arugula
- Solar-dried tomatoes
- White wine vinegar
- Olive oil and impartial oil
- Sugar
- Dijon mustard
- Oregano, garlic powder, and salt
- Feta cheese, non-obligatory
Sorts of lentils
Brown lentils are essentially the most “commonplace” varieties if you consider lentils. They prepare dinner rapidly and have a tendency to crumble when cooked as a substitute of maintain their form. They’re brown in colour and have a flat, lens-like form. What different varieties of lentils work for this recipe?
- You may substitute inexperienced lentils for brown lentils. Inexperienced lentils have a extra peppery taste than brown lentils.
- French lentils or black lentils are smaller and maintain their form when cooked. Prepare dinner till tender utilizing the directions beneath. These additionally work right here, although we want the flavour with brown lentils.
- Don’t use crimson lentils. Crimson lentils break down rapidly and change into mushy; they’re greatest for soups and stews.
Key to this lentil salad dressing
This lentil salad recipe has a dressing just like the dressing from our favourite tortellini salad recipes. The important thing? A mix of impartial oil and olive oil. The olive oil is as wholesome oil that provides distinctive taste, however it might probably solidify and change into chunky within the fridge. Impartial oil holds up nicely within the fridge, so mixing it with olive oil makes the salad texture save nicely over time.
Leftovers style even higher
This lentil salad saves nicely and leftovers style even higher! The dressing marinates much more with the lentils and so they absorb the flavors extra. This recipe an ideal contender to make for wholesome lunches all through the week. You too can use it for “throw-together” dinners as a result of it’s good for including vegetarian protein to a plate.
A lentil salad for each food regimen
This lentil salad recipe tastes nice by itself. Should you eat feta, it provides an incredible salty punch: but it surely’s not wanted! Listed here are a number of notes on food regimen preferences:
- For vegetarian and gluten-free, observe the recipe beneath.
- For vegan and dairy-free, omit the feta cheese. Chances are you’ll wish to add a number of extra pinches of salt.
Extra lentil recipes
Lentils are some of the versatile legumes round! Listed here are a number of extra lentil recipes we love:
- 1 ½ cups dry brown lentils
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes (5 ounces)
- 1 cup finely diced English cucumber (½ cucumber)
- ¼ cup finely diced crimson onion
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil), roughly chopped
- 2 cups child arugula (or chopped spinach)
- 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp impartial oil (grapeseed, vegetable or canola oil)
- ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup feta cheese, to garnish (non-obligatory)
- In a big saucepan, simmer the lentils with the broth and ½ teaspoon kosher salt for 15 to twenty minutes till tender. Drain them right into a colander, then allow them to sit for five minutes to chill.
- In the meantime, put together the tomatoes, cucumber, crimson onion, and sundried tomatoes as famous above.
- In a medium bowl, whisk collectively the white wine vinegar, olive oil, impartial oil, granulated sugar, Dijon mustard, oregano, garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
- When the lentils are cooled, combine them in a big bowl with the dressing and the tomatoes, cucumber, crimson onion, sundried tomatoes, and arugula. If desired, add the feta cheese (if serving with out feta, style and add a number of pinches of salt if essential). Serve instantly or refrigerate for as much as 5 days.
- Class: Facet dish
- Methodology: Stovetop
- Delicacies: American
- Food regimen: Vegan
Key phrases: Lentil salad, lentil salad recipe
