Healthy Lentil Salad Recipe (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

5 from 1 vote

Healthy Lentil Salad Recipe (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

This earthy-flavored and healthy lentil salad is made with spinach, Kalamata olives, mushrooms, cucumber, extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon, oregano, and dill.

Prep Time15

Cook Time35

Course: Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean

Keyword: dairy-free, healthy, legumes, lunch, superfood

Servings: to 6

Calories: 369kcal

Ingredients

For The Lentils:

1 cup brown lentils (or green, or French green lentils)
50 grams (½ small) red onion minced
1 bay leaf

For The Salad:

170 grams (6 ounce) mushrooms (oyster or brown mushrooms) diced 1 cm ¼ inch thick
1 tablespoon olive oil
100 grams (3.5 ounce) long sweet red pepper sliced in half and seeded
50 grams (2 cups) small, tender fresh spinach leaves chunky chopped (or whole baby spinach leaves)
140 grams (5 ounce) English cucumber peeled and diced 1 cm ¼ inch thick
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh dill
30 grams (1 ounce) pitted Kalamata olives chopped

For The Dressing:

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dry oregano

Instructions

Prepare The Lentils:

Cook the lentils. Add them to a small cooking pot along with 3 cups of water, onion, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then drop heat to low cover and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes. Or until lentils are tender but not mushy.
Drain and rinse the lentils in a strainer. Discard the bay leaf.

Prepare The Salad:

Cook the mushrooms. Heat a non-stick pan over high heat until it's smokey hot. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and immediately (but carefully) toss in the mushrooms. Cook for 5-6 minutes shaking the pan and flipping the mushrooms often until they are well browned and almost dry and crisp.
Cool the mushrooms on a plate.
Roast the pepper. In the same pan add the red pepper. Roast for 2-3 minutes. Then add it to a cutting board and let it cool. When it's cool enough to handle dice it the same size as that of the mushrooms.

Prepare The Dressing:

Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing in a small mixing bowl and whisk well.

Mix The Salad:

In a large mixing bowl combine the lentils, red pepper, mushrooms, cucumber, spinach, olives, dill, and the dressing. Stir well with a spoon and serve. Or leave the salad for 1-2 hours in the fridge for a stronger flavor. Enjoy!

Nutrition