Best Lentil Salad
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
20 mins
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Cook Time
25 mins
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Total Time
45 mins
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Servings
8
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Calories
214 kcal
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Course
Salad
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Cuisine
Vegan, gluten-free
Best Lentil Salad
Description
Best Lentil Salad combines cooked green or brown lentils with a crisp medley of diced cucumber, red onion, red bell pepper, and celery. The salad is dressed with a mixture of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, stone-ground mustard, and garlic for a bright, balanced flavor. Cooking the lentils until tender but firm preserves their texture, while rinsing them under cold water stops the cooking and cools them promptly. Optional golden raisins and sliced almonds provide sweet and crunchy notes, enriching the mixed textures of the salad.
This salad serves well chilled or at room temperature, making it suitable for potlucks or as a side dish with grilled meats or roasted vegetables. Its combination of fresh, crunchy vegetables with hearty lentils creates a satisfying and textured salad that holds well after mixing.
Using pre-cooked canned lentils can speed up preparation, but adjusting salt levels is important to prevent over-seasoning. The recipe notes advise using about 3 cups of cooked lentils if canned, with lower salt added accordingly. Dicing vegetables smaller increases flavor distribution throughout the salad, enhancing each bite.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups green lentils or 4 ½ cups pre-cooked lentils, or brown lentils, dry
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon mustard stone-ground
- 2 garlic minced, small cloves
- 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons salt fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper ground
- 1 cucumber , diced (about 1 ½ cups)
- 1 red onion , diced (about 1 ¼ cups)
- 1 red bell pepper , diced (about ¾ cup)
- 3 celery diced (about 1 cup, stalks
- 1 cup golden raisins (optional)
- 1 cup almonds optional, sliced
Instructions
- To cook the lentils, combine 1 ½ cups of dry lentils with 4 ½ cups of water. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan that is large enough for the lentils to triple in size as they cook. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender, but still firm, about 20 minutes.
- While the lentils are cooking, prepare the dressing. In a large bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt, and black pepper, then whisk well to combine.
- When the lentils are tender, drain any excess liquid and rinse the cooked lentils under cold water to stop the cooking process and help them cool down faster.
- While the lentils cool, you can dice the cucumber, onion, bell pepper, and celery if you haven't already. The smaller you dice them, the more flavor you'll get in each bite. Add the chopped vegetables to the large bowl of dressing and toss to combine. Add in the cooled lentils, and stir again.
- Add in the raisins and sliced almonds, if desired, then season with additional salt, as needed. Serve right away with a slotted spoon to let the excess dressing drip away, or transfer the salad to an airtight container to chill in the fridge. Shake or stir before serving again to make sure the dressing is evenly distributed.
Notes
- If using canned pre-cooked lentils, reduce the amount of salt to about 1 1/2 teaspoons to avoid over-salting.
- Dicing vegetables finely helps distribute flavors and textures evenly in the salad.
- The salad yields roughly 8 cups and nutrition information is estimated per 1 heaping cup.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 8Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 214 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 214kcal | 11% |
| Carbohydrates | 28g | 9% |
| Protein | 10g | 20% |
| Fat | 7g | 11% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Sodium | 620mg | 26% |
| Potassium | 509mg | 11% |
| Fiber | 12g | 48% |
| Sugar | 5g | 10% |
| Vitamin A | 975IU | 20% |
| Vitamin C | 40.7mg | 45% |
| Calcium | 40mg | 4% |
| Iron | 2.9mg | 16% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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