Fresh and Easy Green Lentil Salad Recipe

This green lentil salad recipe is healthy, fresh, and totally delicious! It makes a great light meal or side dish.

I don’t have too many lentil recipes on the blog, but that should probably change. They’re versatile and go well in many meals.

I wanted to make a really quick and simple cold lentil salad, and I am very happy with how this one turned out.

How to cook green lentils

Cover them with water and gently simmer them for 30-40 minutes.

Pro tip: don’t salt them before they’re cooked – this can mess with their texture.

This healthy lentil salad is packed with good stuff:

• Cucumber
• Red onion
• Red pepper
• Tomatoes
• Parsley
• Mint
• Capers
• Lemon juice
• Olive oil

Aside from having to cook the lentils, everything else is just quick prep and you chuck it all into a salad bowl.

Lentils can be fairly plain on their own, so that’s why I have things in here like red onion, mint, and capers, and I made sure to season this salad generously with salt since cooking lentils in salted water is not recommended.

These ingredients really lift the flavor. I suggest playing with the dressing quantities so it’s exactly right for your taste buds.

And, as always, feel free to swap out ingredients you don’t like and/or throw in whatever is in your fridge. This is one of those salads where the phrase “the more, the merrier” applies.

This vegan lentil salad keeps well in the fridge for a few days in a sealed container, so it actually lends itself pretty well to meal prep.

This dish is hearty enough to be delicious for cold weather, but I also think the freshness lends itself to summer. Ah, summer how I miss you.

More lentil recipes to try:

• Mediterranean Lentil Salad
• Vegan Sweet Potato Curry (Crockpot Recipe)
• Pumpkin and Lentil Soup

Hope you love this green lentil salad recipe!

Let me know in the comments below if you’ve tried it or have any questions.

4.80 from 5 votes

Fresh and Easy Green Lentil Salad Recipe

By Natasha Bull

This green lentil salad recipe is healthy, fresh, and totally delicious! It makes a great light meal or side dish. 

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 40 minutes mins

Servings: 4

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Ingredients 

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• ▢ 3/4 cup uncooked green lentils rinsed
• ▢ 2 cups water
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper chopped
• ▢ 2 Persian (mini) cucumbers sliced
• ▢ Large handful little tomatoes halved
• ▢ 1 tablespoon capers
• ▢ 2 tablespoons red onion chopped
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh mint chopped
• ▢ Juice of 1/2 lemon or to taste
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil or to taste
• ▢ Salt & pepper to taste

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Instructions 

• Rinse the lentils and add them to a medium pot along with the 2 cups of water over medium-high heat. Bring to a rapid simmer then reduce the heat so it gently simmers for 30-40 minutes or until the lentils are cooked.
• Meanwhile, prep the other ingredients and add them to a medium salad bowl. 
• When the lentils are done (they shouldn't be mushy, but they shouldn't be too firm either), drain them and rinse with cool water and then drain them again and add them to the salad bowl. 
• Add the lemon juice and olive oil (you may need to add more depending on your taste preferences). Add salt & pepper to taste. Toss. Salad will keep for a few days in the fridge. 

Notes

• It's best not to salt the lentils until after they're cooked. Keep this in mind and don't forget to give the salad plenty of salt for flavor. 
• Serves 2-4 depending on whether it's a main course or side.
• Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition

Calories: 175kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 69mg, Potassium: 521mg, Fiber: 12g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 1491IU, Vitamin C: 50mg, Calcium: 36mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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