Marinated Lentil Salad Recipes

MARINATED LENTIL SALAD

Steps:

• 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.

BIG-BATCH MARINATED LENTILS

Steps:

• Combine lentils and 2 tsp. salt in a large saucepan and pour in cold water to cover by at least 1". Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer gently until lentils are tender but still have some bite (like al dente pasta), about 20 minutes. Drain and return to pot.
• Meanwhile, whisk oil, vinegar, honey, paprika, and remaining 1 tsp. salt in a small bowl or measuring glass.
• Pour vinaigrette over hot lentils and toss to coat. Let sit at least 10 minutes before serving to give lentils time to absorb flavors from vinaigrette.
• Do ahead: Lentils can be prepared 5 days ahead. Transfer to an airtight container; cover and chill.

MARINATED LENTIL CHICKPEA SALAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, add lemon juice, syrup, mustard, garlic, and spices and whisk together well.
• In a medium sized mixing bowl, add your beans and lentils, diced vegetables and scallions then pour over your dressing.
• Give everything in the bowl a quick toss to coat, then adjust salt to taste.
• Place this salad in the fridge to chill for an hour before serving, and save remaining salad in the fridge to continue marinating overnight. When serving, you can drizzle your salad with some extra virgin olive oil.

MARINATED LENTILS WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Cook the lentils according to the directions on the package. Alternatively, you can follow my Instant Pot lentils recipe for green or brown lentils.
• Meanwhile, prepare the marinade. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes if they're larger than ½". Combine the tomatoes with the remaining marinade ingredients in a medium bowl and stir well.
• When the lentils are done, drain using a metal sieve and add the lentils to the marinade. Stir well and serve immediately, or as desired.

MARINATED LENTIL SALAD

Steps:

• In a large pot, sort through green lentils for any hard debris or rocks.
• Add 4 cups of water and 1 bay leaf and bring everything to a boil.
• Cover the pot slightly, leaving the lid ajar, and simmer gently for 25-30 minutes. Lentils are ready when the water is fully absorbed and lentils are tender to the bite.
• In a bowl, combine all dressing ingredients - olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, minced garlic, mustard, salt and pepper.
• Add in the diced onion to allow them to marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
• Throw in lentils, shredded carrots, diced celery, chopped parsley and diced green onions. Stir well and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve as is, or over a bed of greens.

MARINATED LENTIL SALAD

Steps:

• To prepare vinaigrette, combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
• Set aside.
• To prepare the salad, cook the parsnip and carrot in 6 cups boiling water for 1 minute or until tender; remove vegetables with a slotted spoon.
• Add lentils; bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender; drain in a colander.
• Cool.
• Combine parsnip, carrot, lentils, celery, onions, and parsley in a bowl; stir in vinaigrette.
• Marinate at room temperature for at least 20 minutes.

THE BEST MARINATED LENTILS

Steps:

• Pick over the French and green/brown lentils, discarding any debris. Rinse and drain the lentils and put them in a medium saucepan along with 4 cups (1 L) 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. This dish will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, 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.