Lentil and Cranberry Salad

Overhead view on a cranberry and lentil salad in a bowl with a spoon.

5 from 1 vote

Lentil and Cranberry Salad

A Lentil and Cranberry Salad with spinach, apples, feta, and walnuts, tossed in a simple apple cider vinaigrette. Budget-friendly, filling, and flexible.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Total Cost: $9.42 recipe / $1.57 serving

Servings: servings (1/3 cup each)

Calories: 288kcal

Author: Melissa Nolan

Equipment

Medium Pot with Lid
Colander
Large Bowl
Small Bowl
Whisk

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

3 cups water $0.00
1 cup brown lentils uncooked and rinsed (180g) $0.76
6 oz. fresh spinach 6 cups (170g) $2.18
½ cup dried cranberries 85g, $0.98
1 Granny Smith apple cored, and small dice (1 cup, 220g) $0.80
½ cup feta cheese 85g, $2.21
⅓ cup walnuts chopped (55g) $1.63

Vinaigrette Ingredients

1 lemon juiced, $0.58*
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar $0.04
2 tsp Dijon mustard $0.04
1 tsp granulated sugar $0.01
¼ tsp garlic powder $0.01
½ tsp salt $0.02
½ tsp black pepper freshly cracked, $0.08
⅛ cup vegetable oil $0.08**

Instructions

Gather and prepare all ingredients.
Bring 3 cups of water to a simmer in a medium pot. Once it’s simmering, add the lentils. Let the pot return to a simmer and place a lid tilted on top. Allow the lentils to simmer for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, taste the lentils to test the texture. They should be tender but not mushy. Drain the lentils in a colander and rinse with cold water to cool.
While the lentils are cooking, make the vinaigrette. Whisk the lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, Dijon, sugar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until combined.
While constantly whisking, slowly pour the oil into the bowl until smooth. Set aside.
To make the salad, add the cooked lentils and spinach to a large bowl. Add the cranberries, diced apples, feta, and walnuts, then fold.
Drizzle the salad with the vinaigrette and toss to combine.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*You can use 2-3 Tbsp of bottled lemon juice instead of fresh.

**I used vegetable oil to make the vinaigrette because that’s what I had on hand. Feel free to use olive oil or any other oils you desire.

Nutrition

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