This Mediterranean Lentil Salad is a hearty salad that’s perfect for lunch, a side dish or even a vegetarian main dish. Full of cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, feta and protein packed lentils. You’ll absolutely love the flavors and textures in this healthy salad!
This post has been updated since it was originally published on 1/16/2019.
Why I love it
High protein vegetarian salad – If you’re looking for a great source of vegetarian or vegan protein, lentils are one of my top picks. They’re great in salads, soups, or even as a filling for burritos or tacos like these sweet potato lentil tacos.
Affordable – A pound of dry lentils only costs a few dollars and can be stored in the pantry for up to a year.
Hearty side dish or main dish – This lentil salad is full of protein and fiber making it a great option to serve is a vegetarian main dish or lunch. You can also serve it as a side dish alongside chicken, salmon, or steak.
Great for meal prep – This is a salad that will hold up well for multiple days making it a great option if you do meal prep and need something to bring for lunches or to have for dinner during the week.
Are lentils healthy?
Lentils are a highly nutritious and part of the legume family. There’s nearly 18 grams of protein and 15.6 grams of fiber in a one cup serving. Along with protein and fiber they are an excellent source of iron, B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, and potassium.
The ingredients
- Green lentils – Green lentils have a firmer texture than red and brown lentils making them an excellent choice to use in salads.
- Cucumber – Persian or English cucumbers are best for this salad. They’re crisp, crunchy, and you don’t need to peel them.
- Red onion – Red onions don’t have as harsh or spicy of an onion flavor compared to yellow onions making them great for salads.
- Flat leaf parsley
- Cherry tomatoes – Add a nice pop of sweet flavor to the salad.
- Kalamata olives – Briny, salty, and a staple in both Mediterranean and Greek cooking.
- Feta – A salty, crumbly sheep’s milk cheese. For the best flavor and texture, buy a block and crumble it yourself.
- Red wine vinegar and fresh lemon juice – Both are used as the acidic component of the vinaigrette.
- Dijon mustard – Adds a hint of tang to the vinaigrette and also acts as an emulsifier to thicken it.
- Honey – Used to sweeten the vinaigrette.
- Dried oregano
- Olive oil – I like to use a good quality olive oil in salads where it won’t be cooked and the flavor will be noticeable.
How to make Mediterranean lentil salad
Cook the lentils – Pick out any debris from the lentils and then use a mesh strainer and rinse them with water. Add them to a saucepan with 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling cover with a lid and simmer for about 20 minutes or until they’re tender. Drain the lentils and let them cool then add them to a serving bowl.
Prep the remaining salad ingredients – While the lentils are cooling chop the cucumber, red onion, tomatoes, parsley, olives. Add everything to the serving bowl with the lentils and crumble in the feta cheese.
Make the vinaigrette – In a jar with a lid or a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette. Shake or whisk until well combined and pour over the salad. Toss everything together and taste for seasoning. Add additional salt and pepper if needed.
Lentil salad FAQ
If you’re looking to make this salad vegan, all you need to do is omit the feta cheese and substitute the honey for and equal amount of sugar or maple syrup.
Green lentils or French lentils work best for salads. They are firmer and hold their shape during the cooking process unlike red lentils which tend to fall apart. Black lentils (beluga lentils) like I used in this roasted sweet potato lentil salad, also work well for salads
The salad will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
More Mediterranean Recipes
- Grilled Tahini Chicken
- Mediterranean Chopped Salad
- Mediterranean Tuna Salad
- Healthy Chicken Shawarma Bowls
- Mediterranean Bulgur Salad with Carrots, Almonds and Feta
Did you make this Mediterranean lentil salad? I’d love if you’d leave a recipe rating and review below.
Mediterranean Lentil Salad
This Mediterranean Lentil Salad is a hearty vegetarian salad that’s perfect for lunch or a side dish. It's full of cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, feta and protein packed lentils.
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 cup uncooked green lentils, or 2 1/2 cups cooked
- 1 cup diced English or Persian cucumbers
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed between the palms of your hands
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the dry lentils to a mesh strainer and rinse with water. Place them In a medium sized saucepan with 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling cover with a lid, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender, but not mushy. Drain the lentils of any excess water and add them to a serving bowl, letting them cool while you prepare the remainder of the salad.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette and set aside.
- Add the remaining salad ingredients to the cooled lentils along with the vinaigrette. Gently stir everything together until combined. Taste for seasoning and serve or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 165Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 503mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 5gSugar: 5gProtein: 7g
I don’t know why this is called Mediterranean I have been doing salads like this for years and I am not from the Mediterranean, I just tossed anything that I think looks good into my salads
What gives it the trans fats? Thank you!
There are no trans fats in this salad, I’m not sure where you’re seeing that.
How much is a serving? 1 cup? Thanks
Very tasty! Added a little fresh mint and dill.
This salad looks really tasty! Thanks for including both cooked and uncooked measurements for the green lentils. I never know how much to measure out of my dry beans/legumes when the recipes only specified cooked volume :)
Have a nice day!