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Easy Lentil Salad
If you ever thought lentil salads were boring, think again! Fresh, delicious, and so easy to make. Vegan and gluten-free!
This recipe comes together very quickly once you cook the lentils. In fact, start cooking the lentils, and while they are cooking, you can chop and sauté and combine all of the rest of the ingredients. By the time the beans are cooked, you will have the other components of the salad all ready to go. The only thing that will be be left to do is toss it all together!
Best Lentils for Lentil Salad
You can make this salad with any kind of green or brown lentil. But hear me out: spend the extra change (not a lot—we’re talking about beans after all) and the extra few minutes to grab the good lentils, Italian or French, if this is at all a possibility in the reality of your legume world.
(Don’t use red, orange or yellow lentils here—they are delicious but get very soft when cooked, and won’t work in this sort of salad. They are terrific in soups and Indian dishes like dals.)
What is Lentil Salad Made Of?
In this salad the lentils are simply cooked, then combined with a balsamic-lemon dressing and some lightly cooked vegetables: onions carrots and celery.
And then the finishing touches: diced avocado, which pretty much always makes any salad that much better, here adding color and creaminess, plus healthy handfuls of sliced scallions (pop of color, bit of crunch, hit of spiciness) and fresh parsley (fresh and clean and herby).
The generous colorful assortment of chopped and diced vegetables results in a lentil salad that’s a little lighter than most, and very varied (e.g., not at all boring) within each bite. You can always add a handful of crumbled feta if you like.
Vegan Lentil Salad
To keep this salad vegan, use agave or maple syrup in the dressing instead of the honey. This salad can be served as a main course or as a side.
So, go for the good lentils—and let me know what you think!
Lentil Salad: This easy bean salad with a balsamic-lemon dressing is bursting with color, flavor, and textures.
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What to Serve with Lentil Salad:
Vegetarian or Vegan Recipes:
- Asparagus with Scallion Chimichurri Sauce
- Goat Cheese and Mushroom Quesadillas
- Roasted Lemon Brussels Sprouts
- Pesto Monkey Bread
- Grilled Romaine
- Spicy Greens Salad with Gochujang Dressing
Non-Vegetarian Recipes:
Other Lentil Recipes:
- Black Lentil and Butternut Squash with Provencal Vinaigrette
- Lentils and Carrots with Dried Apricots
- Red Lentil, Fennel and Chicken Slow Cooker Soup
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Lentil Salad
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 red onions chopped
- 3 carrots peeled and chopped
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 4 cups cooked lentils preferably French; see above
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey, maple syrup, or agave
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 2 avocados
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup thinly sliced scallions
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until the vegetables are just barely tender. Turn the mixture into a large bowl, and add the lentils.
- While the vegetables are cooking, in a small bowl or a container with a lid combine the remaining olive oil, vinegar, honey or other sweetener, lemon juice and zest, and salt and pepper. Stir or shake well. Pour the dressing over the lentil mixture and toss to combine. Cool to room temperature.
- Peel and dice the avocados. Add the avocado, parsley and scallions to the salad and toss gently to combine. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
