Easy Quinoa Lentil Salad with Feta
A fresh salad made with quinoa, lentils, feta, and fresh vegetables. I love a great salad with fresh vegetables and flavors that come together easily. I could eat this salad all by itself, or as a side with a larger meal. It holds up well either way. And the feta….mmmm, feta.
How many times can I say I love this salad? The fresh vegetables, the feta, (mmmmm), the lentils and quinoa all come together with a splash of lemon juice and olive oil. Sometimes it’s the simplest flavors that have the biggest impact. If you’re looking for the perfect summer salad to go along with some baked chicken; or any one of my salmon one pan meals, such as my Salmon One Pan Meal with Broccoli and Smashed Potatoes, or Salmon One Pan Meal with Sweet Potatoes and Asparagus.
What lentils should I use?
Although there are thousands of varieties of lentils, only about 80 varieties are actually grown. Probably the ones you are most familiar with are brown lentils. While these would be an ok choice for this salad, they do tend to get a bit mushy when they are cooked.
Whole green lentils, whole red lentils, split red lentils, French green lentils, and black Beluga lentils are some of the most common lentils eaten. Red lentils fall apart and become very mushy as they cook, making them a good option for curries. Due to their thicker seed coat, French green lentils, green lentils, and black Beluga lentils are the best options for this salad. We want a lentil that will stay intact when mixed with everything else.
Tips and Substitutions
Ingredients
- Quinoa The tri-color quinoa would look really great in this salad, though I just used the plain white ones.
- Lentils Lentils provide part of the main bulk of this salad. The best ones to use are Green lentils, French Green lentils, or Black Beluga lentils.
- Tomatoes Adds freshness to this salad.
- Green Onion The mild flavor or green onions adds a bit of onion flavor without being overpowering.
- Chickpeas Adds more bulk and a light, nutty flavor.
- Feta Feta is one of my favorite cheeses. It’s so fresh, with a slight salty flavor.
- Italian Parsley Also called ‘flat’ parsley due to it not being curly like regular parsley. It also has more flavor than regular parsley.
- Dill
- Cumin, sumac, salt/pepper I love the warm, earthy, citrusy notes of cumin and the floral citrus flavor of sumac. They pair well together in this dish.
- Lemon juice and olive oil A simple dressing of lemon juice and olive oil is all this salad needs.
How to Make Quinoa Lentil Salad
This salad is so simple to make yet packed with tons of fresh flavor. First things first, cook the quinoa and lentil according to their package directions. While those are cooking, chop the tomatoes, green onion, Italian parsley, and dill. Crumble the feta.
Once the quinoa and lentil are cooked, mix them in a bowl together and pop it in the fridge to cool down a bit while you continue to chop the vegetables.
Once you are done chopping the veggies, take the bowl out of the fridge and add the tomatoes, green onion, chickpeas, feta, Italian parsley, dill, and spices. Mix everything together. Drizzle the lemon juice and olive oil over the salad and mix to incorporate. I also like to add 1-2 tablespoons of the brine from the feta. It has a lot of flavor and adds some saltiness to the salad. I tend to add little to no salt and pepper to this dish as some people may not want as much as others. Each person can add the amount of salt/pepper that they want.
You can eat it right away, but I prefer to let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors develop. Yum!
Why I love this recipe (and so will you!)
Other Salads to Try
- Easy Tabouli Salad
- Easy Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad with Spinach and Feta
- Arugula Salad with Feta and Lemon Vinaigrette
Frequently Asked Questions
Store quinoa lentil salad in a air-tight refrigerator safe container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
No, I do not recommend freezing this salad. It would not hold up well.
Quinoa Lentil Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quinoa, dry
- 1 cup lentils, dry
- 2 cups tomatoes, chopped
- 1 bunch green onion, chopped
- 1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped
- 1 cup chick peas
- 1 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 tablespoon dill, chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground sumac
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 ounces lemon juice, fresh
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Cook lentils and quinoa according to package instructions. The quinoa cooks quite quickly, so keep an eye on it so it does not burn. The lentils take a little bit longer.
- While lentils and quinoa are cooking, chop tomatoes, green onion, Italian parsley, and dill. Drain the chickpeas and rinse under running water to remove some of the added salt.
- Once the quinoa and lentils are done cooking, be sure to drain the water from them (if there is any) before adding them to a large bowl.
- Add the chopped vegetables, spices, feta, lemon juice, and olive oil to the same bowl and mix everything until fully incorporated. Refrigerate the salad for 30 minutes before eating to let the flavors develop.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- I do not recommend freezing this salad.
- The lentil and quinoa can be made a day ahead of time, if needed.
- You can use canned lentils to save time, just remember to rinse them off as the canned variety has a lot of sodium. Be sure to rinse off the chickpeas as well.
Nutrition
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