Best Lentil Salad

This lentil salad recipe is simply the best! It keeps in the fridge for 5 days, making it the perfect make-ahead recipe for work or school lunches!

The key to the best flavour in this lentil salad recipe is adding the lentils to the dressing while they are still warm. As the lentils cool, they will soak up all the flavours of the dressing ingredients.

I used green lentils for this recipe. They are sometimes labelled as 'puy lentils' or 'French lentils'. Regardless of which lentils you use, the KEY is to not overcook your lentils! Overcooked lentils will be the death of this recipe!

If you're looking for an easy protein & veg main to serve with this, my Sheet Pan Salmon & Broccoli or Fish in Parchment Paper would be lovely!

Best Lentil Salad

Serves 4-6

What you'll need:

Salad

1 cup dry green lentils

10 pitted kalamata olives, sliced

1/2 small red onion, minced

1/4 cup roughly chopped mint

1/4 cup roughly chopped parsley or cilantro

1/4 cup toasted almonds (or other nuts)

Handful or dried cranberries or currants

Crumbled feta cheese

Dressing

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp cloves

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 heaping tsp dijon mustard

Steps:

Add 1 cup dry green lentils to a pot of cold water, make sure the water is at least 3 inches above the lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until el dente. DO NOT OVER COOK the lentils, this is critical. Once the netils are cooked, drain the water and set the lentils aside to cool down a bit while you make the dressing.

In a large bowl whisk together 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cayenne, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 3 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp maple syrup and 1 heaping tsp dijon mustard. Add 1/2 small diced red onion, 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves and 1/4 cup chopped parsley to the bowl with the dressing and whisk again. Add the warm lentils to the bowl along with 1/4 cup toasted almonds, handful dried cranberries and your desired amount of crumbled feta cheese. Mix to combine.

Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Enjoy, my friends!