Summer Lentil Salad

4.60 from 5 votes

A simple and satisfying Summer Lentil Salad with fresh veggies, feta, and a tangy lemon vinaigrette. Perfect for meal prep or as a colorful potluck side!

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Total Cost: $8.10 recipe / $1.35 serving

Servings: servings (heaping 1.5 cups per serving)

Calories: 200kcal

Author: Melissa Nolan

Equipment

Medium Pot with Lid
Colander
Small Bowl
Whisk
Large Bowl

Ingredients

3 cups water $0.00
1 cup brown lentils uncooked and rinsed, (180g) $0.77*
1 lemon juice and zest, $0.58**
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar $0.09
1 tsp Dijon mustard $0.02***
1 tsp granulated sugar $0.01
½ tsp salt $0.02
½ tsp black pepper freshly cracked, $0.08
⅛ cup vegetable oil $0.08
½ English cucumber small dice (180g, 1.25 cups) $0.49
1 yellow bell pepper small dice (180g, 1.25 cups) $1.48
10 oz cherry tomatoes halved (283g) $2.54
¼ cup feta cheese crumbled, (30g) $0.67
5 oz fresh spinach 142g, $0.99
2 green onions sliced, $0.28

Instructions

Gather and prepare all ingredients.
Bring 3 cups of water to a simmer in a medium pot. Once it’s at a simmer, add the rinsed lentils. Let the pot return to a simmer and place a lid tilted on top. Allow the lentils to simmer for about 15 minutes. After 15 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, zest, red wine vinegar, Dijon, sugar, 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, in a large bowl, add the cooked lentils, cucumbers, bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes. Fold until combined.
Add the feta, spinach, and green onions, then fold again.
Drizzle the salad with the vinaigrette and fold to combine.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*Brown lentils are easy to cook; just taste for doneness, then drain in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. They should not be mushy!

**Dijon mustard helps emulsify the vinaigrette and helps hold the oil and vinegar together. Don't skip it!

***You can use 2-3 Tbsp of bottled lemon juice instead of squeezing a fresh lemon. Just keep in mind you’ll miss out on the brightness and aroma from the fresh lemon zest if you go that route.

Nutrition

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