Ingredients
Salad
- 3 cups cooked unsalted green or brown lentils 594 g, cooled and thoroughly drained
- 2 medium carrots 120 g, finely diced
- 2 stalks celery 100 g, finely diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper 150 g after trimming, finely diced
- 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley 30 g, washed and dried
Dressing
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 60 g
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 40.5 g
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt 3 g
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 0.6 g
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 small bowl
- 1 Fine-mesh sieve
- 1 knife
- 1 Cutting board
Instructions
- Check that the cooked lentils are cool and thoroughly drained. If starting with dry lentils, rinse and sort, simmer according to the package until just tender, drain, and cool promptly in a shallow container in the refrigerator. Measure 3 cups after cooking and draining; this extra cooking and cooling time is not included in the 20-minute assembly time.
- Finely dice carrots, celery, and red pepper into approximately ¼-inch pieces. Add to a large bowl with lentils and chopped parsley.
- Whisk lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and black pepper together in a small bowl.
- Pour dressing over the salad and fold gently, lifting from the bottom, until evenly coated. Divide into four equal lunch portions or six side portions.
- Serve or refrigerate promptly in covered containers at 40°F (4°C) or below. Stir each portion before serving; use within 3–4 days from when the lentils were first cooked.
Nutrition
Serving: 1portion (1/4 batch)Calories: 296kcalCarbohydrates: 37.4gProtein: 14.5gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 1.5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 7.5gSodium: 340mgPotassium: 847mgFiber: 14.1gSugar: 6.5gVitamin A: 6944IUVitamin C: 68.4mgCalcium: 63mgIron: 5.8mg
Video
Video: Suzy Karadsheh of The Mediterranean Dish demonstrates a whole-lentil salad with fresh vegetables and lemon dressing. Her variation dresses warm lentils before cooling and uses cucumber, peppers, green onion, mint and garlic. Follow the recipe above for this version’s cooked, cooled lentils, carrot, celery, parsley and quantities.
Notes
The listed timing starts with cooked, cooled lentils. Do not substitute split red lentils. Canned lentils may be used after rinsing and thorough draining; match the 594 g cooked/drained amount, and note that sodium and texture may differ. Nutrition is an estimate for one-quarter of the batch, calculated from USDA SR28 ingredient values with all dressing included; optional bread, egg, and other sides are excluded.
