Easy French Lentil Salad

This French lentil salad is refreshing, wholesome and delicious. It’s great for meal prepping and perfect as a weekday lunch or dinner. In saying this, it goes equally well alongside a bigger spread or BBQ.

The salad is made in under 30 minutes and uses ingredients that are easy to come by. The French lentils are cooked together with bay leaves and a pinch of salt which gives them a beautiful flavour. Bay leaves are a fantastic addition to cooking when you want to add subtle bitterness to combat the heaviness of some ingredients, including lentils. To make this salad refreshing, we add capsicum, cherry tomatoes, shallot, cucumber and parsley leaves. Additionally, there are toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds in the salad that add a bit of crunch to the salad. Lastly, the dressing adds some zing thanks to the lemon juice and of course, the beautiful taste (and slight spiciness) of extra virgin olive oil.

If you’re looking for more delicious salads that are meal-prep friendly, make sure to also check out these recipes:

• Crispy Chickpea, Quinoa and Green Bean Salad
• Quinoa and Pumpkin Salad
• Soba Noodle Salad with Smoked Tofu

I hope you enjoy this French lentil salad. Please let me know how you go and don’t forget to tag @nothangryanymore in your creations on Instagram. Seeing them makes my day!

Annick

Easy French Lentil Salad

Annick

A delicious and wholesome salad. Perfect for lunch or as a light dinner and great for meal prepping.

5 from 3 votes

(Click on the stars to vote!)

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Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Lunch, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine French

Servings 4 people

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  

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Salad

• 300 g French lentils
• 500 g water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 20 g pumpkin seeds
• 20 g sunflower seeds
• 1 red capsicum
• 300 g cherry tomatoes
• 1 small cucumber
• 1 shallot
• 1 handful parsley

Dressing

• 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Rinse the French lentils and add them to a pot together with the bay leaves, salt and around 500g water. Cook the lentils for 22-25 minutes until tender.

  There should be enough water but feel free to add more if you feel like you need it.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Once hot, toast the pumpkin and sunflower seeds for 8 minutes. Alternatively, toast the seeds in a fry pan on the stove.
• Meanwhile, cut the capsicum and the cucumber into small pieces. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and thinly chop the shallot. Add everything to the salad bowl.
• Once the lentils are cooked, drain the water. Rinse the lentils with cold water until they're completely cooled. Add the cold lentils to the salad bowl.
• Add the toasted pumpkin and sunflower as well as a handful of parsley leaves to the salad bowl.
• To make the dressing, mix the wholegrain mustard, extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl. Season the dressing with salt and pepper to your liking.
• Pour the dressing over the salad and mix everything together. Serve right away or store in closed containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Keyword capsicum, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, gluten free, lemon, lentils, mustard, parsley, vegan

Nutrition Facts

Easy French Lentil Salad

Amount Per Serving (400 g)

Calories 251 Calories from Fat 81

% Daily Value*

Fat 9g14%

Saturated Fat 1.3g8%

Trans Fat 0g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2.6g

Monounsaturated Fat 4.2g

Cholesterol 0mg0%

Sodium 248mg11%

Potassium 801mg23%

Carbohydrates 37.5g13%

Fiber 11.9g50%

Sugar 5.2g6%

Protein 11.6g23%

Vitamin A 154IU3%

Vitamin C 69mg84%

Calcium 174mg17%

Iron 10mg56%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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