Greek Lentil Salad

This tasty Greek Lentil Salad recipe is made with lentils, cucumbers, red onion, tomatoes, sweet peppers, kalamata olives, feta cheese and fresh mint all tossed in the tastiest Red Wine Vinaigrette. It’s the best lentil salad recipe to make when you’re craving something healthy.

Our lentil salad with feta is a great salad to serve with grilled chicken or fish, or enjoy it as a vegetarian main. It also travels well to take to work, school and potlucks!

This easy Lentil Greek Salad recipe comes together in a pinch. We start out by cooking the lentils and while they simmer on the stovetop, we whisk together the dressing and prep the rest of the ingredients. The combination of ingredients tossed in our favorite red wine vinaigrette makes this salad completely addictive! 

Best Lentil Salad Recipe

• Lentils. Use green lentils because they hold their shape better after cooking. Use our tips for How to Cook Lentils to make the perfect Greek Lentil Salad. The lentils are cooked with garlic, bay leaf, green onion and olive oilAedc adds a lot of flavor to the lentils.
• Cucumber.  We use unpeeled Persian cucumber for this recipe. Perisan cucumbers are light tasting and crispy and they have few seeds and a delicate skin. If you use garden cucumbers, you’ll need to peel them and remove the seeds.
• Tomatoes. Use grape or cherry tomatoes (sliced in half) for this recipe, but you can also use Roma tomatoes cut in quarters if you like.
• Onions.  We use red onions for this salad which adds a lot of flavor to the mix. To mellow the onion flavor, just soak the slices of onion in a small bowl filled with water for about 20 minutes. Be sure to pat the onion sliced dry before adding them to the salad.
• Sweet Peppers.  Mini sweet peppers add a pop of flavor and color to this salad. (They are usually sold in small plastic bags near the bell peppers in the produce department).
• Olives. Kalamata olives add a nice flavor to the salad.
• Cheese. We sprinkle in crumbled Feta cheese to the mix.
• Mint.  Fresh mint adds a refreshing pop of flavor. You can also use fresh basil or parsley if you like, but we really love the flavor of fresh mint in this salad!
• Dressing.  We use our delicious homemade red wine vinaigrette for this lentil salad with feta. It’s quick and easy to make and it has a really great flavor!

Find printable recipe with the measurements below.

Variations

• Use fresh basil or parsley instead of mint.
• Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese instead of Feta or omit the cheese altogether.
• Toss the salad with a different dressing like our Fresh Basil Dressing, Lemon Olive Oil Dressing, Parmesan Vinaigrette,  Best Balsamic Vinaigrette or Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette.

How To Make Best Lentil Salad

1. Cook Lentils. Add the lentils to a pot and cover with water. Simmer until the lentils are just tender but not falling apart.
2. Make Dressing.  Whisk together the ingredients in a bowl or add the ingredients to a mason jar, seal the lid and shake well. You can also add the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. 
3. Prep ingredients.  Slice the tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onion and kalamata olives and toss in a bowl. 
4. Toss. Add the lentils to the bowl and drizzle the vinaigrette over the ingredients and toss. Sprinkle in the Feta cheese and finely chopped mint and toss again. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

For The Dressing

You will need a handful of ingredients to pull together this amazing Red Wine Vinaigrette. Store in an air-tight container (like a mason jar) in the refrigerator. If properly store, the vinaigrette should last up to one week. You may need to let the dressing sit out at room temperature for a few minutes before using because the olive oil can solidify a bit in the refrigerator.

• Red Wine Vinegar
• Olive Oil
• Dijon Mustard
• Garlic
• Parmesan Cheese
• Seasoning (Dried oregano and Italian seasoning)

Do I Need To Peel The Cucumbers First?

You don’t need to peel the cucumbers first if you use Persian or English cucumbers because their skins are thin and crispy. Garden (American) cucumbers should be peeled and deseeded before adding them to salads since the skin is thick and bitter tasting and the seeds are also taste bitter. Persian or English cucumbers are the way to go for salads.

How to Cook Lentils

Lentils are quick and easy to make and unlike other legumes, they don’t require soaking first.  

1. Rinse.  Place green lentils in a colander and pick through removing any little stones and debris you may find.  Rinse under cold water.
2. Combine ingredients.  Add all of the ingredients to a large pot.
3. Add water.  Pour in enough water to cover lentils by 1-1/2 inches.
4. Simmer.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low, cover with lid, and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until lentils are just tender but not falling apart.

Tips For Cooking Lentils

1. Add plenty of water when cooking. You’ll want to use 3-4 cups of water to cover 1 cup of dried lentils, giving them plenty of room to cook in so they won’t get dried out during the cooking process. You will drain any excess water.
2. Seasoning. You can add a lot of flavor by simmering them in vegetable or chicken broth instead of water. Adding bay leaves, basil, parsley, cilantro and other herbs while cooking also enhances the flavor of cooked lentils.
3. Simmer. Be sure to cook the lentils on a low simmer so they can cook evenly and absorb any flavor you’ve added to the pot.
4. Testing tenderness. The easiest way to check if lentils are fully cooked is to remove one or two from the pot and mash it with a fork.

How Long Will This Lentil Greek Salad Last?

If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If properly stored, the salad should last up to 5 days. Give it a stir to toss the ingredients before serving because the dressing will settle at the bottom of the container.

Looking For More Salad Recipes?

• Caprese Salad
• Berry Arugula Salad
• Tomato Basil Quinoa Salad
• Watermelon Arugula Quinoa Salad
• Cucumber Tomato Salad
• Chopped Kale Salad
• Italian Salad

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Yield: 6 Servings

Greek Lentil Salad

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

This Greek Lentil Salad recipe is made with lentils (cooked from scratch), cucumbers, red onion, tomatoes, small sweet peppers, kalamata olives and fresh mint all tossed in the tastiest Red Wine Vinaigrette.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked lentils
• 1-1/2 cups Persian cucumber
• 1-1/2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 4 small sweet peppers, sliced thin
• 1/3 cup red onion, sliced thin
• 3/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced in half
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and grated or minced
• 1/3 cup crumbled Feta cheese

For The Lentils

• 1 cup dry lentils
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 green onion, cut in half
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For The Red Wine Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced or grated
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1 cup olive oil (extra-virgin)
• 2 tablespoons water
• Pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

For The Lentils

1. Place the dried lentils in a colander and rinse with cold water. Pick through and remove any stones and debris. 
2. Add the lentils, bay leaf, olive oil, garlic and green onion to a saucepan and cover with water .  Bring to a boil, then place lid on saucepan and reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes or until just tender but not falling apart.
3. Remove from heat and drain. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour before tossing with the rest of the ingredients.

For The Dressing

1. Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing, or add the ingredients to a mason jar, seal the lid and shake well.

Assemble Salad

1. Add the cooked (and chilled) lentils to a bowl with the sliced cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, onion, kalamata olives to a bowl. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the ingredients and toss. Sprinkle in the Feta cheese, dried oregano and minced garlic and finely chopped mint and toss again. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

Notes

Tips For Cooking Lentils

1. Add plenty of water when cooking. You’ll want to use 3-4 cups of water to cover 1 cup of dried lentils, giving them plenty of room to cook in so they won’t get dried out during the cooking process. You will drain any excess water.
2. Seasoning. Adding bay leaves, basil or parsley while cooking enhances the flavor of cooked lentils. Adding 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil also adds a great flavor to the lentils.
3. Simmer. Be sure to cook the lentils on a low simmer so they can cook evenly and absorb any flavor you’ve added to the pot.
4. Testing tenderness. The easiest way to check if lentils are fully cooked is to remove one or two from the pot and mash it with a fork.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 652Total Fat: 48gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 38gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 297mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 9gSugar: 14gProtein: 15g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations. See full disclaimer on About page.