Easy Lentil Salad With Vegetables And Creamy Mustard Dressing

The recipe is satisfying, colorful, and packed with plant-based protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Dietary Note: this recipe is suitable for a vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diet. Don’t have time to read the full blog post? JUMP TO RECIPE HERE!

What is Lentil Salad?

Lentil salad video

Ingredients & Substitutions for Lentil Salad

How to Make Lentil Salad

Serving Suggestions

Variations

Storage & Make Ahead

More Lentil Recipes

More Salad Recipes

From lentil Mujadara to lentil vegetable soup; from lentil chili to Moroccan lentil soup; from lentil curry to lentil loaf, you’ll always find a lentil recipe to suit your mood. When it comes to salads, we shared several lentil salad recipes with you. Our readers love our cauliflower lentil salad and sweet potato lentil salad, both made with roasted veggies tossed with cooked lentils and a tangy dressing. But in this blog post, we’ll show you how to make a quick and easy Mediterranean-inspired lentil salad with fresh, crunchy, and colorful vegetables. The freshness and crunch of this recipe will remind you of our lentil tabbouleh, while the creamy, aromatic lemon mustard dressing will remind you of our Moroccan lentil carrot salad. Make this lentil salad vegan, or add crumbled feta, a delicious addition that makes us think of tasty Greek cucumber salad. You can use dried lentils or canned lentils. Both have a pleasant earthy flavor, incredible nutrition, are rich in iron, potassium, B vitamins, magnesium, and zinc. They are an excellent meat alternative as 1 cup of cooked lentils has about 18 grams of proteins and 15.6 grams of fiber; they have no cholesterol and low amounts of saturated fats.

Lentils

You can make lentil salad with green lentils, brown lentils, black lentils, and French lentils. Avoid split red lentils as they won’t keep their shape. You can use dried lentils cooked in boiling water with salt and, optionally, a bay leaf (steps below). Dried lentils don’t require soaking, so you can cook them immediately. Or you can use canned lentils, drained from their liquid and rinsed well. If you want to learn more, here are our guides on how to cook brown lentils, how to cook black lentils, and how to cook red lentils.

Tomatoes

We recommend small tomatoes like cherry tomatoes or plum tomatoes. Substitute a diced red bell pepper for tomatoes.

Cucumber

You can use American cucumbers, Persian cucumbers, or English cucumbers. We keep the peel on, but you can remove it if you like. Substitute thinly sliced fennel for cucumber.

Red onion

Thinly sliced or diced red onion adds a pleasant tanginess. Substitute a thinly sliced shallot or green onions for red onion.

Olives

We recommend good quality olives such as Taggiasche olives or Kalamata olives, which are best if pitted. Substitute sun-dried tomatoes in oil or marinated artichokes for olives.

Feta cheese

You can use regular feta cheese or non-dairy feta cheese. Crumble it on the salad; it adds a delicious savory flavor and creaminess.

Fresh herbs

We use fresh flat-leaf parsley. Substitute fresh basil, cilantro, dill, or chives for parsley.

Mustard Dressing

Extra virgin olive oil: healthy and aromatic olive oil is the best for this recipe. Fresh lemon juice: substitute apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar. Mustard: American mustard or Dijon mustard. Garlic: we recommend grated fresh garlic. Cumin: optional; keep it out if you don’t like cumin. Salt & Black pepper.

Optional Ingredients

You can easily customize this lentil salad recipe by adding your favorite vegetables and grains. We tried it with boiled quinoa and baby spinach, and it was delicious and even more nutritious, perfect for a wholesome and satiating lunch, dinner, and meal prep. You can even add toasted nuts such as almonds and dried fruits like raisins.

1. Cook the lentils

Skip this step if you are using canned lentils. Rinse the dried lentils under running water to remove dust and debris. Do a quick visual check to ensure no stones are hiding between the lentils. Tip: Dried lentils don’t require soaking, so you can cook them right away. Add the lentils to a pot with cold water. For each cup of lentils, you’ll need 4 cups of water. Season the water with 2 bay leaves and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cook on a gentle simmer per package instructions, then drain them and add them to a large mixing bowl. Tip: Depending on the variety, lentils can take 15 to 45 minutes to cook. For making salads, lentils should be tender but still hold their shape well.

2. Prepare Vegetables & Dressing

While the lentils cook, you can chop the vegetables. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, the cucumber into small dice, and the onion into thin slices, and finely chop the parsley. Add all vegetables, including olives, to the bowl with the lentils. Make the dressing by whisking extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, mustard, grated garlic, ground cumin, salt, and black pepper.

3. Toss until combined

Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss until well combined. Taste and adjust for salt. You can keep this lentil salad vegan or top it with crumbled feta cheese. We like serving it with warm pita bread and creamy yogurt tahini sauce or tzatziki sauce. It’s also delicious next to our whole roasted cauliflower or as a filling for a microwave sweet potato. Cooking time: usually, the cooking time is written on the package. If not, know that the cooking time of lentils can vary greatly depending on the variety and age of the lentils. Some dried lentils cook in just 15 minutes; others need up to 45 minutes. We advise tasting the lentils at the 15-minute mark and cooking them longer if required. Texture: for salads, you’ll want tender but not mushy lentils. They should keep their shape well as you toss them with the other ingredients, so don’t overcook them. Double dressing? You can double the dressing for extra flavor. If you do so, don’t double the amount of salt in the dressing. Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Freezer: Lentil salad is not suitable for freezing. However, cooked lentils are. They keep in a freezer-friendly container for three months. Thaw them in the fridge for several hours.