Lentil Salad with Fresh Herbs
This Lentil Salad with Fresh Herbs is a hearty dish that’s easy to make for lunches, dinners, and side dishes! Tender lentils are dressed in an aromatic oil, then tossed with lemon, fresh herbs, toasted nuts, and arugula. It’s a 30-minute meal that’s bursting with refreshing and mouth-watering flavors!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200g) French green lentils or Black Beluga lentils (see note 1)
- Kosher salt + freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup (56g) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
- 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ½ cup (~70g) pine nuts, or chopped almonds or pistachios (see note 2)
- 2 medium lemons, zested + 2 tablespoons of the juice
- 2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper (or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes; half for mild heat)
- Heaping ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
- 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons champagne vinegar (or red wine vinegar), more as needed
- 1 ½ cups (~24g) fresh soft herbs such as basil, mint, parsley, and/or cilantro, chopped (see note 3)
- 3 cups (40g) arugula
Instructions
- Cook the lentils. Fill a medium saucepan with water and generously salt, as you would salt cooking water for pasta. Once the water is boiling, add the lentils, bay leaf, and a few rounds of black pepper.
- Reduce the heat to simmer and maintain a simmer for 17 to 20 minutes, or until the lentils are al dente (tender but with a bite). When the lentils are al dente, drain them over a colander and discard the bay leaf. Shake the colander a few times to get rid of water.
- While the lentils cook, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once warm, add the shallots and garlic with a pinch of salt. Cook for 3 minutes, or until shallots are just starting to get some color.a. Add the pine nuts and cook, stirring from time to time, for 4 to 6 minutes, or until garlic is just turning golden brown around the edges and the pine nuts are toasted and nicely browned.b. Add lemon zest, chile flakes, and flaky salt, and cook for 30 seconds, tossing frequently. Take off heat immediately and pour into a large bowl to stop cooking.
- While the lentils cook, chop the fresh herbs.
- Add the lentils to the aromatic oil, season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt, black pepper to taste, and toss well. Add the vinegar (starting with 1 tablespoon), 2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh herbs and toss well to combine.
- Now add the arugula and toss together with tongs to just gently wilt. Season the salad with salt and pepper if needed.
Video
The 30-minute meal I make (almost) every week
Notes
1. You can sub green or brown lentils if you can’t find these varieties, though the lentils will be softer and won’t hold their shape as much. They also take less time to cook, about 15 minutes.
2. If allergic to nuts, use pepitas.
3. A few herb combos I like: mint and parsley; basil and parsley; mint and basil; cilantro and mint. You can leave small leaves whole for variety.
Nutrition
Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Sodium: 462mg | Potassium: 757mg | Fiber: 18g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 898IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 6mg