I’m trying to stock my fridge with some healthy options for the week ahead because I didn’t do so well last week. So, this morning I threw together some of my favorite flavors (garlic, lemon, feta) into an easy Marinated Lentil Salad. This salad makes a great side dish on its own, or you can bulk it up a number of ways to turn it into its own meal.
What Kind of Lentils Work Best for Lentil Salad?
I suggest a firm variety, like brown or green. I used brown lentils, which only take about 20 minutes to cook in boiling water. Green lentils take much longer, about 45 minutes. If you’re unsure of what type you have, check the cooking instructions on the package. I do not suggest using red, yellow, or orange lentils for this recipe, as they do not hold their shape when cooked.
Make Lentil Salad a Meal
If you want to bulk this up, you could add any of the following:
- chopped rotisserie chicken
- chickpeas
- chopped cucumber
- chopped bell pepper
- or even cooked and cooled rice
Serve as a salad or stuff it into a pita! I especially like to mix a dollop of hummus with the Marinated lentil salad, which gives even more garlicky flavor and a wonderful texture contrast to the lentils.
Tomato Options
The most expensive ingredient in this salad for me was the pint of grape tomatoes. They can be quite pricey, so if you want to cut costs even further just replace the grape tomatoes with about 3 diced Roma tomatoes, or whatever variety of tomato is least expensive at your grocery store. I tend to like Roma the best as a second choice here because the flesh is firm and they hold up well to the salad.
Meal Prep It!
This lentil salad tastes great right after mixing it all up, but it gets even better with time in the fridge (leftovers FTW!), which makes it perfect for meal prep! Just remember to give it a quick stir before eating to redistribute that wonderful dressing.
Marinated Lentil Salad
Servings 6 1 cup eachIngredients
LEMON GARLIC DRESSING
- 1 lemon ($0.59)
- 1/4 cup olive oil ($0.44)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano ($0.15)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- Freshly Cracked Pepper
SALAD
- 1 cup dry brown lentils ($0.40)
- 1/2 bunch parsley ($0.40)
- 1 pint grape tomatoes ($2.99)
- 1/4 small red onion ($0.24)
- 2 oz feta, crumbled ($1.12)
Instructions
- Cook the lentils according to the package directions. For most brown lentils, bring 3 cups of water to boil in a pot, add the lentils, then continue to boil for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Drain the lentils in a colander and rinse briefly with cool water until they are cooled.
- While the lentils are cooking, prepare the lemon garlic dressing. Use a microplane, zester, or small-holed cheese grater to remove about 1 Tbsp of the lemon’s zest (the thin, yellow, outer layer of the peel). Set the zest aside. Juice the lemon and measure 1/4 cup of the juice to use for the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper. Set the dressing aside.
- Rinse the parsley well, shake off as much water as possible, then pull the leaves from the stems. Roughly chop the parsley leaves. Cut the grape tomatoes in half. Finely dice the red onion.
- When the lentils are cooked, cooled, and well drained, transfer them to a large bowl. Add the chopped parsley, tomatoes, red onion, crumbled feta, lemon zest, and the prepared dressing. Stir to combine the ingredients and coat everything in dressing.
- Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to eat. Always stir the salad just before serving to redistribute the dressing and flavors.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
How to Make Lentil Salad – Step by Step Photos
Begin by cooking one cup of dry lentils. Lentils are incredibly easy to cook. It’s just like pasta. Bring a large pot of water to boil (for one cup lentils, make it at least 3 cups water), add the lentils, then cook until tender (20 minutes for brown lentils). Drain the lentils in a colander and rinse briefly with cool water to cool them off.
While the lentils are cooking, prepare the Lemon Garlic Dressing. Remove about 1 Tbsp zest from the lemon using a microplane, zester, or small-holed cheese grater. Set the zest aside for later. Juice the lemon and use about 1/4 cup for the dressing.
To the 1/4 cup lemon juice, add 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, and some freshly cracked pepper. Whisk the ingredients together. Set the dressing aside so it has a few minutes to blend.
Prepare the vegetables for the salad. Rinse 1/2 bunch of parsley and shake off as much water as possible. Pull the leaves from the stems, then give them a rough chop (about 1 cup once chopped). Slice the grape tomatoes in half. Finely dice the red onion. I really don’t like including small amounts like “1/4 red onion” in recipes, but red onion is one of those ingredients that is very potent and you really only need a small amount. To avoid wasting the rest of the onion, consider adding it to salads, pizzas, frittatas, or pickling the onions for longer storage.
Once the lentils are cooked, cooled, and drained, add them to a large bowl along with the lemon zest, chopped parsley, tomatoes, diced onion, and 2oz. crumbled feta.
Pour on the prepared Lemon Garlic Dressing…
Then just stir everything up until evenly combined and coated in dressing. The salad is pretty irresistible as is, but it gets even better as it sits in the fridge and those lentils absorb all that awesome flavor!
This is not going to last me long… I can’t stop scooping forkfuls into my mouth! In reality, though, this Marinated Lentil Salad makes about 6 cups, so depending on how you serve it, it’s about six servings. Ideas for bulking it out further can be found in the intro! Enjoy!
One of my all time favorites. I love that this recipe satisfies so many cravings, is very filling, and healthy. It’s definitely a staple in my house.
Such a crowd pleaser! Served it with tortilla chips and everybody loved it
Just went into my favortie recipes collection!
Thank you
This week I made lunch boxes with this salad, a hard boiled eggs, sliced cucumbers, and whole wheat crackers. It’s delicious, healthy, and filling! I made it last term, but my office-mate requested that I made less smelly lunches so I left out the red onion and some of the garlic, and added more feta for flavor. The recipe as written is pretty pungent for a small office.
I used Red Lentils! Not a good idea on my end. New to the lentil thing. but still made a addition to the salad.
I just made this! It lasted quite a while in the fridge and was great both just on its own and in a wrap with some hummus, as suggested. I used shallot instead of red onion, since I had one, and added yellow peppers and cucumber for extra veggies. I will be making this again!!
I forgot to add: I used my Instant Pot for the lentils, and they were perfect!
Love this recipe!! We leave out the feta to make it vegan and it is still delightful. My new favorite lunch is wrapping this lentil salad, fresh spinach, a little bit of tahini and drizzle of sriracha in a whole wheat tortilla. Heavenly!
I’ve been making something pretty close to this salad. Never thought of adding feta. What a great idea.
Yummy. Just made this and it’s delish.
Making this tonight. Do you think it would do well as a freezer meal?
I think this one is better fresh. You’ll lose the vibrant fresh flavor of the tomatoes and parsley if it’s frozen.
Could you please post the nutritional fact sheet?
Thanks
Another amazing recipe, thank you so much!
Just made this tonight for the first time and it was so amazingly good that I will save the recipe on my desktop so I can make it again and again. I made it exactly as written except that I had to use a yellow onion due to lack of having a red one. My husband agreed that it will become a staple in our home. Easy, healthy and sooo delicious. Thank you for another great recipe!
Here it is in freezing cold December and I’m making this recipe for the second time because it’s as near to perfection as it gets! I spent my summer surviving on various cold pasta and/or grain salads and I only wish this recipe had come out sooner. It is one of my all-time favorites. Also, I love lentils and while they are super healthy and always taste wonderful, this is probably one of the only recipes I’ve come across that also manages to make brown lentils look attractive. Bonus points! :)
This recipe was perfect for camping! It was easy to prep ahead of time and got tastier each day. Definitely making it again.
This was so good! A filling (but not TOO filling) & fresh lunch that is perfect to bring to work. I used fresh basil instead of parsley & added chickpeas and spinach to bulk it out. I also only had red lentils, so I kept a close eye on them while cooking so they wouldn’t be overdone… so far they haven’t fallen apart, but I will definitely use brown lentils next time! I could probably rotate between this and the Mediterranean Farro Salad for my desk lunches forever. Both recipes are delicious and a great way to get protein and veggies. I love actually looking forward to my lunch – thanks Beth!