Marinated lentil salad with tangy dressing

Whether you’re looking for new packed lunch ideas, adding more healthy meal prep to your life, or thinking about that next potluck, cold salads are a good tool for your back pocket.

I especially love salads that eat like a meal.

Ones that come to mind?

Curried tofu salad, Israeli couscous salad, black bean corn avocado salad, and today’s recipe for marinated lentil salad.

In this post:

This lentil recipe is from Angela Liddon’s second cookbook, Oh She Glows Every Day.

You may know Angela from the popular Oh She Glows blog.

Oh She Glows Every Day is gorgeous with large, inviting color photos. And the recipes had me marking page, after page, after page.

(Don’t miss the crowd-pleasing Caesar salad! It was a big favorite around here.)

The cookbook includes over 100 recipes. The ingredients are ones that can easily be found in any grocery store or farmers market.

Oh She Glows Every Day is filled with the kind of food that lets plants take the center stage and shine.

One recipe that I’ve made again and again from this cookbook is the marinated lentils.

This lentil salad is light but filling. It includes sun-dried tomatoes, green onions, and fresh parsley. Red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard give it tang & bite.

Lentil salad is a terrific meal planning recipe, because it will last throughout the whole workweek.

Make it on Sunday. Then add it to salads, spoon it into lettuce cups, add it to wraps or toasted pita.

Because it is best served cold or at room temperature, it’s also a good option for potlucks, and picnics.

Especially if you don’t know how many vegan options will be available, lentil salad is a protein-rich option that goes well alongside potato salad or a vegetable sandwich.

French green lentils: French lentils du Puy are small & dark greenish gray. They really hold their shape. That makes for a nice, toothsome bite that doesn’t get overly soft in marinating liquid.

Look for them with other dried lentils & legumes.

Brown lentils: This is the most common type of lentil. It has a flat, round shape. Look for it with other dried lentils.

Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed has the best flavor.

Dijon mustard: This adds tang & bite. If you’d prefer a milder mustard, try stoneground.

Green onions: They’re also known as scallions.

Parsley: Look for bright green fresh parsley that isn’t wilted.

Instead of chopping, I recommend using kitchen shears. They keep it from getting overly smashed or wet.

Sun-dried tomatoes: You’ll want oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. Drain & finely chop. Again, I recommend using kitchen shears for easier chopping.

Pantry staples: Extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, maple syrup, salt, and pepper.

Start by putting all of the lentils in a fine mesh sieve.

Run water over them. And run your fingers through the lentils in search of any debris to remove.

Then put the lentils in a pot of water.

Bring to a boil. Then lower the heat & cook for 20 to 25 minutes.

Once they are tender but still have some bite to them, drain them.

Whisk the following in a large bowl:

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Red wine vinegar
• Lemon juice
• Dijon mustard
• Maple syrup
• Salt
• Pepper

Then stir in:

• Green onions
• Parsley
• Sun-dried tomatoes

Stir in the drained lentils.

Serve warm. Or pop the salad into the refrigerator to serve cold.

You can make this salad your own with a few easy substitutions or swaps.

• Add diced avocado for extra creamy, fatty goodness. (Keep in mind that avocado will brown over time. If necessary, add it to your own personal serving when you’re ready to eat.)
• Add crumbles of vegan feta cheese for briny bite.
• For more tomato-y goodness, add halved cherry tomatoes.
• For crunch and salt, add a handful of chopped roasted pistachios.
• If you don’t have red wine vinegar on hand, replace it with brown rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
• If Dijon mustard is too nose clearing intense for you, use stone-ground mustard instead.
• Don’t have maple syrup on hand? Swap it out with agave syrup.
• Don’t like parsley? Me neither! Use cilantro instead.

Lentil salad can be eaten on its own, straight out of the refrigerator, as a snack.

It pairs well with any of the following salads:

• Spinach salad with strawberries
• Tomato cucumber salad
• Easy spinach salad
• Fall salad with apples and candied pecans
• Delicata squash salad

Or make a meal of side dishes with any of these dishes:

• Roasted delicata squash
• Broccolini with garlic and kale
• Roasted Brussels sprouts with apples
• Baked fries

📖 Recipe

Tangy lentil salad (The best marinated lentils)

Author: Angela Liddon

5 from 3 votes

Every plant-based eater needs a quick, satisfying, versatile, and protein heavy side dish to rely on at a moment’s notice. I created this lentil dish because I was looking for something that could be thrown together in less than a half hour and that I could store in the fridge for the whole workweek.

Sun-dried tomatoes add umami and depth of flavor, while the tart, mustardy vinaigrette adds brightness and acidity to the earthy lentils.

It’s delicious on top of salads, stuffed into Bibb lettuce cups, thrown into wraps or pitas, or simply served as the main protein source for any meal. I like to serve it alongside a quick-and-easy stir-fry of seasonal vegetables.

For the best texture, I recommend cooking the lentils from scratch (as opposed to using canned lentils). If you already have cooked lentils on hand, you’ll need about 3 ½ cups (875 mL) for this recipe. Recipe makes 4 cups (1 L) of marinated lentils.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 people

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Vegan

Keyword: freezer friendly, gluten free, soy free

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup French green lentils uncooked
• ▢ ½ cup brown lentils or green, uncooked
• ▢ 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons plus 1 ½ teaspoons red wine vinegar or to taste
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons maple syrup
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fine sea salt or to taste
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 to 1 ½ cups thinly sliced green onions about 1 medium bunch, dark and light green parts only
• ▢ ⅓ cup fresh parsley leaves minced
• ▢ ½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes drained and finely chopped

Instructions

• ▢
  Pick over the lentils, discarding any debris. Rinse and drain the lentils and put them in a medium saucepan along with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium to high heat, then reduce the heat to medium. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender.
• ▢
  In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Stir in the green onions, parsley, and tomatoes.
• ▢
  Drain the lentils very well. Spoon them into the bowl with the other ingredients (it’s okay if they are still warm) and stir well. Season with additional salt and pepper.
• ▢
  Serve immediately, or let cool slightly and then cover and marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight. Stir well before serving.

Notes

This dish will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days, or you can freeze it in a freezer-safe zip-top bag with the air pressed out for up to 1 month. After thawing, I recommend adding extra dressing and salt to liven it up again.

Reprinted from Oh She Glows Every Day by arrangement with Avery, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright 2016, Glo Bakery Corporation.

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Nutrition

Calories: 174kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 4g | Sodium: 325mg | Potassium: 270mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 425IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 3.3mg

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of Oh She Glows Every Day for review. The thoughts & opinions are totally my own. 

Content and photos updated August 2020. Originally posted September 2016.